More than 40 per cent of LGBT students afraid to come out, according to study
Britain's leading LGBT charity Stonewall completed the research
By Steve Brown
Two out of every five LGBT+ students have hidden their sexuality while at university.
Britain’s leading LGBT+ charity, Stonewall, has launched two nationwide reports which look at the experience of queer students at British universities and workplaces.
It found that 42 per cent of students have hidden their identity at university for fear of discrimination and seven per cent of trans students have been physically attacked by another student or member of staff over the past year.
The study also found 69 per cent of LGBT+ students have admitted their university has equalities policies that protect the community.
Ruth Hunt, chief executive of Stonewall, said: “University should be an exciting time when all students can learn, grow and enjoy their independence.
“But our University Report shows that discrimination and abuse continue to negatively impact the university experience for too many lesbian, gay, bi and trans students.
One in five #LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident in the last 12 months. Your vote can make a difference. Be heard on the 3 May in the England Local Elections. Read our Policy Officer @tomwmorrison‘s blog and #ComeOutForLGBT at the polls: https://t.co/gEkoweLFdR pic.twitter.com/mD6P5fNcwF
— Stonewall (@stonewalluk) April 23, 2018
“They often don’t feel confident reporting incidents to staff, which means these incidents are left unchecked.
“The situation is especially concerning for trans students who face physical violence and are often not addressed by staff with their correct name and pronoun. This is unacceptable.”
The charity also found that coming out at work is also a problem with more than 35 per cent of LGBT+ staff hiding their sexual preferences at work for fear of discrimination.
It also revealed the figure rises to 42 per cent for BAME (black, Asian, minority ethnic) LGBT+ staff and 51 per cent for trans staff.
Almost one in every five LGBT+ employees have been the target of negative comments or conduct from work colleagues because of their sexual orientation.