Gay Berkshire aims to bring together the voices of Berkshire's LGBT community.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people who are victims of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crimes and bigoted incidents can feel extremely vulnerable. When someone suffers an incident committed out of ignorance, prejudice or hatred because of their sexual orientation or a misapprehension of their gender, they can be left feeling exposed and often voiceless.
Many LGBT people can be reluctant to speak about what happened to anyone, particularly authorities in their workplace or the police. There is often a fear of being outed to workmates, friends or family, if the incident becomes known. They may fear the incident will not be taken seriously, that they will be judged to have not suffered any ‘real’ loss or threat, or they may fear reprisals and repeat victimisation. Some remain silent due to a lack of confidence that their supervisors at work or the police will be sensitive to their situation or act appropriately on their behalf.
Gay Berkshire is a county-wide group that aims to strengthen the voice of Berkshire's LGBT community on a variety of issues. We work towards community cohesion by liaising with local councils and other bodies, such as the police, to challenge homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and to oppose prevalent misconceptions of the LGBT community.
If you feel you have been a victim of a hate crime, please review the Gay Berkshire homepage for information on how to report it and how to get support.
If you would like to volunteer with Gay Berkshire to help us achieve our aims, we’d be very pleased to hear from you.
