A new report from KentOnline found the county is experiencing high levels of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime, with 1,688 incidents being were investigated by Kent police during the past three years, 366 of which took place in Medway.
Between 2019 and 2020, investigated crimes rose from 533 to 546, with several queer people living in Kent sharing their experiences of anti-LGBTQ+ abuse.Shea Coffey, a 46-year-old trans woman living in Medway said: “Hostility has definitely grown in the last few years.” She explained that “almost everyone” in the trans community has experienced “verbal harassment”, and said she knows some who are too afraid to leave their homes.