IDAHOBIT takes place today on May 17th. The theme for this year is written above. It celebrates and advocates for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and acts a reminder to the discrimination and violence they face because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and/or their sex characteristics.

Homeless Link continues to actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion for all, including the LGBTQIA+ community. We encourage those working in the sector to do the same.

In the last few years, transphobic hate crimes have quadrupled. 4 out of 5 trans people experience a transphobic hate crime, and 1 in 4 experience physical assault or the threat of physical assault. The number of homophobic attacks is also increasing, with data suggesting that these have risen by 22% in London in the space of one year.

Those who are LGBTQIA+ are more likely to experience homelessness. 1 in 5 LGBT people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, with rates even higher amongst trans people with 25% having experienced homelessness at some point.

77% of LGBTQIA+ young people gave ‘family rejection, abuse or being asked to leave home’ as a cause of their homelessness.

When people experience disadvantages, such as discrimination, due to their personal characteristics they feel rejected because of who we are. As a result, people are less likely to be able to access resources they need that push them into homelessness.

By shining a light on this today, we are able to encourage others to take action and promote equality and celebrate diversity. By reading this blog you are taking an important step in educating yourself of the issues faced by LGBTQIA+ people and their specific experiences of homelessness. By sharing this knowledge you will contribute to challenging stereotypes and prejudice, promote understand and respect.

It is crucial to recognise the power of solidarity, community and allyship across different communities.

When we unite and work together, that is when we can truly bring about change.

Click the link below to read through pieces we have written to help make your service more inclusive to the LGBTQIA+ community, such as the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people experiencing homelessness, how to better engage as a service, and intersectional experiences.

Click the link below to browse through our Knowledge Hub, a great source of information on how to make your service and support more inclusive to LGBTQIA+ people.

We have a number of projects listed under our Homeless England database that are specific in their support of LGBTQIA+ people. Click the link below to browse through.

Please see some definitions of terms used in this blog:

• Bi: An umbrella term used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender. Bi people may describe themselves using a variety of terms, including (but not limited to) bisexual, pan and queer.
• Biphobia: Fear of dislike of someone who identifies as bi, based on prejudice or negative attitudes about bi people. Biphobic bullying may be targeted at people who are, or perceived to be, bi.
• Homophobia: Fear or dislike of someone based on prejudice or negative attitudes about lesbian, gay or bi people. Homophobic bullying may be targeted at people who are, or perceived to be, lesbian, gay or bi.
• Intersex: A term used to describe a person who may have the biological attributes of both sexes or whose biological attributes do not fit with societal assumptions about what constitutes male or female. Intersex people may identify as male, female or non-binary.
• Intersexphobia: defined as negative attitudes and feelings towards people who are believed to possess biological sex traits that are not typically male or female, known as Intersex Traits.
• Trans: An umbrella term used to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned with at birth. Trans people may describe themselves using a variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer, and gender-fluid.
• Transphobia: The fear or dislike of someone based on the fact they are trans, including denying their gender identity or refusing to accept it. Transphobia may be targeted at people who are, or who are perceived to be, trans.