Dear haters...

As I happily watched the debate that my latest blog on love addiction caused from the safety of my boyfriend's house earlier today,  I couldn't help but feel a little pleased. Through the dedication of my loved ones, my blog has nearly reach 1100 views which makes me happier than a dog released in a meat factory. I'm rather glad that I'm causing a little bit of healthy debate to fill up students heads that have been draining over the holidays, while raising awareness of some vital issues that need to be addressed. So thank you everyone!

Anyway, as I sat wasting my life away on Facebook, a person who I consider to be one of my best friends approached me and asked me to write about something that he holds very dear to his heart and, well, considering I was out of ideas for today and feeling particularly lethargic I thought, why the hell not? I can't churn out amazing ideas all the time, can I? So while I pass on my thanks to him for giving me another subject to rant about, I want to thank him for entrusting me to raise awareness for him - it means so much to me. So, as per request, today I am going to hopefully eradicate any preconceived prejudices and stereotypes that people, particularly of the LGBT community face in the modern day world.

In 2010, recorded hate crimes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland fell by seven per cent - but crimes based on sexual orientation, transgender status and disability rose. According to these figures, which were released last year by the Association of Chief Police Officers, crimes based on faith and race decreased substantially between 2009 and 2010. There were a recorded 51,920 hate crimes based on race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender status and disability in 2009. The following year, the figure fell to 48,127.

While that's all fine and dandy and definitely something to shout about, the overall figures for anti - gay crimes rose from 4,085 offences to 4,883. There was a fourteen per cent increase in recorded transphobic crimes across the country and crimes against disable people rose by twenty one per cent.

We all know what hate crimes are, but, in the simplest terms, it is a crime committed against another person, which is motivate by the perpetrators prejudice towards the victim. It can manifest as verbal abuse, threatening behaviour, physical violence, damaging property and, in extreme cases, murder.  Hate crime is very different to other crimes as it has an increased detrimental impact on the victim, due to its personal nature.

It absolutely infuriates me that some people these days are so shallow minded and feel that they can judge others on their life choices or disabilities, and that they feel justified to seek them out for it. It especially annoys me because some of the kindest, happiest and most humble people I know are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. I have had the privilege of knowing people who are diagnosed as disabled and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that they are some of the most wonderful people I have ever met.

The sad truth is that people commit hate crimes because they just don't know about people who are different to what they consider 'the norm', because they are either too ignorant to educate themselves or too scared of a way of life dissimilar to their own. So, class, pick a seat. Have a cup of hot chocolate and a biscuit. Pull out a notepad with a nice new biro and get learning.

Let's begin. So what is a Transsexual?

People who may be described as Transsexual have a deep conviction that their gender identity does not match that of their appearance and therefore, they wish to present to the world in a different gender to that which they were assigned at birth. The majority undergo hormone therapy, oestrogens or testosterone, depending upon their birth gender and the gender that they wish to acquire legally. Most will also undergo some surgery to bring their bodies in line with their gender identity.  In the broad sense of the term, the person crosses the line of the social norm of gender by dressing and presenting themselves in the preferred gender role.

Often, the term transsexual is misleading and many assume that it is about sexual orientation, but, contrary to what most people believe, it is more so an issue of gender identity. The term originates from the good old Americans and it works to describe the identities of a range of people whose lifestyles appear to conflict with the gender norms of society.

Now, we all know what gays, lesbians and bisexuals are, but here's lesson number two all the same. Gays and lesbians or, to give the correct term, homosexuals, refer to those who are attracted only to members of the same sex or gender. Contrary to popular belief, gay men do not love dressing up in pink 24/7 or love to go shoe shopping, (believe me - dragging a gay man around Top shop for 10 minutes is a painful as it would be with any straight man.) They do not stress about how they look any more than the average man does and they are not constantly jolly. The same goes for lesbians - they do not necessarily have their hair sheared or just kiss on camera for a hit video on red tube. Sorry to disappoint you lads, but lesbians are just an 'normal' as any other women. And you wouldn't have a chance with one in a million years.

"Dear World,

Contrary to popular belief, I don't hate homosexuals

Sincerely God "

Moving swiftly onto us bisexual lot, who balance happily on the fence. The amount of times I have been referred to as 'greedy' or wanting to 'have my cake and eat it to', (which, I'll point out, is a RIDICULOUS because no one in their right mind would have a slice of cake and NOT eat it), is beyond a joke. I'm all up for a laugh and whatnot, but sometimes, people cross the line. I like men. I like women. Does that mean I am going to be condemned to the very depths of hell? NO. And even if I am, what do I care? I might even catch that tan I've been hoping for all summer.

Now, what do we consider as a disabled person?

A disability ranges from physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these. It can be present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day - to - day activities such as eating, washing, walking or generally undertaking tasks without assistance.

The term, like transsexual, is an umbrella term which covers nearly all aspects of disabilities, from impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions, which are all different aspects of disability. It is a complex phenomenon, that reflects an interaction between features of a person's body and the features of the society in which he or she lives.

Personally, I am a strong believer that my thoughts, ideologies and life choices belong to me and me alone. Punishing someone for thinking differently to you, acting differently to you or generally being different, is absolutely disgraceful and I don't think that society should really have a say in what is normal. For me, the more I grow and learn about society, it's kind of scary to realise that normal may be a wide array of variables. Things that are normal to me, such as discussing how good looking a girl is with my boyfriend or calling Domino's just to order desserts, is probably not normal to you. Nobody is 'normal' these days and if any one finds out what it entails, please let me know and we'll compare ourselves.

The fact is that there is no excuse for any form of hate crime because all people are equal whether we are gay, transgender, bisexual, lesbian, thin, fat, disabled, men or women, black or white. In the wise words of a Yiddish Proverb;"Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough, but not baked in the same oven." Deal with it.