Mapping LGBT Westminster:

Transcription

1 Mapping LGBT : Investigating the needs and experiences of LGBT people in A report commissioned by City Council Written by: Deborah Gold & Katherine Cowan

2 Acknowledgements An enormous number of people have given their time, expertise and goodwill to ensure that this research was successful; we we d like to thank them all. We ve tried to include everyone who has contributed here, but if we have left you out, please accept our sincere apologies and grateful thanks at the same time. Thanks so much to: Lisa Doyle for volunteering her time to do the statistical analysis for the research; Carla Clarke for volunteering her time to do the service mapping; Michael Rose for volunteering his time to ensure publicity reached all corners of the borough; Janice Markey for her patience and support; staff at Galop for their uncomplaining patience during this long process, as well as providing useful contacts and testing the survey; staff at Stonewall Housing for also testing the survey; Lenna Cumberbatch at Gingerbeer for her support in publicising the survey; Michael Dresser at Fluffy Pink Meringue for his design of the publicity at short notice. Thanks also go to all those who took the time to complete the online survey, who attended a focus group or who agreed to be interview, as well as the many people who took the time to comment and contribute to the research design including (in no particular order): Christopher Nicholas; Jessica Brennan; Paul Brown; all trade unions at WCC; Lydia Clarkson, Neil Wholey; Billie Simmons; Steve Lau; Anita Gibbons; Charlotte Saini; Cecily Herdman; Kerri Parke, Liz McQuaid; Carly Fry; Alf Short; Kairos in Soho; SW5; St Anne s Church; WCC Leisure Services; WCC West End Team; Imaan; Voluntary Action ; Connection at St Martins. 2

3 Table of contents Table of figures...5 Executive summary Introduction Background Context Methodology Equalities profile LGBT people and City Council Overview high expectations Good practice Areas of need Recommendations Housing Overview Impact of sexuality and gender identity on housing problems Areas of need Recommendations Community Safety Overview Ways to increase feelings of safety Current good practice Areas of need Recommendations Health and social care Overview Good practice Areas of need Recommendations Community participation Leisure services LGBT venues and facilities in Soho Areas of need Recommendations Education, youth services and young people Overview Views of the teachers and practitioners Good practice Areas of need Recommendations Employment Overview

4 8.2 Anti-LGBT behaviour in the workplace Confidence in getting help Diversity training at work Recommendations City Council as an employer Overview Good practice Areas of need Recommendations Social action centre Background Overview Potential facilities Facilities needing further consideration Location Management of the centre Inclusion and access Recommendations Consultation and engagement Importance of engagement Current levels of engagement Monitoring Building trust LGBT Forum Routes to engagement Recommendations Appendix one - references Appendix two survey

5 Table of figures Equalities profile Gender identity 25 Number of trans respondents 25 Sexual orientation 26 Age 26 Ethnic group 27 Ethnic group comparison across boroughs 28 Religion/belief 28 Long term illness, health problem or disability 29 DDA compliant disabilities 29 Residents in WCC 30 Reason for coming to WCC 31 Area of residence in WCC 31 Residence across other London boroughs 32 Relationship status 33 Caring responsibilities 33 Qualifications 34 Employment status 34 Housing and homelessness Accommodation type 43 Comparison of tenure types across boroughs and census data 43 Housing problems related to sexuality and gender identity 45 Relevance of sexuality and gender identity to housing problems in 46 Community Safety Feeling of safety in WCC 53 Behaviour modification 58 Levels of homophobia/transphobia in 59 Types of homophobia/transphobia in 60 Perpetrators 61 Locations of incident(s) 62 Satisfaction following reporting 63 Reasons for not reporting 64 Ways to encourage reporting 65 Domestic abuse by ex/partners 68 Domestic abuse by family members 67 Health and social care Satisfaction with NHS GP/doctor 72 Openness about sexuality/gender identity with GP 73 Comparison between boroughs - whether out to GP 74 Importance of LGBT focus in addiction services 75 Importance of LGBT focus in mental health services 75 Levels of mental health issues 82 5

6 Types of mental health issues 82 Suicide 83 Link between mental health issues and sexuality/gender identity 84 Levels of engagement with NHS 84 Reasons for not engaging with the NHS 85 Concern about alcohol/cigarettes/drugs/gambling 86 Community Participation Visits to LGBT venues or facilities in 89 Preference for LGBT venues 90 Level of use of venues in Soho 91 Barriers to using services and facilities 95 Reasons for these barriers 97 Employment Bullying, harassment or discrimination in the workplace 108 Experiencing and witnessing homophobic or transphobic behaviour 109 Homophobic or transphobic jokes or comments 110 Confidence in reporting to employer 110 Training in equality, diversity and fairness at work 111 LGBT issues in equalities training 112 WCC as an employer Bullying, harassment or discrimination in the workplace 118 Experiencing and witnessing homophobic or transphobic behaviour 118 Homophobic or transphobic jokes or comments 119 Confidence in reporting to employer 120 Exclusion from training or promotion opportunities 121 Training in equality, diversity and fairness at work 121 LGBT issues in equalities training 122 Social Action Centre Importance of non-commercial LGBT space 126 Likelihood of visiting such a space 127 Facilities of preference 129 Facilities of non-preference 131 Preferences for location 132 Consultation and engagement Extent of consideration council gives to views, experiences and concerns as LGBT people 135 Importance of council acknowledging rights of LGBT people 136 Response to monitoring of sexuality/gender identity across service areas 138 Level of support for LGBT forum 145 Likelihood of attendance at a forum 146 Preferred method of communication 147 6

7 Executive summary 1. Introduction Mapping LGBT is a survey of the needs and experiences of LGBT people who live work, socialise, study or use services in the City of. Commissioned as part of the One City Programme, the survey forms the first part in an ongoing community engagement strategy. The survey included 541 quantitative questionnaires, focus groups with a range of equalities groups, and interviews with a range of community stakeholders. 2. LGBT people and City Council The research revealed that LGBT people have high expectations of City Council (WCC) because of its unique position as the borough in London with the largest concentration of LGBT venues. Particular examples of good practice were identified such as the leading role that the borough has taken in promoting and providing civil partnerships, and participation in community events such as LGBT History Month and IDAHO. Some people felt that WCC treats LGBT people primarily as consumers, rather then meeting their more complex needs, and that the borough could improve its public acknowledgement of LGBT issues, for example through improved training of customer services staff and by an improved website presence for LGBT issues. Many people raised the rainbow flag issue, and there is a need to continue to build community trust to improve relationships following this incident. Recommendations 2a. 2b. Information Provision WCC should undertake a strategic review of the ways in which it communicates with the LGBT community. This could lead to an increased presence on the website, information on the impact of goods and services regulations on residents, information on WCC s approach to homophobic and transphobic incidents and training for staff in customer service roles. Learning lessons The issue with rainbow flags in Soho was damaging for the council in that WCC was perceived to be anti-lgbt. This situation should be reviewed for lessons learned, and the results should be communicated to the public. 3. Housing Only 20% of LGBT people in own their home, compared to 35% of the general population in. 7

8 1in 10 of all LGBT people surveyed had experienced housing problems in related to their sexuality or gender identity. Stakeholders identified that many LGBT people try to move to the City of, and that this can cause problems for homeless people with no local connection. The borough is expensive to live in, and for those who have little money, it can be a difficult place to afford. Stakeholders also identified that some homeless LGBT people who sleep rough are not being picked up by services targeted at rough sleepers, because they use all night saunas, attend all-night clubs, or sleep on night buses. Some trans people who are homeless are experiencing difficulties accessing appropriate gender-based bed spaces in homelessness hostels in the borough. Recommendations 3a. Guidance for the public WCC should develop a resource, such as a leaflet on the housing and support options for LGBT people. This could include information for young people who arrive in town expecting to get housed, and information about succession rights following the Civil Partnership Act Where guidance already exists, this should be promoted. 3b. New services Consider whether City Council can increase its appropriate housing and support services to LGBT people, for example through floating support funded by Supporting People. 3c. 3d. Rough sleepers Rough sleeper services need to further consider how to pick up vulnerable street homeless people who are not bedding down and instead using saunas or being sexually exploited. Training All staff in housing and homeless services could benefit from appropriate training on the effects that sexuality and gender identity can have on hosing need, and on how the department can best respond to these needs. 4. Community Safety One of the key finding which came from the research was that: 2 in 5 respondents have felt unsafe in due to being LGBT. Good practice was identified in the borough, including the fact that there are two full time LGBT police liaison officers, and that an LGBT forum is currently being set up. Many participants described positive experiences of accessing the police, however some also described negative experiences, and LGBT people are still the target of abuse in the borough. 8

9 3 in 5 LGBT people in avoid public affection with their partners. 1 in 3 of all respondents, and 1 in 2 of LGBT residents avoid certain areas in to minimise the risk of homophobia or transphobia. 1 in 2 LGBT people have experienced homophobia or transphobia in, rising to 3 in 5 of all LGBT residents. 1 in 5 of all LGBT residents have experienced homophobic or transphobic verbal abuse, insults or harassment in the last year. 7% of LGBT people have experienced homophobic or transphobic physical violence in in the last year. Recommendations 4a. 4b. 4c. 4d. 4e. Encouraging reporting WCC should actively advertise (throughout the borough) its no-tolerance approach to homophobic and transphobic hate crime, whilst also positively celebrating the borough s diversity, using a range of mechanisms and targeted at people who may fear reporting incidents to the police due to activities they have been engaging in, for example sex workers, or those having sex in public places. Sharing information The police should make their sharing of hotspot mapping information more extensive and formal, including with WCC s Community Safety Unit, and the voluntary sector - this might be most effectively done through a forum. Advertising prosecutions and initiatives WCC could advertise any successful prosecution of perpetrators of LGBT hate crime, or any action taken against WCC tenants who are perpetrating homophobic or transphobic harassment of their neighbours Joint working The council and police should work formally with voluntary sector service providers such as Broken Rainbow and Galop, to ensure a consistent approach in the reporting of crime, including online reporting facilities. Tackling neighbourhood harassment WCC should develop specific information for residents about homophobic and transphobic neighbourhood harassment, outlining how WCC can help. 5. Health and social care A key finding from this section was: 2 out of 5 respondents are not out to their GP Many respondents reported positive experiences of health care; however some reported worrying experiences including a lack of understanding of issues for lesbian, 9

10 bisexual and trans women and reduced access to screening services and older people s worries about appropriate care services 4 out of 5 trans people report experiencing some form of mental health distress. 1 in 4 of all respondents report experiencing depression in the last year. 1 in 10 of all respondents have had thoughts of suicide in the last year. 1 in 10 of all respondents have attempted suicide at some point in their past. 2 in 5 people link their mental health issues with their being LGBT. 3 in 5 people who had mental health issues did not seek help from the NHS. 1 in 10 people are concerned about their use of cigarettes and alcohol. Recommendations 5a. 5b. 5c. 5d. 5e. Guidance and awareness raising with health professionals The PCT should consider undertaking awareness raising activities, (including for example, guidance and publicity for waiting rooms) particularly with GP the on LGBT health issues, paying particular regard to the health needs of trans people and lesbian and bisexual women. Training Training should be provided for carers working in people s homes or in residential homes on issues for LGBT older people; and for mental health workers in WCC PCT on the specific needs of LGBT people in mental health distress. Access and satisfaction Improve access and satisfaction with health services for LGBT people, paying specific regard to residential care, and mental health services. Health promotion Develop LGBT-specific health promotion activities, learning from the PCT s experience of engaging with other hard-to-reach communities in. Joint working Consider providing financial support to LGBT organisations offering support to LGBT people in in mental health distress, or dealing with dependency issues. 6. Community participation Good practice was identified within leisure services, including planned training in equalities for all contractors. 4 out of 5 LGBT residents visit LGBT venues and facilities (such as LGBT support services, clubs, bars and pubs) in the borough. 10

11 Participants expressed mixed feelings about Soho for some it is a safe haven where LGBT people can be themselves, for others it can be an exclusive and commercial environment that cannot meet the all the diverse needs of the community. 1 in 3 LGBT people visit LGBT venues in Soho weekly, rising to 1 in 2 of all LGBT residents. Some specific needs were raised in this section, including the need for trans people to feel confident that they will be treated respectfully when accessing appropriate toilet and changing facilities; the concerns that older people have that there is a lack of specific provision in the borough for older LGBT people, and concerns of BME people of attitudinal barriers to BME participation in community venues. Recommendations 6a. 6b. 6c. 6d. Toilets and changing facilities Leisure services should publicise an explicit policy statement that confirms that access to toilets and leisure facilities should be on the basis of a person s presenting gender. Effective application of this policy should be ensured via trans awareness training for all frontline staff in leisure services. In addition WCC should consider whether changing facilities with access for disabled people can be relabelled private changing facilities with access for disabled people this would make them equally available for trans people who would prefer to change privately, whilst continuing to offer of gender specific public changing facilities for those who would prefer this option. Older people WCC should consider funding services for older isolated LGBT people. This might include a buddying system, or an older LGBT person s support group (possibly working jointly with Polari or Age Concern). Soho Ensure the Soho Action Plan remains a live document among LGBT businesses including developing the reputation and sustainability of LGBT businesses through further development of the City Council s Economic Development Strategy. Urgently address areas of concern in public perception of inconsistent licensing enforcement. Ensure sound communication of procedures and policies to ensure there is a consistent approach to enforcement of licensed premises across Soho and the rest of the borough with regard to outside drinking and smoking areas. Inclusive spaces and a vibrant voluntary sector Develop working practices with LGBT voluntary sector organisations in, including Kairos in Soho, to ensure non-commercial affirming spaces for LGBT people are developed. This might include the Social Action Centre. 7. Education, youth services and young people 11

12 The survey revealed that WCC youth services have gone to some lengths to engage with young LGB people and previously commissioned research into their needs. The youth service also prioritised these issues by including information within its mainstream publication aimed at all young people. Despite this however, there were some important issues in youth services, including that the youth service does not currently work with trans young people, and that there is not currently an LGBT youth group for young LGBT residents, which is fairly unusual when compared with other London boroughs, such as Camden, Croydon, Lambeth, Bromley, Waltham Forest, Greenwich, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Bexley, Brent, Kingston- Upon-Thames, Richmond, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, Merton and Ealing. Teachers and youth workers also raised the significant problem of homophobic and transphobic bullying within schools in the borough, and identified that they would like to see strong leadership from WCC on this issue. Recommendations 7a. 7b. 7c. 7d. Youth services WCC should prioritise developing engagement activities with LGBT young people, including allocating funding and resources to LGBT youth services in the borough. This should be built into the LGBT Engagement Strategy. Trans inclusiveness The youth service should develop an action plan to develop the skills necessary to work proactively with young trans people. The service should be provided with the training and resourcing it needs to expand its remit to actively include transgender people. Homophobic and transphobic bullying The Education Authority should develop an action plan to tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools and to increase positive images of LGBT people in schools. This should include clear leadership on the issue from the borough, and training (through an inset day) for all WCC teaching staff on how to challenge homophobic and transphobic language and behaviour in schools. Reaching LGBT pupils WCC schools should celebrate LGBT History Month. All schools in WCC should display publicity for pupils about how to report homophobic or transphobic bullying with links to LGBT support organisations. WCC should ensure that staff and pupils attending schools in WCC do not have difficult or restricted access to LGBT websites offering support and information. 8. Employment More than 1 in 10 participants had experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in work due to being LGBT, in the last year. 12

13 More than 1 in 3 participants had witnessed, experienced or heard about homophobia or transphobia at work in the last year. 14% of participants hear homophobic or transphobic jokes or comments that they find offensive or inappropriate, 2 to 3 times a month. 1 in 5 people would not be confident to report homophobic or transphobic bullying to their employer. 2 in 5 people have not had any equalities training at work. Recommendations 8a. WCC should support small businesses in the borough by making resources and advice available on issues of LGBT equality, and appropriate training. This information could be distributed via small business support organisations supported by WCC. 9. City Council as an employer WCC LGBT employees were mostly delighted that the research was taking place. Good practice was identified in a number of areas, such as the Departmental Diversity Coordinators scheme, the new informal LGBT Staff network, and membership of Stonewall s Diversity Champions Scheme. Some LGBT members of staff described feelings of isolation, and others described incidents of discrimination. Teachers particularly raised the issue of homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools, and felt that support on these issues could be improved. 15% of LGBT WCC employees and 21% of contractors had experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in work due to being LGBT in the last year. Nearly 1 in 4 WCC employees and 1 in 2 contractors had witnessed, experienced or heard about homophobia or transphobia at work in the last year. 1 in 10 employees and 1 in 3 contractors would not be confident reporting homophobic or transphobic bullying to their employer. Recommendations 9a. Support for LGBT teachers WCC should provide leadership to schools in condemning casual homophobia in schools and expressing an expectation that the bullying policy on homophobic and transphobic bulling is enforced. This should include a range of actions including: Providing compulsory training in challenging homophobia and transphobia and understanding sexuality and gender identity issues for all teachers, not just LGBT teachers. This training is necessary both to the support students and as a method of 13

14 support for LGBT employees in schools. Reviewing school incident report forms to ensure that homophobic and transphobic bullying and language can be highlighted, and that this can therefore be monitored and addressed as a specific issue. Re-distributing existing free resources such as the Stonewall and Each Education for All pack and the Department of Children, Families and Schools homophobic bullying guidance, taking action to ensure these reach the correct people in schools. 9b. 9c. 9d. 9e. Internal staff network WCC should start an LGBT staff network to provide support to staff who are isolated at work, and to act as a driver for change at WCC. A decision should be made about whether the PCT should have a separate LGBT network, or join in with the WCC one. Induction Induction sessions for new staff at WCC need to include issues for LGBT people, and training on equalities should also include this in more detail. Communications WCC should make better use of internal communications mechanisms to reflect the lives and experiences of LGBT staff and service users. This could include regular articles on the intranet. Externally, any work around, for example, LGBT History Month, IDAHO, the Soho Action Plan and the LGBT Needs Assessment should be positively promoted, so people know WCC is genuinely committed to the issue. Bullying and harassment WCC human resources department should take positive action to encourage LGBT staff to feel confident in reporting bullying and harassment. WCC should make it a condition of contracting with any major supplier that they provide training for their staff on LGBT equality issues, and that they have procedures in place to deal with homophobic and transphobic bullying of staff. The procedures and training should be approved as suitable by WCC s equality section. 10. Social action centre Participants showed strong support for the idea of a community-led non-commercial space for LGBT people in. Nearly 3 in 5 people rated non-commercial space for LGBT people as important or very important. 1 in 2 people said that they would visit such a centre. More work is needed in identifying an ideal location for any centre as participants expressed conflicting opinions about the suitability of various areas. Participants particularly stressed the need for any centre to be community run and accessible for all. 14

15 Recommendations 10a. 10b. Supporting the social action centre WCC should financially support the establishment of a Social Action centre for LGBT people, based in. Feasibility study These research findings should be considered as part of the ongoing feasibility study for the LGBT Community Centre being carried out during 2009 as part of the Soho Action Plan. 11. Consultation and engagement Only 1 in 10 people stated that it was not at all important, or only a little important that the council take their views as LGBT people into account. 9 in 10 people said that it was important or very important that the council acknowledge the rights of LGBT people and publicly condemn homophobia and transphobia. The majority of respondents stated that they would be comfortable having their sexuality or gender identity monitored in all council service areas. 4 out of 5 people supported having an LGBT forum in. 3 in 10 residents stated that they would attend a forum. Recommendations 11a. External messages WCC should consider a range of ways of publicising itself as a welcoming borough for LGBT people. This might include: Publicising LGBT friendliness in council offices by displaying a rainbow flag or some other kind of positive materials. Targeting diversity within the LGBT communities in publicity campaigns, for example targeted messages at the trans community and BME community. Publicise the council s progress on equalities issues. Improved information on LGBT issues on the WCC website, similar to the race and disability section. Regular coverage of LGBT issues in Reporter. 11b. Consultation WCC should actively support the establishment of an effective LGBT forum in. This should include working jointly with the police to ensure the forum has appropriate resources (staff to administrate the meetings, space to meet, small budget for advertising etc), and ensuring that people who have decision making authority in the appropriate departments attend the meetings. 15

16 11c. LGBT services WCC should develop a booklet for the public, listing LGBT resources in and outlining basic rights. 11d. 11e. 11f. 11g. 11h. Pride WCC should have a presence at Pride, providing information for the public on its services. Monitoring WCC should make the decision to implement the monitoring of sexuality and gender identity in line with all other equalities monitoring. A strategy should be developed to ensure that the implementation goes smoothly, which might include training for frontline staff expected to undertake the monitoring, an FAQ section for staff on the intranet, and prepared responses to any external hostile response. Further engagement with the trans community should take place to ensure that monitoring of gender identity is done in the most sensitive way possible. Voluntary sector WCC should consider ways in which it can provide support to the LGBT voluntary sector in the borough. One method of increased engagement and support might be the LGBT network, another would be to provide capacity building and free or reduced rate venues to groups. list A number of respondents provided an address for future contact (25), and given the popularity of as a method of contact, WCC should establish a confidential LGBT list to send regular updates (for example a copy of his research report, and information about the social action centre and the forum). A new LGBT section on WCC s website could include an option for people to sign up to join the newsletter. Action Plan It is vital that this research is seen as the first stage in an engagement process, and not the last word on LGBT needs. The Action Plan should include a strategy for ensuring ongoing engagement to understand the complexities of LGBT lives, the priorities of the LGBT communities, and the ways in which WCC can continue to meet these needs. 16

17 1. Introduction 1.1 Background The Mapping LGBT survey was commissioned by City Council (WCC) as part of its One City initiative, spearheaded by the then Council Leader, Sir Simon Milton. Through the initiative, WCC seeks to be a council which actively listens and responds to the needs of the people that it serves. One City is the five year strategy that WCC uses with the aim of building strong communities and delivering excellent council services. The strategy includes new goals for each of its five years, and in 2007/8, under the heading of community cohesion, WCC prioritised the aim of improving engagement with minority communities, committing to the specific goal of strengthening engagement with the LGBT communities. City Council has prioritised making significant progress in its work in equalities, and as part of this agenda, it is currently striving to reach level four and beyond of the Equality Standard for Local Government. As part of this process, WCC recognises the need to challenge homophobia and transphobia, and to reach out to the community. This process of engagement with, and supporting of the LGBT community is just beginning, but as part of that process in recent years WCC has been actively involved in activities for International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) and events for LGBT History Month, actively consulted with the LGBT community as part of the Soho Action Plan, financially supported a feasibility study into a potential LGBT Social Action centre to be sited within the borough, and commissioned this research. This report forms the first step in a planned path to increase strategic engagement with the LGBT communities in. Following from the publication of the report, the Policy Team at WCC will use the findings to create an action plan, including commitments to take forward specific recommendations, sitting side by side with a timetable for action. The action plan will form a part of WCC s wider equalities strategy, and as such, actions identified as part of this report will form a formal part of WCC s plan for the forthcoming years. This report sits side by side with another important WCC initiative, the Soho Action Plan, which was created following detailed consultation with the LGBT communities and which includes some specific provision for those communities. As with many scoping exercises of this kind, time and resources can be limited, and a consultation such as this can never hope to provide a definitive commentary on all needs, experiences and aspirations for what is a hugely diverse community. The aim of this project was to identify some of the broad areas of need for the members of the diverse communities that make up the broad spectrum of the LGBT communities. Many of these areas of need will be similar across London, and indeed the UK, and progress in solving problems therefore will involve linking in with work already being undertaken across the capital, and working jointly with neighbouring boroughs. Other issues identified, particularly concerning trust and involvement in the Borough, will need to be tackled locally, and the report makes recommendations for how this work might be started. 17

18 It is important that this report is not seen as the end of a process, but rather the beginning of a continuing dialogue between WCC and its LGBT constituents. The information in this report should highlight areas where WCC and its partners may need to investigate further, as well as areas where need is evident, and where WCC can commit to taking action immediately. 1.2 Context City of as a borough is the area in London perhaps most connected in people s minds with the LGBT communities because Soho is situated within its borders. Like no other area in the UK (except perhaps Canal Street in Manchester, and Brighton and Hove), Soho is seen as a sanctuary by many LGBT people a place where LGBT people congregate and socialise, and where because of sheer numbers LGBT people can feel safe. Despite the popularity of the area, and the concentration of clubs and bars, the area is not welcoming to all LGBT people, and its popularity can sometimes disguise the wide range of needs and experiences within the LGBT communities, and the way in which many can feel excluded from a scene that focuses on alcohol. Although the variety of people who socialise in Soho is more diverse than it might be assumed, still, members of excluded groups within the LGBT communities, such as women, trans people, BME people and disabled people, are under-represented in the area. Soho should also not be taken as representative of the entire City of, which is as diverse as a borough as the LGBT communities are themselves. The City of encompasses a huge geographical area, which includes extremes of wealth, including extremely prosperous areas such as Mayfair, and areas undergoing regeneration, such as Harrow Road. LGBT people in It is not possible to know how many LGBT people live in the City of or indeed in the UK as no baseline data exists on this issue. In the absence of this data, it is generally estimated that between five and ten percent of the population identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. This would mean that there were between 9,064 and 18,128 LGB people living in the City of seven years ago, based on the most recent census data. There is no reliable estimate of the number of trans people in the population. Although the census in 2001 did not count the total number of LGBT people in the population, it asked about same-sex couples living together. The census from seven years ago shows that there were 890 people living in same sex-couples in 2001 in which accounted for 4% of all people living in same-sex couples in London, and 2% of all people living in same-sex couples in England. Recent history of local government and LGBT communities In the early 1980s some local authorities in London, led by the Greater London Council, were undertaking various levels of specific work targeted at the LGB community. This work was controversial, and in 1988 the Government of the day 18

19 responded by passing into legislation Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, which prohibited local authorities from promoting homosexuality, or from allowing schools to promote the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship. Although in the fifteen years that Section 28 remained on the statute books, no-one was ever prosecuted for breaking it, it is generally accepted that local authorities and schools self-censored their own behaviour. As a result of the Act, very little positive engagement work took place with the LGBT communities, and the need to rebuild trust and confidence is ongoing The last ten years have seen a tremendous amount of legislation and policy aimed to ensure equal rights for lesbian, gay and bisexual, and to a lesser degree trans people, and changes have included: Equalising the age of consent in 2001 The ability for same-sex couples to adopt or foster children in 2002 The removal of sexual offences which relate only to gay and bisexual men in 2003 A statutory duty to increase sentences for offences aggravated by homophobia in 2003 The repeal of Section 28 in 2003 Protection against discrimination in employment in 2003 The introduction of civil partnerships in 2004 Legal recognition for some trans people and the ability to have a birth certificate that reflects a trans person s gender from Protection against discrimination in the provision of goods, services and facilities in 2007 These new legal protections take effect within a climate of change in society. There have been significant developments in policing, and in London the Metropolitan Police Service s strategy is to engage with and work with the LGBT communities, rather than criminalise them. Positive improvements have also taken place in healthcare including a growing recognition of the existence and needs of LGBT families. There is some progression in guidelines for schools, encouraging a more proactive response to homophobic bullying. Despite these improvements, a number of issues remain for the LGBT communities. Evidence shows an endemic problem of homophobic language and bullying in schools, and many teachers do not have the resources, skills or support necessary to challenge this. Homophobic and transphobic violence continue to blight our communities. Local government, most especially crime and disorder partnerships have a duty to consult local communities, and Government guidance suggests that LGBT communities should particularly be engaged with. Despite this, many local authorities struggle to engage in a meaningful way with their LGBT residents. Young LGBT people continue to be at greater risk of self-harming behaviour and suicide, and many young people are ostracised from their family and community when they come out. Legislative protection for the trans community is extremely patchy, and the legal definition of transsexuals is irrelevant to many trans people and means that only a small section of the trans community is protected within the law. Echoing this 19

20 lack of legal understanding of trans issues, society at large is still a long way from understanding issues for the trans community. Research into LGBT issues An ongoing barrier to effective service delivery for the LGBT communities is the lack of reliable large-scale data. Questions on sexuality and gender identity have not been included in past censuses, (and despite much lobbying, currently plans will not see this included in the 2011 census), and neither are questions on homophobic and transphobic hate crime included in the British Crime Survey. Most statutory organisations are only just starting to consider monitoring of the sexual orientation of employees, and do not therefore monitor employee gender identity or service user sexuality or gender identity. In a culture where resources are allocated on the basis of proven, often statistical need, the LGBT communities have traditionally struggled to prove their needs in a language that translates into political prioritisation and financial resources. Some local authorities have sought to combat this lack of information by commissioning small scale local research, and it is into this tradition that Mapping LGBT falls. There have been other efforts by the communities to combat this lack of information, such as research projects by Stonewall and other LGBT organisations, however existing data is still limited and usually geographically and issue based. Where possible, the statistics in this research have been benchmarked against comparable statistics from local need analyses from Islington, Camden, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. Unique characteristics of the City of has some characteristics that make comparison difficult. Of all the boroughs in London, it has the largest and most recognisable connection to the LGBT communities. Its central location, coupled with fact that it contains Soho, and that large festivals such as Pride and Soho Pride take place there, means that the City of has a huge number of LGBT people visiting it for social activities, and to access specialist services delivered within its borders. The City of can act as a magnet for the LGBT communities, and is seen by many as a safe place for LGBT people to be themselves, however this can also lead to high expectations of the borough. The City of is much more than Soho however, and in discussions about the borough it is vital not to overlook the fact that WCC is also a large and varied borough which contains a range of residential areas, including areas of significant affluence and others of predominantly lower-income communities, with a range of needs. LGBT people are resident in all these communities, and have particular needs, in addition to those experienced by visiting community members. 1.3 Methodology Quantitative methods A detailed survey was published online and open to respondents between 23/01/08 and 02/05/08. This included mainly quantitative questions but also a number of open questions (see appendix one for details). 20

21 An initial set of survey questions were drafted and stakeholders at WCC, the PCT and the voluntary sector in were consulted on these. Detailed feedback was received and was incorporated into an improved final draft. A wide range of stakeholders were keen to see particular areas explored in detail, which substantially increased the length of the original survey. The risk of a potentially high noncompletion rate due to the length of the survey was mitigated by the addition of filters to ensure people only answered questions that were relevant to them. As a result: the majority of questions on housing were only available to people who had experienced housing problems in. the majority of community safety questions were only available to people who had experienced homophobia or transphobia in. employment questions were only available to people who worked in education questions were only available to people currently in education in. This filtering made the survey itself more manageable, but meant that, as the survey was open to people who live, work, study or socialise in, the respondent levels for individual questions was often significantly lower than the total number of respondents. A total of 596 completed surveys were received, of which 55 were discarded because they were completed by people who identified as heterosexual but not trans. A further four surveys were completely blank and a final four were discarded because the respondents had filled in the survey twice (identified by a question at the end of the survey). This left a total of 541 valid surveys. This significant number of completed surveys compares favourably with surveys of other London boroughs, particularly given the relatively small-scale of the project (in terms of time and resources). Islington (a much larger scale project), had 1198 surveys returned. Lambeth had 508, Lewisham 316 and Southwark 210 and Camden 74. The survey was primarily conducted online because of the time constraints on the research. However, a number of paper versions of the survey were produced, which were distributed on request and at an LGBT History Month event. Seven completed paper surveys were returned, and these responses were entered into the online survey by the research team. In order to encourage participation in the survey, an incentive of entering a prize draw was offered, with the winner receiving 100. Qualitative methods The quantitative data was supplemented with information gathered through a series of six focus groups (each with a maximum of six participants), and the results of 13 semi-structured stakeholder interviews, some face-to-face and others via the 21

22 telephone. Focus groups and interviews were recorded with the participants permission. The aim of the focus groups was both to gain a richer and more in-depth understanding of the experiences of LGBT people in, and also to try to understand more about any specific issues that members of different minority groups may have, which may impact on their experiences as LGBT people, and as LGBT people in. The groups also provided an opportunity to explore in-depth issues raised in the survey which the survey was an inappropriate method to explore further. Focus groups therefore took place with: BME LGBT people Disabled LGBT people Older LGBT people Lesbians, bisexual and trans women Trans people LGBT employees of WCC. A planned focus group with young LGBT people did not take place, as it proved too difficult within the time and budget constraints to identify participants for the group, despite trying a number of avenues. The focus group was advertised widely (see later section on advertising of research). Information was also sent to staff at the youth service at WCC, Connexions Service, the LGBT Consortium of Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations, Stonewall Housing, SW5, and LGBT youth groups in London. The LGBT youth group does not presently exist, and this was therefore not a focus group recruitment option, as had originally been planned. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, young people did not engage with the process. Issues regarding youth engagement are discussed further in Chapter Seven. A meeting was also conducted with LGBT teachers working in, which was attended by [approximately] eight people. This meeting was not recorded but detailed notes were taken. An incentive of 15 was offered to focus group participants both in order to encourage participation and as recognition of the time participants gave up. Employees and teachers were not paid the incentive. The aim of the semi-structured interviews was to gain an in-depth understanding of some of the experiences of a range of stakeholders who work with the LGBT communities in a range of ways. Interviews took place with stakeholders from: Primary Care Trust WCC Leisure Services SW5 Imaan 22

23 Stonewall Housing Kairos in Soho Voluntary Action WCC youth services St Anne s Church Police WCC West End Team An LGBT business in Soho Cognito LGBT youth group at the Connection at St Martins. Analysis The content of the focus groups and interviews was analysed thematically, and supplemented with statistical analysis of the survey. Where possible statistics have been benchmarked against figures from similar boroughs including Islington, Camden, Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. Statistics have also been benchmarked, where possible, against similar statistics from Brighton and Hove, comparable as an area closely associated with the LGBT communities. Unfortunately similarly comparable cities (such as Manchester or Birmingham) have not undertaken research into their local LGBT communities. These reports have been referred to by their borough for ease of comparison, however full reference details of each report can be found in the references section of the report. Statistics have been presented in this report as rounded to their nearest whole number. As a result, where responses have been presented in sub-categories, the total of these does not always equal 100%. Promotion Promotion of the research aimed to reach a range of LGBT people, including residents and those who do not socialise on the LGBT commercial scene. The research was promoted in the following ways: Adverts were placed (on more than one occasion each), in LGBT media publications G3, Pink Paper, Boyz and Out in the City. Press release sent out by Galop to a range of LGBT publications and picked up by the publications above and by Pink News, and LGBT website. Discussion threads started on Gingerbeer women s website. Banner advertising on Gingerbeer website and GMFA (an HIV/AIDS charity for gay men) website. Flyer printed and left in a wide range of venues including: All local housing estate offices All libraries 23

24 A range of WCC gyms LGBT venues in including commercial and voluntary sector promotion to: LGBT staff network groups in including the civil servicewide Rainbow Alliance and Transport for London All London LGBT Forums All London LGBT youth groups Galop s extensive contacts list of LGBT community organisations Press release was placed on WCC s website, and Galop s website, featuring a pop-up inviting people to participate in the survey. Unfortunately, for reasons beyond the control of the research team, it was not possible to publicise the survey in the WCC publication for residents (The Reporter) and press releases were not able to be circulated to mainstream press contacts. 1.4 Equalities profile We asked survey participants for demographic information in a number of categories. Difficulties reaching residents and young people (as described above), mean that we cannot make claims that this sample of LGBT people is representative of the entire LGBT communities in however the sizable sample (540 responses) means that the statistics are an interesting illustration of the diversity within our communities. The stakeholder from Imaan eloquently spoke in the interview about this diversity: We have multiple identities some of our members are disabled, some of our members are HIV positive, some of our members are women, some of our members are trans. We recognise that diversity and look at how we can connect those people with one another, as well as integrating ourselves [with the wider LGBT communities]. As discussed in the previous sections, baseline data concerning LGBT people does not exist and our survey used a self-selecting, rather than random sample so it is difficult to know how representative this data is however, where possible, the results have been compared to census data, and data from comparable surveys in other boroughs. 24

25 Gender Are you? % 15 3% 1 0% 7 1% Male Female Genderqueer Intersex Other % Gender identity Do you identify now, or have you identified in the past as a trans person? 31 6% Yes No % We asked respondents about their gender and their gender identity, and as illustrated above, the significantly largest gender category is men at 64%, with women making up 32%. The remaining 4% identified as intersex, genderqueer, or other. Although it would have been desirable to have a more even split of genders, the spilt in the survey compares favourably to Lambeth (70% male, 29% female) and Islington (73% male and 27% female), and is comparable to Camden (60% male and 39% female), Southwark (66% male and 32% female) and Lewisham (58% male and 38% female). Brighton and Hove has a slightly more even split of genders, with 56% identifying as male and 41% female. Six percent of survey respondents answered that they identify now, or have identified in the past as a trans person, and it is these respondents that we refer to as a group as 'trans', when analysing data throughout this report. Again, these figures compare favourably, and we have been relatively successful in reaching trans participants with the survey 5% of respondents identified as trans in Brighton and Hove, 4% in both Lambeth and Islington, 2% in Lewisham and Southwark and 1% in Camden. 25