Hate

Hate is a breakdown or distortion of relationship — an orientation of disconnection that denies the shared humanity, dignity, and interdependence between people or groups. It emerges and is sustained within social and structural conditions that normalize exclusion, devalue certain identities, and erode mutual care. From a community perspective, hate is not only a feeling or act of hostility, but a collective wound that fractures belonging and weakens the relational fabric that holds communities together.

• Relationally, hate reflects a refusal or failure to be in right relationship — an abandonment of empathy and reciprocity. 

• Socially, it is sustained through narratives, policies, and practices that mark some as less worthy of safety, voice, or love. 

• Communally, healing from hate requires rebuilding connection, accountability, and trust — not only punishing harm but restoring the conditions that make belonging possible. 

How Hate Happens 

Hate grows in spaces where people don’t feel connected or seen. 
It takes root when: 

• People have little chance to know or understand those who are different from them. 

• Stereotypes and misinformation go unchallenged. 

• Systems and institutions treat some groups as less valuable or deserving. 

• Conflict or fear isn’t addressed in healthy, restorative ways. 

Left unchecked, these conditions allow hate to spread — moving from private beliefs to public harm. 

Protecting Belonging 

Communities can prevent and respond to hate by building relationships and accountability: 

• Listen to and believe people who experience hate or exclusion. 

• Speak up when harm happens, even in small ways. 

• Create spaces where people can share stories, learn, and repair relationships. 

• Challenge systems or norms that leave some community members unsafe or unseen. 

Belonging grows when we take responsibility for each other’s dignity and safety — when we choose connection over separation, and care over fear. 

Identity-based Harm

Identity-based harm is any action, behaviour, or structural condition that targets, devalues, or excludes a person or group because of aspects of their identity — including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, faith, culture, language, or other characteristics that are central to who they are. 

This harm can take many forms: verbal, emotional, physical, social, or systemic. It can be explicit, like harassment or violence, or subtle, like exclusion, microaggressions, or institutional barriers. 

Identity-based harm affects not only individuals but communities, eroding trust, belonging, and safety. It operates both through direct acts and through systems or cultural norms that normalize inequality or dehumanization. 

Key Principles: 

• Relational: It damages relationships, trust, and connection between people and within communities. 

• Cumulative: Even small, repeated harms can have deep and lasting impacts. 

• Beyond legal frameworks: Identity-based harm exists even when no law has been broken. Justice, accountability, and healing can occur outside the criminal legal system. 

In short: Identity-based harm is harm rooted in who someone is, shaping experiences, relationships, and communities, calling for responses that restore dignity, belonging, and safety.