Safety for LGBT+ Young People: What Every Young Person and Parent Should Know

Safety That Starts with Acceptance

LGBT+ young people in the UK face a specific set of safety challenges that their peers do not. The most significant protective factor against virtually every negative outcome, including poor mental health, homelessness, substance use, and vulnerability to exploitation, is having at least one accepting, supportive adult in their life. This guide is for LGBT+ young people and for the adults who want to be that person for them.

Being LGBT+ is not inherently a safety risk. The risks LGBT+ young people face come from external sources: prejudice, discrimination, family rejection, and specific forms of targeting and exploitation. Naming these clearly, and knowing how to respond to them, is empowering rather than alarming.

Hate Crime: Recognising and Responding

Homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic hate crime is a criminal offence in the UK. It includes verbal abuse, threatening behaviour, physical assault, and damage to property where the motivation is hostility based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Police figures consistently show that hate crimes against LGBT+ people are underreported, partly because victims are uncertain whether what happened to them qualifies, and partly because of concern about how the police will respond.

Any incident that is motivated by hostility towards your sexual orientation or gender identity can be reported as a hate crime, even if it also constitutes another offence. Reports can be made to police via 999 in emergencies or 101 otherwise. Reports can also be made anonymously through True Vision (report-it.org.uk) or through Galop, the LGBT+ anti-violence charity, which provides support to hate crime victims and can assist with reporting.

If you experience harassment or threatening behaviour online that is motivated by your identity, this can also be reported to the police and to the relevant platform. Screenshot and preserve evidence before reporting, as platforms may remove content after you report it.

Online Safety for LGBT+ Young People

Online spaces offer vital community and connection for LGBT+ young people, particularly those in less accepting environments or rural areas where in-person community is limited. They also carry specific risks. LGBT+ young people are targeted by hate speech, harassment campaigns, and in some cases by adults with harmful intentions who use the search for community as a way to identify vulnerable young people.

Be cautious about sharing identifying personal information in LGBT+ specific online spaces, particularly your location, school, or daily routine. This is not because these spaces are inherently unsafe but because the level of harassment targeting these communities in some online environments means that additional discretion is warranted.

Apps specifically marketed to LGBT+ young people or adults include those designed for social connection and those designed for dating. Dating apps have age verification requirements but these are inconsistently enforced. Young people who use these apps are exposed to adult spaces and need specific guidance about safety in that context: meeting strangers safely, never sharing home addresses, always telling someone where you are going, and having an exit plan for any meeting that feels wrong.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

LGBT+ young people experience significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal ideation than their peers. This is not an inherent consequence of being LGBT+. It is a consequence of minority stress: the cumulative effect of stigma, discrimination, family rejection, bullying, and the emotional labour of navigating a world that often fails to acknowledge your identity safely.

If you are an LGBT+ young person struggling with your mental health, you deserve support that understands your specific experience. The Samaritans (116 123) are available 24 hours a day and speak to people of all backgrounds without judgement. Switchboard LGBT+ helpline (0800 0119 100) is specifically staffed by LGBT+ volunteers who understand the specific challenges. Childline (0800 1111) is available to under-19s. The Kooth online mental health platform accepts self-referrals from young people without a GP referral.

Coming Out Safely

Coming out is a deeply personal decision and process that happens differently for every individual. There is no single right time or right way to come out. The primary question to consider is safety: what are the likely responses from the people you are considering telling, and do you have a safety plan if the response is worse than expected?

Start with the person you trust most, not necessarily the person you feel most obligated to tell first. A positive experience of being accepted and supported provides emotional grounding for more difficult disclosures. If you are concerned about your safety at home following a coming out conversation, identify in advance a safe person outside the home, a friend's family, a teacher, or a charity, who you can contact if needed.

Albert Kennedy Trust supports LGBT+ young people aged 16 to 25 who are facing or experiencing homelessness due to family rejection. Knowing this organisation exists before it is needed is valuable. No one should have to choose between their identity and a safe home, but the reality is that some young people do face this, and knowing where support is available in advance can make a critical difference.

For Parents and Carers

If your child comes out to you, the most important thing you can do in that moment is respond with love rather than shock, information requests, or expressions of concern about their future. Your child has probably been thinking about this for months or years. They need to know that they are still loved and still safe at home.

It is entirely normal to have questions, feelings, and a period of adjustment. The key is to continue showing your child consistent love and acceptance while you process those feelings with adults, rather than making your child feel responsible for managing your reaction. FFLAG (Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) provides support, resources, and a helpline for parents navigating this experience.