Creative Campaign at Outernet Challenges Rising Hate Against LGBT+ People

Launching in June, Hate Hurts All of Us reveals how rising levels of anti-LGBT+ hate are detrimental to us all, but can be stopped when we come together.

Developed by the UK’s LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, Galop, and London-based animation studio Chicken Fruit, the emotive campaign features cute, colourful round characters, called Squidgies, who become vulnerable to being infected with hate, as it spreads across the immense Outernet screens through spikey, angry characters.

Galop and Chicken Fruit created the activation in response to rising levels of anti-LGBT+ hate, with hate growing in digital spaces and on the streets. In the past decade, the UK has plummeted down the ILGA Rainbow Europe Index for ‘safe’ countries for LGBT+ people, from 1st place with 86% in 2015, to 22nd place with our lowest-ever score of 46% in 2025.

Between 2023 and 2024, Galop saw a 100% increase in LGBT+ people accessing help for hate crime. Rising levels of anti-LGBT+ hate are impacting the safety of LGBT+ people in their everyday lives.

An LGBT+ survivor of abuse and violence recently told Galop’s Hate Crime Helpline:

“...this country is becoming more and more hostile to LGBT+ people. I feel so unsafe now, that I’m constantly thinking of how I can get out."

But as Galop show those who sign up to their pledge, this type of hate doesn’t only hurt the LGBT+ community. It harms all of us.

A 2024 study from Dublin City University’s Anti-Bullying Centre found that social media platforms are bombarding teenage boys with toxic misogynistic content within 23 minutes of creating an account. Skewed algorithms are causing “unquantifiable damage” by openly promoting the abuse of women.

Gender-based hate towards women and girls has terrifying real-life consequences. Rooted in misogynistic and patriarchal thinking, structures and social norms, it’s also the cause of escalating violence against the LGBT+ community.

These oppressive beliefs about gender and sexuality set impossible standards which are damaging to everyone. They try to define what “normal” is. They dictate how we’re meant to behave, how we’re meant to look, what we can and can’t wear, and what we can and can’t do. They tell us who we can and can’t be, and who we’re allowed to love. And anyone who fails to meet these expectations could be a target for hate and abuse. But as the Squidgies in Galop’s Pride campaign show, gender-based hate is not inevitable. By coming together and challenging hate, we can help to end it.

Galop, and the Squidgies, are asking members of the public to pledge to help end hate, by joining a community of people committed to creating a safer future for everyone.

Over the coming months, anyone who signs up to the pledge will hear from gender- based violence experts, be able to access free educational resources, and find out what simple, everyday actions they can take to help end hate.

Ben Kernighan, Galop’s Interim CEO, said:

“Galop has been running the National LGBT+ Hate Crime Helpline since 2021, so we know that LGBT+ hate crime is on the rise in the UK - as is gender-based violence.

“Over the past four years there has been a notable increase in anti-LGBT+ rhetoric from those in positions of power. Hate has been allowed to grow, unchecked, across the UK, both on streets and in the digital landscape, and it’s having a direct and detrimental impact on the safety of LGBT+ people, and overwhelmingly on the safety of trans+ people, in their everyday lives.

“We cannot wait any longer - we need to act now. Every day that we allow hate to thrive results in further victims of gender-based abuse and violence.

That’s why Galop is asking people to pledge to stand together to create a safer future for everyone and help to end hate.”

Philip O’Ferrall, CEO of Outernet, said:

“Soho has long been a beacon of creativity, resilience and queer culture, and as Outernet continues to grow at its heart, we remain committed to reflecting and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community through inclusive cultural programming all year round. We’re proud to partner once again with Galop and offer our screens as a powerful platform to highlight the devastating impact of rising anti-LGBT+ hate, and to show that together, we can push back against it. We hope this beautiful, moving campaign inspires everyone who visits to stand up, speak out, and help bring colour and kindness back into the spaces where it’s most needed.”

Scott Neal, Creative Director of Culture and Lifestyle at Outernet London, said:

"At Outernet, we are passionate about using this creative format to spark powerful, inclusive, and thought-provoking conversations around the disturbing rise in anti-LGBT+ hate. The UK has fallen far behind on the LGBTQ+ Equality Index, and I believe it’s our duty to keep this issue front and centre for our mass audiences and to drive positive change—especially as we continue working towards London’s World Pride bid for 2030. Through this collaboration with Galop, my hope is that everyone, especially those in marginalised communities, feels seen, supported and respected. Because it won’t just be one group targeted if we allow hate to go unchallenged. We have to challenge this, together."

Chicken Fruit Studio said:

“We were honoured to be able to work with Galop and Outernet on the Hate Hurts All Of Us campaign. As members of the queer community ourselves, we understand the importance of Galop’s work to support LGBTQ+ people who have experienced abuse and violence.

“We wanted to use the immersive space of Outernet’s Now Building to show simple cute characters being hurt by cruel words as a means of depicting how hate affects everyone, damaging communities and spreading toxicity, regardless of who the hate was initially targeting.

“But we also wanted to show the importance of standing against hate, even – especially – when it’s not directed at you. Together, everyone is stronger. Together, everyone can stand up to hate.”

Hate Hurts All of Us plays at Outernet from 3rd June and is free to see.

You can also view the Hate Hurts All Of Us animation, and pledge to help end hate by visiting www.galop.org.uk/end-hate