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LGBT harassment at work widespread

Nearly 7 in 10 LGBT people say they have been sexually harassed at work according to the TUC.

Echoing the results of our 2018 survey into transphobia at work, the TUC survey makes for shocking reading. It found that:

  • More than 2 in 5 (42%) LGBT people said colleagues made unwelcome comments or asked unwelcome questions about their sex life.
  • More than a quarter (27%) reported receiving unwelcome verbal sexual advances.
  • Two-thirds (66%) said they did not tell their employer about the harassment, and quarter of those said they didn’t report because they were afraid of being ‘outed’ at work.

According the survey, LGBT women were more likely to experience unwanted touching and sexual assault at work:

  • Over a third of women (35%) reported they had experienced unwanted touching, e.g. placing hands on their lower back or knee.
  • Over a fifth (21%) reported experiencing sexual assault, e.g. unwanted touching of the breasts, buttocks or genitals, or attempts to kiss them.
  • One in eight (12%) LGBT women said they had been seriously sexually assaulted or raped at work.

BME women and disabled men and women reported even higher rates of harassment and sexual assault:

  • More than half (54%) of LGBT BME women said they have experienced unwanted touching at work, 45% reported sexual assault and more than a quarter (27%) reported serious sexual assault or rape.
  • Half (50%) of LGBT disabled women reported unwanted touching, nearly 4 in 10 (38%) reported sexual assault and almost a quarter (24%) reported serious sexual assault or rape. Disabled men’s reported levels of sexual harassment and assault were significantly higher than non-disabled men, with more than 1 in 4 (28%) of disabled men reporting sexual assault.