Discrimination still an issue for LGBT people

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities (LGBT) still feel stigmatised by the police and other public services, a new survey has suggested.

Gay in Britain: lesbian, gay and bisexual people’s experiences and expectations of discrimination, was conducted by YouGov and commissioned by gay rights campaign group Stonewall.

The survey of 2,092 LGBT people found one in five expected to be treated worse when reporting a crime compared to a heterosexual person, with 24 per cent of respondents expecting a poor response if they reported a homophobic crime to police. When the respondents were from a black or minority ethnic (BME) background, this increased to 37 per cent.

Nearly two in five (39 per cent) of those taking part in the survey felt they would be treated worse than a heterosexual person if they committed a crime. Expectations of discrimination also carried into the courts, with 18 and 16 per cent of respondents fearing tougher sentencing from a judge or magistrate respectively.

Half of respondents thought their sexuality would affect their chances of becoming a magistrate, 48 per cent thought it would influence their chances of becoming a police community support officer (PCSO) and 63 per cent “expect to face barriers” if applying to be elected as a police and crime commissioner.

Stonewall recommends police forces “publicly communicate the value of reporting homophobic hate crimes” and improve ways for LGBT people to do so, as well as appropriate engagement and training exercises across the criminal justice system.

Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said: “Gay taxpayers contribute £40 billion every year to the cost of Britain’s public services. “It’s time the needs of this country’s 3.7 million lesbian, gay and bisexual people, both as citizens and service-users, were properly met.”