by Antonio Voce

LGBTQ+ people in the UK and across Europe still face high levels of discrimination in all aspects of everyday life, according to a survey conducted last month by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). The survey – the largest of its kind ever conducted – focused on the social experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people in 30 European countries, and found that little progress has been made over the past seven years. Before the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, at the end of a Pride month marked by the cancellation of public events in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, we take a look at what the results reveal about the issues facing LGBTQ+ people in the UK.

Rising harassment and discrimination

Compared with a similar FRA survey from 2012 (which did not include intersex people and 15- to 17-year-olds) the number of LGBT people in the UK who say they have been harassed in the past five years has risen from 55% to 62% – six points higher than the European average. The number of people in the UK who say they have been violently attacked at least once has gone up by nine points, and is seven above the European average. More than half of the respondents say they often or always avoid holding hands with their same-sex partners in public.

The European averages hide significant differences between the countries, and an increase in overall negative statistics appears to be linked to the adoption of actively discriminatory policies introduced in recent years across the continent.

Uphill struggle for trans and intersex people

The study shows that trans and intersex respondents face even higher levels of prejudice than other categories: since 2012 they have experienced a disproportionate rise in discrimination and violence in all areas of daily life. In the UK, discrimination in the workplace in particular remains significantly high. Read more via Guardian