Bectu’s Big Gay Survey: the highlights

Our LGBT+ Committee recently conducted our 2024 survey about being LGBT+ at work in the creative industries. The results make for some grim reading, emphasising why we exist as a network. 

Bullying and harassment and mental health were significant issues for our respondents: 

• 43% of LGBT+ workers say that they have personally experienced or witnessed bullying or harassment on grounds of their sexuality or gender identity.
• 46% of LGBT+ workers have experienced anxiety or depression over the past 12 months. 

Trans and non-binary people felt particularly discriminated against while working in the creative industries. 

• One in five trans workers say they feel discriminated against at work.
• Over the past year, 63% of trans creative workers report having had assumptions made about their sexual orientation or gender identity.
• 73% of trans creative workers say they have had to correct a coworker, client or leadership about their sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or pronouns.
• 45% of transgender respondents say they have experienced offensive or unwanted comments made about their sexuality, gender identity, body and/or appearance in the last 12 months.
• Among non-binary respondents, 72% don’t feel comfortable using their pronouns at work, or only feel comfortable using them with close colleagues. 

In slightly more positive news, the majority (68%) of LGBT+ creative workers feel able to bring their full selves to work. This number rises to 71% for gay and lesbian respondents but plummets to just 51% for transgender and 49% queer respondents. 

What are the barriers to improving the figures?

So, the results make difficult reading. But why are they like that and what could be done to improve them? 

• Almost half see a culture of discrimination and bias is the greatest barrier to LGBT+ workers and 41% say there is a lack of action from employers to support LGBT+ inclusive workplaces. 40% say networking and gatekeeping is the greatest barrier they face in the workplace 
• 61% report not having policies in place to uplift and support LGBT+ staff/freelancers in their workplace. 
• 64% report having no training for staff or freelancers around sexuality, gender identity, or trans+ inclusion.  

Quotes from the survey

It’s important to look beyond the statistsics in a survey like this, so here are some of the quotes that respondents gave us: 

“I am specifically not out in the workplace as its simply too difficult” 

“Meeting other visibly and openly LGBTQ+ people in the industry is so comforting and reassuring, and makes me feel more seen and accepted.” 

“As there are many LGBT people in theatre I feel fully welcomed and included by the large majority of staff. Some older, heterosexual and or cis staff have misgendered me/others repeatedly or made transphobic comments. There are many trans staff but none above entry level positions. We had trans inclusivity training once, however all the people asked to attend bar one were trans, cis staff were not asked to attend or disciplined for their comments. Unfortunately as I work in a customer-facing position, I am misgendered repeatedly by customers daily. More than one customer has insisted on denying my gender repeatedly when corrected. I have experienced transphobia from customers particularly in reaction to the gender neutral toilets. Transphobic stickering in toilets and transphobic remarks about the toilets, both in person and online, are common.” 

“[There is a] complete lack of safety measures or planning when going on shoots abroad that aren’t safe for the LGBT+ community.” 

“As a freelancer each job was a reset situation until I could gauge the likely reaction with my latest set of coworkers and employer.” 

“However since my coworkers have been resolutely supportive on each job I finally came out fully at work.” 

“The side effect of this has been that a number of my coworkers, while not trans themselves, have felt enabled to also become truer versions of themselves.” 

Yann Allsopp and Jess Glaisher are Bectu organising officials

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