Homophobic attack at Queen’s Park shows that work must be done to make Chesterfield safe for its LGBTQ+ community

An individual had been attacked and spat at by a gang of teenagers, who were alleged to have made homophobic comments during their assault.

It is heartbreaking to think that somebody in our town has suffered in this way because of their sexuality. I can only hope they realise that these attackers represent a small, narrow-minded minority, and that most will be rightfully disgusted by this news.

Of course, it is not enough to simply reassure LGBTQ+ people by saying that those who target them are the few, rather than the many. For as long as there are those out there willing to abuse them for who they choose to love, then there will be people scared to walk through the streets and parks of Chesterfield – something that cannot be right.

After a previous, unrelated assault at Queen’s Park earlier in the year, Derbyshire Police said they would be increasing patrols in the area. Given the nature of this incident, one would hope that they will commit to doing the same now – a greater number of high-visibility patrols across the town will no doubt help boost the confidence of those who may be scared of facing similar attacks.

While these reactive measures are important, more needs to be done to tackle anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment at its very roots. I am sure education and awareness on these matters has come on leaps and bounds since I was last in school, but evidently, it is crucial that we work to instil in children an acceptance of people’s differences – so that they do not grow up into the kinds of young adults that launch such assaults.