Students are speaking out | Photo: Pexels, posed by models
A report from Stonewall shows two in five LGBT students hide who they are at university for fear of discrimination.
It also found that 7% of trans students have been physically attacked by another student or member of university staff.
The YouGov poll saw 522 LGBT university students questioned.
Meanwhile a third of LGBT students (33%) have been the target of negative comments or conducts from other students.
Plus over one in five bi students (22%) aren’t open with anyone at university about their sexual orientation. This is compared to 5% of gay and lesbian students.
The charity also today releases a report detailing LGBT people’s experiences of discrimination in the workplace.
It found that 35% of LGBT respondents hide their sexuality at work for fear of discrimination.
It found that the figure rises to 42% for BAME LGBT staff and 51% for trans staff.
The Education report furthermore showed that almost a quarter of trans students (23%) say they aren’t addressed with their correct name and pronoun at uni.
Meanwhile, one in seven (14%) had to drop out of a course or considered dropping out because of harassment or discrimination.
Plus, almost half of disabled LGBT students (47%) have experienced negative comments or conducts from other students. Meanwhile 37% of Asian and minority ethnic LGBT students say they were excluded by other students. This is compared to 28% of all LGBT students. The exact same applies to LGBT students of faith.
However, many universities are now recognizing the need to support their LGBT students, the study says.
More than two thirds of LGBT students (69%) say their university has equalities policies that protect LGB people on campus, while half (50%) report their university has equalities policies that protect trans students.
‘University should be an exciting time when all students can learn, grow, and enjoy their independence’
Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive of Stonewall was shocked by the news. ‘University should be an exciting time when all students can learn, grow, and enjoy their independence,’ she commented.
‘But our University Report shows that discrimination and abuse continue to negatively impact the university experience for too many lesbian, gay, bi and trans students. They often don’t feel confident reporting incidents to staff, which means these incidents are left unchecked.’
She furthermore added: ‘The situation is especially concerning for trans students who face physical violence and are often not addressed by staff with their correct name and pronoun. This is unacceptable.
‘While many universities have made great strides to support their LGBT students, this research shows there’s still more to do. By working together with LGBT students, universities can continue to build more welcoming learning environments, so every LGBT person is accepted without exception.’
