Conservative MP for Pudsey, Stuart Andrew revealed he was the victim of a homophobic attack during a discussion at Westminster on anti-gay incidents.
He spoke in the House of Commons and said: “One in five gay and lesbian people has experienced a homophobic attack in the last three years.”
“As someone who experienced such an attack in the 1990s, I am aware of the fear that goes on after such an attack.”
He praised West Yorkshire Police, and their work on tackling hate crime, and for their work in the gay community, tackling homophobic crime.
Equalities minister Lynne Featherstone told him: “I’m extremely sorry to learn you had such an experience.”
“The actual statistics are quite frightening in terms of hate crime – in 2010 over 48,000.”
Ms Featherstone further added that police take all allegations seriously, and that homophobic bullying was “appalling” and the Government had issued new guidelines to tackle bullying.
She also attended the launch of Diversity Role Models earlier this week, which is a charity aimed at tackling homophobic bullying in schools.
Mr Andrew was elected as Pudsey MP last year and he has backed a campaign for an official gay quarter in Leeds.
