2. Why the need for union action?
[ch 2: page 11]While anti-discrimination policies have come a long way over the last two decades, research suggests LGBT+ employees, particularly bisexual and trans/non-binary workers, still face disproportionate levels of discrimination, harassment and violence as well as multiple challenges to feeling fully included in the workplace. There is also worrying evidence that some gains may be going into reverse, judging by the rise in reported hate crime across society over the same period – a situation that was exacerbated by the Covid pandemic (see box on page 14).
LGBT+ hate crime on the rise
The Home Office’s Galop Hate Crime Report 2021 showed that reported LGBT+ hate crime grew at double the rate of other forms of hate crime over the previous two years. But even this is only the tip of the iceberg, as most hate crime goes unreported.
In 2016 there were 8,569 of these crimes recorded by police, but in 2021 this figure was 17,135. For hate crimes against transgender people, this figure has risen from 1,195 to 2,630 during the same period.