Transgender people are being attacked as a result of the hateful rhetoric directed towards them, says the chief executive of LGBT charity Say It Sheffield.
Heather Paterson told the Yorkshire Post: "In the past few years, there has been a lot of stirring up in the media about transgender and non-binary people.
"Trans people are often painted as being sexual predators and people you would not want to be in a changing room with. It is the exact same rhetoric that was used against gay people back in the 1980s.”
She continued: "I have heard of lots of trans people being attacked... Many trans people will say they haven't experienced it, but then when you talk more, they will say, 'Oh but I don't really go out anymore', or, 'I avoid walking down certain streets these days'. There is a level of self-policing going on.
“One woman I know who is trans was attacked coming home. She had put the key in the door and was hit over the head. The attack left her blinded in one eye."