World LGBT Day May 17, 2023

Anti-LGBT Crimes: What is it in practice?

Despite the recognition of same-sex couples in 1999, the criminalization of homophobic insults from 2004 onwards, the legalization of marriage equality in 2013, lesbian, gay, bi, transgender or intergender (LGBT+) people still face a significant and growing number of crimes and offenses against them.

Anti-LGBT+ offenses are mainly insults and defamation, physical violence, threats, theft, outrages on dignity and harassment.

What to do in case of anti-LGBT+ attacks?

Depending on the type of crime or crime, you can act in different ways:

• if the attack concerns an assault with physical violence and that requires an emergency intervention, alert the rescue services (Samu, Fire Department, Police Rescue...). If there is no emergency, choose the direct number of your police station or gendarmerie brigade;
• if you encounter anti-LGBT+ abuse online, you can report the content on Pharos (Official portal for reporting illegal content on the Internet) and report the content to the host of the site or social network.
• if you are a victim or witness to an assault, you can also report the acts anonymously on the free FLAG! app.

In general, if you are a victim of anti-LGBT+ abuse, whether it concerns abuse, violence or discrimination, it is advisable to:

• contact the police and gendarmerie via instant messaging;
• contact the victim assistance office;
• file a complaint.

If you witness anti-LGBT+ acts or gender-based violence, you can alert the emergency services and report the facts. You can also access instant messaging to chat with a police officer or gendarme soldier: go to chat.