Half of LGBT+ women in UK being outed at work, troubling study finds

Half of all gay, bisexual, transgender and other LGBT+ women living in Britain are being outed in the workplace, a troubling new study has found.

The report, carried out by Europe’s leading magazine for lesbians and bisexual women, Diva, found over a third of LGBT+ women with children have suffered homophobia from other parents.

Researchers who examined the daily experiences of LGBT+ women found they face a slew of issues in the workplace, and many are “in the closet at work”.

More than half of all LGBT+ women were found to not be fully out at work, while a third have experienced verbal or physical abuse as a result of their sexual orientation.

LGBT+ women also said they found “male-dominated and heteronormative environments” difficult, with many young women choosing to hide their sexuality in their first jobs.

The study, which was done in conjunction with data firm Kantar and published before Lesbian Visibility Week, found eight in 10 of those polled said LGBT+ men have greater visibility in the public sphere than LGBT+ women.

Laura Russell, director of campaigns, policy and research at equality charity Stonewall, told The Independent: “This new research is a crucial reminder of the precarious position lesbian, bi women and trans people still have in our society.

“The findings should be a wake-up call that despite the progress we’ve made, a lot more needs to be done to ensure lesbian, bi women and trans people are live freely without discrimination. No one should ever have to feel afraid that they will be outed.

“Stonewall’s work, along with events like Lesbian Visibility Week, are vital in raising awareness of these issues and building a society where everyone is accepted for who they are.”

A previous study found LGBT+ women in Britain are subjected to discrimination and prejudice when they use healthcare services.

LGBT+ women said they received rude and ignorant reactions from NHS staff after they brought up their sexuality.

A woman who spoke with researchers at Anglia Ruskin University, and who chose to remain anonymous, said: “(The receptionist) refused to put down my partner’s name and partner/next of kin and kept saying ‘I’ll just put “Friend”’. I said, ‘No, I want you to put “Partner”’ and she looked at me all lips pursed and said, ‘I’ll just put “Friend”’.”

While a transgender woman said: “I had knee surgery and woke up on a male ward — clearly they had looked at my face and overruled my notes”.