[AnnieK]

Homophobic abuse has always been rife sadly. The spike in cases being reported is a combination of things in my opinion. The rise in prevalence of social media makes it far easier for cases of abuse being reported, the current unrest in the country means all violent crime has risen, the general acceptance of same sex relationships now means more people will report the crimes rather than be embarrassed they happen etc etc.

However, the only people to blame for homophobic crimes are homophobic people.