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# Yorkshire man creates support group after homophobic attack
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/yorkshire-man-creates-lgbtq-support-group-after-homophobic-attack/
- Published: 2021-09-21T14:30:28.000Z
- Updated: 2021-09-21T09:10:44.000Z
- Description: South Yorkshire psychic medium, Andrew James, has launched an LGBTQ+ support group online after he was physically assaulted on a night out.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: Mental Health, News, Queer Corner, Birmingham, Birmingham's gay village, Hate Crime, Homophobia, UK, Yorkshire

South Yorkshire psychic medium, Andrew James, has launched an LGBTQ+ support group online after he was physically assaulted on a night out with his boyfriend on September 11\. Speaking to [*The Star*](https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/south-yorkshire-man-launches-homophobia-support-group-after-being-punched-on-night-out-for-being-gay-3384785?ref=scenemag.co.uk), James explained that he was punched in the face and told by the attacker: *“You deserve it because you’re gay.”* James added that it was *“really disappointing”* to be experiencing homophobia *“in this day and age”.*

Following the incident, James set up an [LGBTQ+ support group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/599617844368354/) on Facebook to create a *“safe place for members of the LGBTQ+ or supporters of the LGBTQ+ to talk and share stories and make friends.”* He told The Star his motive for setting up the group, which already has over 500 members: *“I just wanted to create a space to offer more support. Only when I was a victim myself did I see there’s not enough support out there for the LGBTQ+ community.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/flag-hands600400.png)

The UK has seen a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime over the past few months, with some victims even being targeted in LGBTQ+ venues or villages. [Birmingham’s Gay Village](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/birminghams-gay-village-sees-another-homophobic-attack/) has seen two homophobic assaults since June, with one man being stabbed in the leg by attackers. Young LGBTQ+ people have also been the victims of the rise in hate crime, with two teens being beaten and robbed in [Hitchin, Hertfordshire](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/two-teens-attacked-in-homophobic-hate-crime/) in what police described as an *“unprovoked homophobic attack.”*