UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 16 JULY 2020
The Hate, Vulnerabilities and Intervention strategic research group, operating within the Centre for Security and Extremism at Birmingham City University, hosted two public events addressing the problem of LGBTI-phobia in the time of Covid-19.
The webinars featured interventions from leading international experts and were organised in collaboration with the International Network for Hate Studies.
“We are pleased to have been able to hear contributions from experts representing the worlds of policy and practice, and showing a diversity of problems and solutions,” said Dr Piotr Godzisz from BCU Criminology on behalf of the organisers. “We are also grateful for the opportunity to strengthen our ties with the global platform for hate studies such as the INHS.”
The two sessions were organised geographically, with one looking at the problem globally, and the other zooming in on Europe and the UK.
“Such a setup allowed us to compare how the current pandemic affected the patterns of violence and discrimination against the LGBTI community around the globe and see what the lessons for policy and practice in England and Wales could be,” said Dr Damian Breen, Deputy Director of the Centre for Security and Extremism, who moderated one of the events.
The webinars add to the ongoing work of the Hate, Vulnerabilities and Intervention strategic research group within the Centre for Security and Extremism, which aims at influencing public, policy and practice-based understandings of everyday hate.
Session 1 (9 July): LGBTI-phobia in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic – Europe and the World
This event was hosted by Dr Piotr Godzisz, Lecturer in Criminology at Birmingham City University, and co-hosted by Dr Jennifer Schweppe, Co-Director of the International Network for Hate Studies. This event featured a panel of internationally renowned experts comprised of:
Yvonne Wamari - Africa Programme Officer at the international LGBTI advocacy organisation Outright Action International
Yvonne Wamari’s contribution discussed the global impact of COVID-19 on LGBTIQ people and communities and her intervention focused on Africa and Asia.
Akram Kubanychbekov - Senior Advocacy Officer, ILGA-Europe, the European Region of the International LGBTI Association
Akram Kubanychbekov spokeabout the rapid assessment conducted by ILGA-Europe in the context of the pandemic. His intervention focused on Central Asia and Europe.
Emma Smith and Mary Hassan – Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Unit of the Council of Europe
Mary Hassan and Emma Smith discussed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic with relation to human rights of LGBTI issues in the Council of Europe region.
Graeme Reid - Director of the LGBT Rights Programme within Human Rights Watch
Graeme Reid’s intervention featured issues around LGBTI people in the Americas. The expert also made broader comments on the implications of the pandemic on structural inequalities and discrimination.
Session 2 (15 July): LGBTI-phobia in the context of Covid 19 – The UK in Europe
The second event was hosted by Dr Damian Breen, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Birmingham City University and Deputy Director of the Centre for Security and Extremism. Dr Zoe James, Co-Director of the International Network for Hate Studies co-hosted the session. The panel comprised three speakers:
Juul Van Hoof Programme Officer - Seconded National Expert, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights
Juul Van Hoof discussed the newly published EU LGBTI Survey II, highlighting the main survey results and zooming in on the UK on hate crime, discrimination and violence experiences.
Paul Giannasi, National Policing Advisor for Hate Crime, National Online Hate Crime Hub
Paul Giannasi’s presentation focused on providing insights around hate crime and LGBTI people in the UK context, and some of the implications of the rise of populism for discrimination and hate incidents.
Jasna Magić, National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Project Manager, Galop
Dr Jasna Magić discussed how COVID-19 and related measures have affected LGBT+ domestic abuse services in the NGO context.
A blog featuring selected insights from the sessions will also be published by the INHS.