See
The Equality Act 2010 defines it as
“A person has the protected characteristic of marriage and civil partnership if the person is married or is a civil partner.
In relation to the protected characteristic of marriage and civil partnership—
- a reference to a person who has a particular protected characteristic is a reference to a person who is married or is a civil partner;
- a reference to persons who share a protected characteristic is a reference to persons who are married or are civil partners."
The way that this could present in a sporting environment could be that a member of staff is no longer welcome at a club based on their marital status. This section of the Equality Act highlights the issues of intersectionality as it may be that a same sex marriage could be the issue and that then cuts across two of the protected characteristics.
Report
The Metropolitan Police define Hate crime as 'Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.'
A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender.
Reporting a crime can be powerful in bringing about long-lasting change. It could stop it from happening again and send a strong message that hate won’t be tolerated. It can also help authorities in understanding the real picture of hate crime, enabling them to put the correct measures in place in the future.
If you witness a hate crime/incident or are the victim of one then you can report it to the police using the below:
Police
Emergency: 999
Non-emergencies: 101
Trains: Text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40.
Online: www.report-it.org.uk
Crime Stoppers
Call 0800 555111 or go to www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Support
The easiest way to make people feel supported after they have been the victim of hate crimes or incidents is to make it clear that you believe them and that the incident isn’t their fault. Martial status is personal and therefore must be treated with confidentiality and respect.