Letter: Targets of hatred

Sir: The first two London nail bombs were racial attacks. The third was not. But many commentators and politicians seem to think that talking just about racism will address the concerns of gay people as well.

Homophobia and racism are problems at right angles: gay people can be racist, members of ethnic groups homophobic. Indeed, there is a terrifying level of violent homophobia among some ethnic and religious minorities in this country, just as in the white Christian-influenced majority.

Sensitivity to other cultures is currently valued far more highly than human rights for gay people. Even gay people get caught in this trap: OutRage rightly criticises the Church of England, but has yet to campaign against, say, the far more extreme homophobia of an important minority of Muslim clerics.

Dr SIMON CHRISTMAS

Cambridge