Poll reveals extent of sexuality-based prejudice

Almost half of gay people hide their sexuality at work, according to a recent survey by gay marketing company Out Now Consulting.

The survey, commissioned by Gay Times and Diva magazines, also revealed that:

* one in eight lesbians and one in 11 gay men had endured harassment in the workplace;

* over one-third (35%) of lesbians and gay men had been subject to verbal harassment in the past year;

* 6% of gay men had been physically attacked; and

* 4% of women and 5% of men said they had been refused goods and services because of their perceived sexuality.

“In the Netherlands, 2.8% of men said they have been harassed at work, but in the UK that figure is 9%,” said Ian Johnson of Out Now Consulting. “It is clear that attitudes to gay men and lesbians in the workplace are still lagging behind in Britain.”