A COUNCIL report has found lesbian, gay and transgender people in South Gloucestershire are facing the “worst discrimination in decades”.
The 88-page study, led by the council and partner organisation the Diversity Trust, includes a total of 43 recommendations for improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the area.
Advocates hailed it as “potentially groundbreaking and life-changing” for many marginalised people, both in the district and across the country.
The research report, called Living Proud in South Gloucestershire: Understanding and improving the lives of LGBTQ+ communities, was adopted by South Gloucestershire Council’s cabinet in December.
Officers will now work on an action plan to implement the findings, starting with convening a meeting with MPs, police, health chiefs and other groups.
The report said: “LGBTQ+ people report poorer mental health and anticipate or experience homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and heterosexism, with particularly strong links to feelings of stress, isolation, anxiety and depression.
“There is evidence of an increased rate of self-harm, suicide and suicidal thoughts.
“LGBTQ+ young people often face bullying and discrimination and report feeling under-represented in school environments, often feeling isolated and without anybody to seek support from.
“Hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals, which are rooted in homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia, cause lasting psychological harm and often contribute to social withdrawal.
“Despite their prevalence, many incidents go unreported due to fear of discrimination, lack of trust in police, and limited access to support, which leave patterns of hate and abuse unchallenged.”
The report said the UK had fallen from first place to 22nd in a table ranking European countries’ LGBTQ+ human rights over the last ten years.
Its recommendations include rapidly expanding tailored mental health services, including crisis intervention and community befriending schemes for older people.
It recommends safe, anonymous channels for employees in all workplaces to report bullying, discrimination and harassment, after finding one in eight trans had been “physically attacked by customers or colleagues in the last year”.
Council co-leader and South Gloucestershire LGBT+ Equality Network chair Ian Boulton (Lab, Staple Hill & Mangotsfield) said: “We know national rhetoric has become increasingly negative and we’re seeing the real world consequences locally through rising hate crime and worsening health and well-being.
“These outcomes have been documented for decades but what is encouraging is the strength and ambition of the recommendations within this work.”
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service