Getting to grips with homophobia

A national campaign to tackle endemic levels of homophobia in Britain’s workplaces has been launched by the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall. Featuring two people at work, the campaign clearly states: “One is gay. If that bothers people, our work continues.” 

The campaign comes in response to YouGov polling which shows that in the last five years 2.4 million people of working age have witnessed verbal homophobic bullying at work. A further 800,000 people of working age have witnessed physical homophobic bullying at work.

Further polling shows that over a quarter of lesbian, gay and bisexual people are not at all open to colleagues about their sexual orientation.

Posters will appear on nearly 650 buses in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh as well as on 4,000 adverts on the London Underground. The campaign features workers from across various careers and professions — including construction workers, footballers, police officers, priests and firefighters.

Stonewall Deputy chief executive Laura Doughty said: “After securing equal marriage in England and Wales people mustn’t forget the huge amount of work still to be done. No one should be under any illusion that it’s ‘Mission Accomplished’.

"In workplaces right across the country, gay people still don’t feel able to be themselves. It’s time to change that once and for all.”

www.stonewall.org.uk/media/current_releases/9357.asp