A woman was reportedly kicked, pulled to the ground and called a transphobic slur in an attack on Victoria Street this morning.
The transphobic hate crime happened outside the city centre Heaven Nightclub in Liverpool's 'gay town' on Friday morning, September 24.
Following a report to police around 7.10am, police arrested a 32-year-old man from Kensington on suspicion of Section 39 Assault.
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The man was taken into custody and will be questioned by officers.
A police spokesperson told the ECHO : "It was reported that, following an altercation, the woman was pulled to the ground by a man who then kicked her.
"It was further reported that the man directed a transphobic slur towards her.
They added: "No injuries were reported and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident."
Last Saturday, September 18, protesters marched through Liverpool city centre calling to 'Reclaim Pride' from corporate interests after a summer of violent homophobic and transphobic attacks in the city.
The series of hate crimes, reports of which have risen in recent years, sparked protest and condemnation earlier this year.
Detective Inspector Steven O'Neill said: "We are in the very early stages of an investigation into an incident this morning and we would ask anyone who was in the Victoria Street area at the time of the incident to come forward.
"Due to the nature of the insults directed towards the victim, we are treating this incident as a hate crime.
"It is completely and utterly abhorrent to think that people could be subject to verbal and physical abuse simply because of their gender identity or sexual orientation and we simply will not tolerate people being targeted in this way.
"Although we have made one arrest, our enquiries are ongoing and if you saw anything or anyone suspicious then please let us know and information you hold could be vital to our enquiries.
"Whether you let us know directly or anonymously, through Crimestoppers, please get in touch and we can take action.
"I would also take this opportunity to urge any victim of hate crime on Merseyside to please come forward and let us know. We have a dedicated team of hate crime co-ordinators who will make sure you will be supported at every step as sensitively as possible.
"Furthermore, across Merseyside, there are a number of third-party reporting centres available to anyone who doesn't want to call the police in the first instance including the charity Stop Hate UK who can be contacted on 0800 138 1625."
Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact Merseyside Police – DM @MerpolCC on Twitter, message Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook quoting reference 21000664327.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org. You can also download the Stop Hate UK reporting app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Across Merseyside, we also have a number of third party reporting centres including fire stations, citizens advice bureaus and hospitals. A list of locations can be viewed here: merseyside-third-party-hate-crime-reporting-centres.pdf
Dedicated support for victims of hate crime is also available through the Victim Care Merseyside service delivered by Citizens Advice. They can be contacted at lgbthatecrime@caliverpool.org.uk or by calling 0151 522 1400 ext. 5006.
