Lifestyle Advice > Work > Sexuality

It is currently estimated that half of UK lesbians and gay men feel unable to be honest about their sexuality in their workplace. Is this surprising however in light of other statistics that suggests that 4 in 10 gay employees have suffered abuse at work as a result of their sexuality? One begets the other. If 100% of lesbians and gay men were open and honest about their sexuality at work – how many more than 4 in 10 might be suffering abuse because of it? We may well be living in a seemingly more tolerant society but look a little closer and homophobia is still rife in our workplaces.

A series of legislative changes have occurred in recent years that seek to improve such statistics. 2003, for example, saw the implementation of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations; 2004 saw the Gender Recognition Act; 2005 the Civil Partnership Act; 2006 will see the Equality Act come into force – all promote equality for gay, lesbian and bi-sexual people, but even though all but the Equality Act are currently in force, past experience suggests that their effects will take some time still to shape a lasting sea change in workplace practices – especially within the smaller business environment.

Over the next few months we will be focussing on a number of issues relating to the management of sexuality within the workplace – from both sides of the employee/employer coin. We would like to hear your workplace experiences as a lesbian worker/manager/business owner – both positive and negative, whether you are out or not. Please contact Bravanark c/o Sapphic Central on workhelp@sapphiccentral.com