LGBT workers face 'shockingly high' harassment levels

摘要

A TUC survey of 1,001 lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people who had worked within the previous five years has found "shockingly high levels of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace". The survey was carried out to inform a report that the TUC claims is the "first major study into LGBT sexual harassment at work in Great Britain"～(1). Of the LGBT workers surveyed, 68% had experienced at least one type of sexual harassment at work and 12% of LGBT women reported that they had been seriously sexually assaulted or raped at work. As a result of the harassment, 16% left their job and 16% said it had a negative effect on their mental health. Two in three harassment victims did not report the incident; of these, one in four were silenced by fear of "outing" themselves at work, and 57% feared reporting would have had a negative impact on relationships at work. The TUC found that union members were more likely to report an incident to their employer and say that it was taken seriously and dealt with satisfactorily. The TUC believes that many instances of harassment are "linked to the sexualisation of LGBT identities and the misconception that these identities solely focus on sexual activity. People influenced by these stereotypes see being LGBT as an invitation to make sexualised comments or ask inappropriate questions about an LGBT person's sex life, particularly if an individual is 'out'."