UK Gays Reluctant To Come Out At Work

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/01/011706ukWork.htm

A survey of gays and lesbians in the workplace has found that only about half of Britain's gay workers are out on the job. The researchers also found that one-in-ten gay men, and one-in-eight lesbians were harassed at work in 2005 because of their sexuality.

The survey was conducted by Out Now Consulting for Diva and Gay Times - two British LGBT publications. Out Now Consulting specializes in market research within the LGBT community.

The study found that 52% of gays and 51% of lesbian respondents were out at work.

The British government recently undertook a determination of how many gays and lesbians there were in the workforce in an effort to estimate the cost of benefits under the new Civil Partnership law.

[xchrom]

1. that's not surprising...

covering big issues like gay marriage often covers the everyday reality for gay people.

progress is made slowly -- but you cannot underestimate the importance of equality laws in the process.

[tjwmason]

2. How are they defining out vs closeted?

I don't think that it's a binary state.

I'm not out, in that my colleagues don't know I'm gay - but neither am I closeted. I simply don't talk about personal things at work, if somebody asked I'd answer honestly - I don't hide it, I don't advertise it. If I get a partner folk would find out, as I'm sure that I'd mention him.

I think that a significant portion of this can be put down to British reserve.

Where I work, there really would be no question of harassment - thankfully.

[Brian_Expat]

3. This is a longtime trend in Britain

Remember, Britain is a more traditional and conservative society than America.

I we'd played our cards right politically in the 1990s, America would be well ahead of the UK today. . . here, culturally, homosexuality is only tolerated in the big cities, and even there, only on a limited basis.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. i think the english are more reserved anyway

and that could be one reason.