Tag Archives: Survey

Hate Crime Against LGBT People In Britain Up 78% In Just 4 Years, Stonewall Research Shows

The new research by Stonewall (based on YouGov polling of over 5,000 LGBT people) has kicked off the group’s #ComeOutForLGBT campaign to encourage people to report hate crimes and show support.

Currently, 80% of hate crimes against LGBT people are not reported to the police, the research found.

Chief Executive of Stonewall, Ruth Hunt said:

While we have come a long way in the past 25 years, it is clear there is still a huge amount of work we need to do before all LGBT people can feel safe, included and free to be themselves in Britain today.

This report warns against complacency, and stands as a call to action for everyone who supports equality. We now need to work together, to bring forward the day when no individual faces hatred or discrimination simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

At Stonewall, we want everyone across Britain who feels impacted by reading this report to join our campaign and pledge to come out for LGBT people everywhere, as visible allies.

Together we can create a world where LGBT people are accepted without exception.”

Beyond its headline figures, the research also broke down the numbers for hate crimes directed at certain groups within the LGBT community, with some groups at much greater risks of incidents than others.

Trans people were especially at risk of such incidents, with 41% experiencing a hate crime or hate incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months.

And 34% of black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT people have experienced a hate crime based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last 12 months, compared with 20% of white LGBT people.

Stonewall has made the following recommendations for LGBT people:

Take a visible stand against LGBT hate crime, join Stonewall’s ‘Come Out for LGBT’ campaign and show your support for LGBT equality in all forms. Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to join the campaign.
Call out online anti-LGBT abuse whenever you see it, so long as it is safe to do so. Support those being targeted by letting them know you are an ally.
Let local business owners know if you witness an anti-LGBT incident from staff or other customers so that they can tackle it. Make clear that they could risk losing you and others as customers if they don’t
Report incidents of homophobic, biphobic or transphobic discrimination you experience when accessing public services like housing or social services to the service provider or local council so they can take action. Contact Stonewall’s Information Service on 08000 50 20 20 for advice and support.

Transgender Community Still Faces Horrifying Levels of Discrimination, Says Official U.S. Survey

The National Center for Transgender Equality finally released the 2015 Transgender Survey, which includes data from over 27,000 trans* U.S. citizens. This is the most comprehensive survey of transgender Americans to date. Information was culled from “27,715 respondents from all fifty states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. military bases overseas.”

The results of the report were grim.

Mistreatment

10% of respondents have had a family member become violent toward them because they were transgender
8% were kicked out of their homes for being transgender
54% of transgender students have been verbally harassed by classmates for being transgender
24% of transgender students have been physically attacked by classmates for being transgender
13% of transgender students have been sexually assaulted by classmates for being transgender
30% of transgender workers were fired, denied a promotion, or otherwise mistreated (including verbal, physical or sexual assault) at the workplace in 2014

Economics

29% are living in poverty (national average: 14%)
15% are unemployed (national unemployment rate: 5%)
30% have been homeless at some point during their lifetimes
12% of respondents were homeless during 2014

Mental and Physical Health

40% have attempted suicide (national average: 4.6%)
33% were verbally harassed or refused treatment while seeking healthcare
33% could not afford to seek healthcare
4% are living with HIV (national average: 0.3%)

Intersectionality

Transgender people of color, undocumented immigrants and transgender people with disabilities face compounded difficulties.

43% of Latinx transgender people, 41% of American Indian transgender people, 40% of multiracial transgender people and 38% of black transgender people are living in poverty (national average: 14%)
20% of transgender people of color are unemployed (national unemployment rate: 5%)
7% of black transgender people are living with HIV (national average: 0.3%)
19% of black transgender women are living with HIV
24% of transgender undocumented immigrants were physically attacked in 2014
50% of transgender undocumented immigrants have been homeless at some point in their lifetimes
68% of transgender undocumented immigrants have been domestically abused
24% of transgender people with disabilities are unemployed
45% of transgender people with disabilities are living in poverty
42% of transgender people with disabilities have been mistreated while seeking healthcare
54% of transgender people with disabilities have attempted suicide

Despite the increased visibility and acceptance of transgender people, there is clearly a lot of room for improvement. Transgender people, like all members of the LGBT community, deserve to live in safety and security.

For more information, read the full report or the executive summary, and watch the official presentation of findings below. (Lee el resumen ejecutivo en español aquí.)

Young Americans ‘Overwhelmingly’ Favour LGBTQ Rights, New Poll Says

According to a new survey, young America’s are overwhelmingly in favour of LGBTQ rights when it comes to policies on employment, health care and adoption.

The GenForward survey of Americans ages 18-30 found that support for those policies have increased over the past two years, especially among young whites.

According to the findings, 92% of young adults support HIV and AIDs prevention, 90% support equal employment, and 80% support LGBTQ adoption.

Across racial and ethnic groups, broad majorities support training police on transgender issues, government support for organisations for LGBTQ youth and insurance coverage for transgender health issues.

Christie Cocklin, 27, a self-identified multiracial American from Providence, Rhode Island, says that LGBTQ rights are just common sense.

People who don’t identify as heterosexual are human like we are, and should be entitled to the same kind of rights. I have friends who are LGBT and I feel that it’s discrimination to not allow them adoption or employment or whatever.”

While young Americans favoured LGBTQ rights on every issue in the poll, only 6%, including fewer than 1 in 10 across racial and ethnic backgrounds, consider the LGBT rights one of the top issues facing the country.

Among those who self-identified as LGBTQ, 17% said it is one of the country’s top issues.

The poll of 1,940 adults age 18-30 was conducted July 9-20 using a sample drawn from the probability-based GenForward panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. young adult population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

The survey was paid for by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago using grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

The Rules Of Attraction: What Are You Looking For In A First Date?

From the first date to a long term relationship, you have to figure things out how to make things work in your best interest.

We’re interested in finding out more about your dating life. So, if you’re a woman of any sexual orientation looking to date another woman-identified person of any sexual orientation then tell us a little bit about your your dating protocol – we promise it’ll result in some very cool articles!

[interaction id=”56310e38bece044e14656f61″]

According to Recent Stats 1-in-20 Women Have Had a Same-Sex Partner

Sexual identity is now big part of official government statistics in both in the US and UK.

In the UK we have the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and in the US there is National Health Interview Survey, which is the government’s premier tool for annually assessing Americans’ health and behaviours.

It is reported that there are around 9 million LGBTs in America, which is roughly the equivalent to the population of New Jersey, and in the UK, there is around 1.2 million LGBTs, the equivalent to the population of Birmingham.

Over an age-range from 16 to 74, 1% of women and 1.5% of men consider themselves gay/lesbian, and 1.4% of women and 1% of men think of themselves as bisexual. But, there is a clear gradient with age, with a much higher proportion in younger people, particularly in younger women.

However, same-sex sexual behaviour can come in all degrees of intensity, from a same-sex experience, which could be just a smooch in the dark, to a same-sex partner, who is someone with whom you have had any genital contact intended to achieve orgasm.

For women, the proportion who report having had some same-sex experience has grown dramatically over the past 20 years: from 4% in 1990 to 10% in 2000, and to 16% in 2010 – a massive change in behaviour over such a short period. But this is not all just girls kissing girls in imitation of Madonna and Britney Spears; around half report genital contact, and around half of these in the past five years, so that overall nearly one in 20 women report a same-sex partner in the past five years.

However, it is clear that there is a lot of experimental activity going on. Roughly, for each woman who has had a recent same-sex partner there are two more of the same age who have had some same-sex contact in their lives.

Men show a different pattern. In 2010, about 8% of 16- to 44-year-old men reported having had a same-sex experience: this is higher than in 1990, possibly associated with both better reporting and the decline in fear of HIV, but there have been no substantial recent changes.

However, the picture shows a clear peak of lifetime same-sex experience for men aged around 60, and then a dramatic drop in those around 70, a pattern not seen in women.

History might provide some explanation: men now aged around 60 were teenagers in the liberating 60s, when homosexuality was legalised, while men who are now around 70 grew up when same-sex male behaviour in men was illegal and frequently prosecuted. Much younger men, meanwhile, would have come to adulthood in the more sober era of HIV.

Overall the proportion of people with same-sex experience is far higher than the proportion who identify themselves as gay and bisexual.

This must mean that many same-sex contacts are by people who do not consider themselves gay or bisexual.

GLAAD: Despite Gay Marriage Gains, LGBT Acceptance Still Remains The Biggest Challenge

Despite a surge in gay marriage wins across America, acceptance of the LGBT community still needs much more work to ensure the safety and acceptance of LGBT Americans in their communities, workplaces, and families.

According to a new Accelerating Acceptance survey released by GLAAD, one-third of respondents were uncomfortable attending a same-sex wedding (34 percent), seeing a gay couple hold hands (36 percent) or learning their doctor is LGBT (31 percent). Harris Poll conducted the online survey in 2014 of 4,000 Americans who indicted they were heterosexual.

“Closing the gap to full acceptance of LGBT people will not come from legislation or judicial decisions alone, but from a deeper understanding and empathy from Americans themselves. Accelerating acceptance will require the help of not just LGBT people, but also their allies – everyday Americans who feel strongly and take an active role to make sure that their LGBT friends and family are fully accepted members of society.”

Sarah Kate Ellis, the CEO and President of GLAAD

Marriage and Same-Sex Relationships

While a majority of the public supports equal marriage protections, there remain large numbers of straight, non-transgender adults that still have a significant degree of discomfort surrounding actual weddings for same-sex couples. One-third (34%) say they would be uncomfortable attending the wedding of a same-sex couple, with 22% saying they would feel very uncomfortable. A substantially larger group (43%) responds they would be uncomfortable bringing a child to the wedding of a same-sex couple.

Beyond weddings for same-sex couples, the survey reveals that many are still uncomfortable simply seeing and interacting with same-sex couples. A third of non-LGBT Americans (36%) say that just seeing a same-sex couple holding hands makes them uncomfortable.

The survey also evidenced resistance to LGBT parents by other parents in their community. Many straight, non-transgender parents say they would be uncomfortable with their child playing at a home with an LGBT parent – 40% for a transgender parent, 29% for a gay dad and 28% for a lesbian mom.

A fifth to nearly a third of non-LGBT Americans are uncomfortable with common situations involving LGBT people. These range from simple things like having an LGBT person move in next door to more personal situations such as learning that a family member is LGBT.

Acceptance of the transgender community faces more resistance than does acceptance of the rest of the LGBT community. Most notably, a majority of non-LGBT Americans (59%) say they would be uncomfortable if they learned their child was dating a transgender person. More than a quarter (31%) say this would make them “very uncomfortable.”

Being on a sports team with a transgender person still makes large numbers of non-LGBT Americans uncomfortable. Roughly equal numbers report discomfort with being on the same team as a transgender woman (32%) and a transgender man (31%). These numbers are higher than the reports of discomfort with being on a sports team with a gay man (26%) or lesbian (20%).

Further demonstrating the importance of cultivating more allies, those who know LGBT people display substantially lower levels of discomfort –30% are uncomfortable seeing a same-sex couple hold hands among those who have LGBT family members, while that number drops to 25% among those with an LGBT coworker and 17% among those with a close LGBT friend. On the flip side, almost half (47%) of those who don’t know any LGBT people say seeing a same-sex couple holding hands makes them uncomfortable. Clearly, a connection exists between familiarity and acceptance.

U.S Census to Survey Same-Sex Marriages for the First Time

Contrary to the minority held belief, same-sex married couples do exist! Right up there with aliens, unicorns and other assorted myths, the United States government wasn’t officially allowed to acknowledge the existence of same-sex married couples. Despite the very real existence of legally married couples, DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) prohibited them from doing so on account that giving same-sex married couples the same rights and benefits as opposite sex couples would destroy the sanctity of marriage but this all change last year when the law was repealed.

The move to do this is so huge because now it finally gives us a clear, statistically supported picture on how same-sex marriage rulings are having an impact on the community and how many people are taking advantage of the legality. In a broader sense of what this means, the growing numbers of same-sex married couples could potentially alter future legislation and future marketing and monetary decisions.

For example, if lawmakers know that the laws that they make are having an effect on a large amount of plugged-in, politically conscious same-sex married couples, they will, to put it bluntly, pander to them. It’s a harsh way to put it but that is often how these things go and we are already seeing that even the most conservative, former same-sex marriage opponents are having a change of heart in an effort to appeal to more voters and new statistics to support this are only going see this type of behaviour increase.

Pew Research notes that existing data on same-sex married couples is incorrect as many opposite sex couples may have accidentally ticked the wrong box and described themselves as a same sex couple. So undoubtedly then, this will help correct the stats and we’ll be able to track them over time as more and more big same sex marriage decisions are ruled throughout the United States.

How Many Lesbians Do You Know?

Its a FACT, the average person in the UK personally knows more gay men than lesbian women – a YouGov polling has reported.

Asking just two thousand participants from across the UK, the government poll revealed the average British person knows 5.5 gay men and 3.1 lesbian women, either as friends or acquaintances.

An as if the stats couldn’t get any better – the average man knows 6 gay men and 2.7 lesbians, while the average woman knows 5 gay men and 3.4 lesbians, according to the data.

This informative information was gathered by government body YouGov in a survey aiming to find a reasonable number for how many gays and lesbians there are in the UK.

Unsurprisingly, people who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual are extremely likely to know many more, with the average gay person knowing 21.6 gay men, and 10.3 lesbians.

The survey also shows a geographical difference in the numbers of gays and lesbians the average person knows in the UK.

Londoners know a higher number of gay men than anywhere else in the UK, with the average spiked to 12.1, with the average person knowing 8.5 gay men and 3.6 lesbians.

Across the UK, the average person knows 4.8 to 5.5 gay men, whereas they know significantly less lesbian women, with the averages ranging from 2.5 to 3.6 lesbian women known to the average heterosexual Brit.

The government now estimates there are 3.6 million British people who identify as gay or lesbian.

Tag Archives: Survey

Hate Crime Against LGBT People In Britain Up 78% In Just 4 Years, Stonewall Research Shows