77% of LGBTI people in the UK feel uncomfortable being their true self in public

77% of LGBTI people in the UK feel uncomfortable being their true self in public

SEVENTY-seven per cent of LGBTI people in London feel uncomfortable with being their true self in public.

This was just one of the revelations in the statistics released to coincide with the annual Pride in London event, which have given insight into the lives of the United Kingdom’s LGBTI population. The results were obtained by surveying of over 1000 participants, covering a vast range of subject matters relating to their personal experiences.

The numbers paint a picture of a community whose lives are very much impacted by their LGBTI status.

74 per cent responded in the affirmative when asked if they still felt the need to lie about their sexuality or gender identity in public, 77 per cent felt uncomfortable with being their true self in public, and only 21 per cent of respondents felt comfortable being themselves in all situations.

These troubling numbers are not lost on Michael Salter-Church, the chair of Pride in London.

“Great progress has been made in the name of LGBT+ equality in recent years,” Salter-Church said in a statement.

“But these figures show the striking reason why Pride is still as important as ever.”

The 2016 Pride in London event is framed around the theme of the #nofilter campaign.

Alison Camps, the Marketing Director of Pride in London, addressed the statistical correlation with this theme.

“This is what this year’s campaign #nofilter is all about. We will recognise those people who must live life under a filter, fight for them, and celebrate a day of #nofilter,” Camps said.

The research also brought to light a number of other surprising statistics found within the UK’s LGBTI community.

While 75 per cent of the respondents were out to their friends, the number dropped to 50 per cent when it came to their work colleague counterparts, men were more likely to be out at the workplace than women, and 10 per cent of LGBTI folks have reported being bullied in the workplace because of their gender.

The statistics also showed that 59 per cent of respondents had felt threatened by other people’s attitudes and behaviours towards them, while 30 per cent of respondents were uncomfortable holding their partners hand in public.

You May Also Like

One response to “77% of LGBTI people in the UK feel uncomfortable being their true self in public”

  1. After the Brexit… I anticipate more hate crimes against glinting people

    London is a divided city