LGBTI hate incidents recorded in Catalonia increased by 50% in 2021

A total of 284 LGBTI hate incidents were recorded in Catalonia in 2021, an increase of 50.3%, according to the Observatory Against Homophobia's (OCH) annual report.

The "drastic increase" compared to 189 incidents in 2020 is attributed by the organization to the easing of pandemic restrictions and the growing strength of the far right globally.

In fact, this is the highest number of incidents recorded by the OCH since it began making a yearly count in 2015.

📊 L'any 2021, l'Observatori ha registrat 284 incidències, el que suposa un increment del 50,3% respecte a l'any passat.

Un augment dràstic vers el 2020 que s'atribueix a la flexibilització de les restriccions de la pandèmia i a la força de l'extrema dreta.#EstatLGTBIfobia2021 pic.twitter.com/bQAL3LakUP

— Observatori Contra l'Homofòbia (@OCL_H) June 27, 2022

Cases of homophobic and transphobic discrimination were reported in 62 municipalities across Catalonia, with Barcelona city alone accounting for 118 of the total. By province, incidents were concentrated in Barcelona (44.7%), followed by Tarragona (20.8%), Girona (17.6%) and Lleida (16.9%).

The most commonly-reported location for LGBTIphobic incidents in 2021 was on the street (109 cases, 38.49%) followed by in homes (30 cases, 10.6%) and on the internet and social media (28 cases, 9.9%).

As for the nature of the attacks or discrimination, verbal insults or aggression accounted for 28.5% of cases, followed by promoting hate or spreading negative stereotypes (17.6%), and physical aggression (17.3%).

The report also highlighted that July saw 16.9% of incidents against the LGTBI community in 2021. 

Transphobia

The need for the Spanish congress to approving legislation protecting transgender people is "an absolute priority," OCH president, Eugeni Rodríguez, told press on Monday at the presentation of the report, 'The State of LGTBIphobia in Catalonia 2021'.

Transphobic incidents rose significantly in 2021, with 29 against trans women, ten more than in 2020, and eight against trans men, an increase of three.

Transgender women were the group that experienced the second highest number of attacks and discrimination, 12.3% of the total, after gay men (70.3%).

Cristian Carrer, the OCH's technical coordinator, stressed that "the data allows us to see the reality and behind the numbers there are stories."

The report's release comes two days after thousands in Barcelona took to the streets for a parade to round off two weeks of Pride celebrations.