Education

• Stonewall (http://www.stonewall.org.uk) claimed that Section 28 had created a climate of fear and abuse in schools. Teachers were either unaware of problems caused by this, or felt powerless to deal with problems it created.  A 1999 survey found that, out of 1,000 Stonewall supporters, 77% had been bullied at school.
• A 1997 study by the Institute of Education found that 61% of teachers surveyed were aware of lesbian, gay or bisexual pupils in their school and 42% of teachers had been asked personal advice on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues by their pupils. Yet 57% of schools reported that they did not have information relating to sources of support for lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils and 51% reported at least one incident of homophobic bullying in the last term. 99% of surveyed schools have general anti-bullying policies but only 6% had specific anti-homophobic provisions. It is clear that young lesbians, gay men and bisexuals or those perceived to be lesbian, gay or bisexual, experience high levels of abuse and violence and that these experiences are damaging (Douglas et al., 1997).
• In a study by Rivers (2000) 72% of young lesbians, gay men and bisexuals indicated that they had either played truant or feigned illness to avoid homophobic abuse at school, 40% had attempted suicide on at least one occasion, and 36% of those persistently absent reported multiple episodes of self-harm.

Employment

• In 1993, Stonewall commissioned a survey of over 2,000 lesbians, gay men and bisexuals (Mason and Palmer, 1993). This revealed that: 37% of respondents had faced discrimination at work; 48% or respondents had been harassed at work; and 68% concealed their sexuality from some or all of the people they worked with. 
• A further survey by Social and Community Planning Research (SCPR) in 1995 found that up to a third of heterosexuals questioned admitted that they discriminate against a lesbian or gay man.
• These findings were confirmed by a survey conducted by the TUC in 1999. Out of some 450 lesbian, gay or bisexual trade unionists asked about their work experiences, no less than 44% reported that they had suffered discrimination because of their sexuality. In the worst cases, this involved dismissal, but a very large number reported instances of name-calling and homophobic abuse (reference: TUC (1999) Straight Up, London: TUC. Available online: http://www.tuc.org.uk )

References

• Douglas, N., Warwick, I., Kemp, S. & Whitty, G. (1997) Playing it Safe: Responses of Secondary School Teachers to Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Pupils, Bullying, HIV and AIDS Education and Section 28. London: Institute of Education.
• Mason, A. & Palmer, A. (1993) Less Equal Than Others: A Survey of Lesbians and Gay Men at Work, London: Stonewall. 
• Rivers, I, (2000) Social inclusion, absenteeism and sexual minority youth, in Support for Learning, Vol.15, No.1)
• TUC (1999) Straight Up, London: TUC. Available online: http://www.tuc.org.uk

Labour market information - future trends

You may also wish to use the LMI Future Trends section of this website, which is organised under various sectors.  Each includes a section dedicated to equal opportunities issues, and where available this incorporates data on sexual orientation.  You are encouraged to visit and use the resources available.  For example: equal opportunities issues in relation to employment in the education sector