A significant percentage of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people living in the North have been the victim of homophobic hate crimes during the last three years, according to a new report.
However, 64 per cent of homophobic incidents experienced by individuals were not reported to the police.
Through Your Eyes - perceptions and experiences of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people towards homophobic hate crime and policing in Northern Ireland, is published by the Rainbow Project and supported by the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
It highlights that there are still high levels of homophobic hate crime throughout Northern Ireland and low levels of reporting and recommends steps that the PSNI should undertake in order to improve co-operation with the LGB community.
According to the research, 21 per cent of gay and bisexual males and 18 per cent of lesbians and bisexual females have been the victim of one or more homophobic hate crimes or incidents over the last three years. Approximately 10 percent of LGB people said they had been the victim of incidents over the past 12 months.
Overall, 30 per cent of those experiencing homophobic hate incidents during the past three years were physically injured, the report reveals.
A quarter of incidents were carried out by neighbours or someone living in the local area and 19 per cent of crimes occurred at the home of an individual.
The PSNI define homophobic hate incidents as 'any incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by homophobia'.
Some 39 per cent of LGB people said they alter their behaviour to avoid others knowing that they are not heterosexual.
While the research shows a reluctance on the part of victims to contact police regarding incidents, the research shows that 53 per cent of those who had contact with the PSNI over the past year were either very or somewhat satisfied with the service they received compared to 29 per cent who were either very of somewhat dissatisfied.
Twenty-one percent of LGB people said they believe that the police in Northern Ireland are homophobic while 30 per cent stated that they believed the PSNI was aware of issues affecting the gay community.
