TV pitch - homophobic hate crime in Brighton

October 2024 By Frederico Barbarossa.

At time of posting, it’s National Hate Crime Awareness Week (13 – 20 October) so we're delighted to support a call-out from a gay man, Frederico Barbarossa; Frederico is putting a proposal together for a TV documentary about the darker, homophobic and transphobic side of Brighton & Hove which is well-known as being LGBTQ+ friendly and sometimes dubbed the ‘gay capital’ of the UK. Yet homophobic and transphobic hate crime are not uncommon, for example, figures released last year show that transphobic hate crime in Sussex (not just Brighton & Hove) rose by a third in 2022*.

Frederico explains more...

I'm 34, an actor from East Sussex, and have been on the gay scene in Brighton for several years. I'm very passionate about the safety of communities and individuals. I am pitching a documentary idea to a television channel to highlight people’s experiences of homophobia and transphobia in Brighton & Hove. The city is known as the ‘gay’ capital of the UK with thousands of tourists visiting the city each year for Pride which is held in August. I've also experienced numerous homophobic hate crimes while being in the city myself.

I would like to highlight the importance of hate crime within the UK and within the LGBTQ+ community. The main purpose of the show would be to interview victims of homophobic and transphobic abuse within Brighton and Hove.

I'd also like to speak to local door security staff at venues if they've witnessed any attacks while on duty at LGBTQ+ venues or other clubs. I'd also like to interview nightclub owners if they have witnessed any homophobic or transphobic attacks.

I'm planning to talk to Sussex Police and the Council as they've obviously had to respond to quite a few homophobic attacks over the past few years. I am also proposing this documentary to promote the LGBTQ+ scenes in Brighton as safe environments and to send the message that we will not stand for homophobia or transphobia in the city.

While the documentary would demonstrate that hate crime is still a serious problem in Brighton and Hove, I'm also looking to talk to anyone who has a positive story to tell such as the mother and son who set up a safe space in the city for people who've suffered homophobic attacks. I'm looking for people who have been victims of homophobic or transphobic attacks – whether abuse or physical - when on a night out - anyone from the LGBTQ+ communities, including Trans and drag queens, for example. I would also like to speak to any security staff who were working at Pride 2024 or anyone who was attacked at Brighton Pride this year or previous years and any friends or family, if they know anyone.

Thank you.
Please Contact contact me by email by 30 November 2024.
Federico Luca Barbarossa

* Hate crime against trans people in Sussex up from last year