Homophobia widespread in Northern Ireland workplaces.

 

Homophobia widespread in Northern Ireland workplaces, according to a new report

One in four gay people in Northern Ireland have complained about homophobia at work, says survey by Rainbow Project

• Guardian Newspaper reports

The report on homophobia in the workplace in Northern Ireland will be launched at Stormont on Wednesday. Photograph: Samuel Kubani/AFP/Getty Images.

More than a quarter of gay people in Northern Ireland have complained about homophobia in their workplace, a survey has revealed.

The report by the Rainbow Project paints a picture of widespread homophobia in offices and industries across the north of Ireland.

One in four gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people hide their sexuality while at work in the private sector, the report found.

In the community and voluntary sector, 31% of gay people reported derogatory comments being made about the LGBT community by colleagues at work. This figure rose to 40% in the public sector and 42.5% in private businesses.

Around 70% of gay people who complained about homophobia were not happy with the outcome or how their grievances were dealt with.

Matthew McDermott, the equality officer at the Rainbow Project and the report's author, said: "This report presents quantitative data on the experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual people of employment in Northern Ireland. It is the first piece of research of its kind in Northern Ireland, which will inform government and employers of the experiences of LGB people in the workplace. This in turn should then enable government and employers to consider the measures they think appropriate to improve working life for all LGB people.

"This report also presents a narrative: it outlines, in the research participants' own words, what they experience in work and how they feel because of those experiences. Extracts, which appear throughout the entire report, are drawn from online entries and one-to-one interviews with participants. They help tell the story of what same-sex attracted people face in work and what they feel they must accept as 'normal'."

McDermott said the findings proved that much more needs to be done to make gay workers feel safe at work.

John O'Doherty, the Rainbow Project's director, said: "This report provides the evidence base for what it is like for LGB people in work in Northern Ireland. It also provides the business case for acting to make the situation better. Government, employers and the Rainbow Project have considerable work to do in that regard.

"I would urge our political representatives to read the report and commit to working together to implementing the recommendations."

The report, Through Our Eyes – Experiences of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People in the Workplace, will be officially launched at Stormont later on Wednesday by Northern Ireland's social development minister, Alex Attwood.

It is published in the same week that the church established by the Rev Ian Paisley won a legal battle over an advertisement initially deemed homophobic.

Homophobia widespread in Northern Ireland workplaces, according to report | UK news | guardian.co.uk