The Sophie Lancaster Foundation

Hate Crime & Advocacy

Challenging hate crime against alternative people

Hate crime is an offence committed against someone because of hostility or prejudice towards their identity or perceived identity.

In England and Wales, the five centrally monitored strands of hate crime are race, religion or faith, sexual orientation, disability and transgender identity. Alternative subcultures are not currently recognised as a separate, formally monitored strand of hate crime.

  • Race
  • Religion or faith
  • Sexual orientation
  • Disability
  • Transgender identity
  • Alternative subcultures (not currently recognised)

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation believes this needs to change.

  • We campaign for greater recognition of hostility and prejudice towards people from alternative subcultures and work to ensure that incidents motivated by alternative identity are properly recognised, recorded and responded to.

  • We provide specialist training to police forces and other professionals, helping them understand alternative subcultures, recognise the signs of alternative subculture hate crime and better understand the experiences of people who report it.

  • We also provide information and resources to help people understand their rights, report incidents and know what they should expect when seeking support.

Our Hate Crime Guide

Our Hate Crime Guide, made possible through funding from The National Lottery, has been created to support anyone experiencing hate crime or targeted abuse because of who they are.

The guide has been designed with the alternative community in mind, drawing on the experiences and needs of people who may face hostility because of their appearance, identity or subcultural affiliation. However, much of the information and advice will be useful to anyone experiencing hate or targeted abuse.

Read our Hate Crime Guide Link to follow
Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund

How we can support you – Advocacy Services

If you are experiencing hate crime, discrimination or targeted abuse because of your alternative identity, you don't have to navigate it alone.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation can offer information, advice and light-touch advocacy. We can help you understand your options, provide information about reporting an incident and the support you may be entitled to, and help you identify other organisations that may be able to provide ongoing or specialist support.

We are not a clinical or mental health support service, and we do not provide ongoing casework or case management. We also cannot provide emergency support.

Our role is to use our expertise to listen, provide information and help you find the most appropriate support for your circumstances.

If you need ongoing or specialist support, we can help you identify services that may be able to help.

Find out more about our Advocacy Service Link to follow