A Dangerous Rainbow: LGBT+ Hate Crimes And The Liberal Blind Spot

With equal marriage in the UK, equality laws and a move towards a more liberal mindset, it’s easy to assume LGBTQ people have nothing to worry about. Think again. Hate crimes are on the rise and prejudice lies just beneath the surface…

I WANT to start with a question to you all: how do you feel when you see a rainbow? Those beautiful, big icons in the sky — they might remind us of happiness, of possibility.

Some people say rainbows are a sign from God.

Whatever our beliefs, when we see a rainbow, it IS a sign, isn’t it?

A rainbow is an indication that things are going to get better. It’s usually been raining, it might have been dull and dreary moments earlier, but it’s okay now, because there’s a rainbow.

I want to take you in another direction with your thoughts around rainbows.

I want to ask you, how you feel if you’re out shopping for the day and you walk through a city centre, and you notice a rainbow in a shop window or, maybe, above the bar.

You wander further into that area and you notice that you are surrounded by…