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University Challenges: How LGBT Students Suffer

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A sobering new survey from the National Union  of Students has found that 1 in 5 LGB students in Britain have been harassed or bullied. The picture is even bleaker for trans students: 1 in 3 of them have suffered abuse on a university campus in the last year.

Almost 4,000 students from 80 different academies participated in the study. Other revelations include the fact that almost 60% of LGBs and a staggering 80% of trans do not feel “completely safe” while at university. Half the trans respondents have seriously thought about dropping out for good, such has been the negativity of their experiences.

The NUS officers responsible for LGB affairs, Finn McGoldrick and Sky Yarlett, said: ‘This research confirms our fears about the impact that isolation, discrimination and coming out has on LGBT students. It’s appalling to hear that LGBT students don’t feel safe in an educational environment and are experiencing bullying just because of who they are.

‘Many LGBT students continue to feel alone in education and society as a whole. Many suffer mental health and financial issues, and all too often we hear cases of LGBT students leaving education altogether as an indirect result of their identity.

‘We can no longer ignore the plight of LGBT students. We absolutely need to enforce zero tolerance policies for homophobic and transphobic behaviour, ‘banter’, and bullying to make sure our campuses are inclusive and that all students, regardless of their sexuality or identity, have a chance to succeed.’

Stonewall’s Head of Education, Luke Tryl, has called upon British universities to take these statistics seriously and ‘implement the recommendations of the report.’ Stonewall is committed to working with the Higher Education system to improve the experience of LGBT students.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has also waded into the debate, calling homophobic abuse ‘always unacceptable and totally wrong.’

 

 

 

 

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If only the world was as “open-minded” as us… Alas, matters of sexual identity and equal love, often cause so much friction in the rest of the world. Here, find an open dialogue on the issues facing our LGBT community.

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