Transphobic attack in Leamington

This is posted at the request of a member of the local community who is also a Warwickshire Pride volunteer. It comes with a trigger/content warning for transphobia.

Last night, while walking at Newbold Comyn in Leamington Spa, a trans person was attacked by a gang who shouted transphobic abuse and fired fireworks at them. This is a shocking act of violence that we absolutely condemn and call on Warwickshire Police to deal with swiftly and firmly.

Hate towards LGBTQ+ people, and particularly trans people, is getting worse. Rhetoric from politicians, certain authors, and other people in positions of power and influence is having a seriously damaging and dangerous impact on our communities. People should be able to go about their business and enjoy a nice walk in a park without being subjected to the violence that occurred at Newbold Comyn last night.

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. If you were at our recent trans rights protest, you may have seen and heard the transphobic abuse that happened during the protest. Some people were also abused and attacked on their way home from the protest, including our Chair who had to contend with a gang of four men being homophobic and transphobic while walking back to his car.

Please be vigilant when you are out. Stay in public places and in view of other people. Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back. If you encounter hate, remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible. Don’t retaliate. Put your safety first. Report any incidents to the Police or to Warwickshire Pride. You can also report at https://www.reporthatenow.com.

We shouldn’t be having to think about giving safety advice but sadly it’s the world we find ourselves living in. What happened last night has been reported to the Police. Someone from our team will be supporting the victim to give a statement. We also have a meeting with Warwickshire Police in a couple of weeks’ time to discuss rising hate and what the Police are going to be doing about it.

Today we have an LGBTQ+ coffee morning, TransTogether social, and our Proud Parents group running at Coffee 1 in Leamington. The coffee morning starts at 10:00am. TransTogether starts at 12:00pm. Proud Parents starts at 2:00pm.

You will be in a safe place and with community and chosen family. We have also introduced safety measures at our groups, including giving advice to attendees about getting home safely, a clear process for what to do if there is any hate, and a checking in procedure for all of our group facilitators.

We send our love and support to the victim of last night’s attack, and to everyone who is a victim of hate. We are here for you.