Transphobic Message Appears in St Andrews

On the night of November 5, 2021, graffiti appeared outside of Boots on Market Street in St Andrews. The graffiti read “Trans women are men” and was written entirely in capital letters. More graffiti of the same kind was later discovered elsewhere in town. It appears to be a public act of transphobia, incidents of which are on the rise across the UK. According to the Government Equalities Office, 41% of trans people had experienced a hate crime or incident within a 12-month period, and 67% “avoided being open about their gender identity for fear of a negative reaction from others”. And a 2020 BBC report revealed that transphobic hate crime reports have “quadrupled” over a five-year period in the UK. LGBT Helpline Scotland: +44 0300 123 2523 Student Services : +44 01334 46 2720