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In higher education, 33% of LGB staff reported negativity about their sexuality from colleagues
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Homophobia still deters some from entering teaching, report finds
Fear of homophobia still deters some lesbian, gay and bisexual people from entering the teaching profession, as well as the police, the armed forces and manual trades, according to a new report.
Beyond Tolerance: Making Sexual Orientation a Public Matter, a study for the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), surveyed over 5000 online respondents, including 2,199 who currently identify as heterosexual/straight and 2,731 who currently identify as LGB.
Only 51% of lesbians, 52% of gay men, 44% of bisexual women and 10% of bisexual men reported that they could be open about their sexuality in schools, colleges or universities, with 33% of LGB staff in higher education reporting negativity about their sexuality from colleagues and 18% reporting negativity from students.
Other professions which LGB people were reluctant to enter included the police, the armed forces and manual trades, with 40% of gay men saying they could not work in them, along with 32% of lesbians, 13% of bisexual men and 10% of bisexual women.
The EHRC concluded that "some LGB people still don't feel they can be open about their sexual orientation without fear of prejudice or discrimination in key services and sectors, and particularly in schools, universities, colleges and police stations. This, combined with the fact that some LGB people have not, or would not consider jobs in the police force, teaching, armed services and manual trades, suggests that there is still some way to go in addressing homophobia."
It also noted: "A critical recommendation made in the report is to gather more data on sexual orientation. As this is virtually non-existent in Britain public policy decisions are being made based on assumptions about the size, location, or specific needs of the LGB population rather than facts."
The full report is available from www.equalityhumanrights.com
