Sexual orientation
What the law says.From 1 December 2003, when the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations came into force, it became unlawful to discriminate against workers on the grounds of sexual orientation. The regulations also cover providers of vocational training.
The Equality Act 2006 extends the regulations to cover the provision of goods, facilities and services. The sexual orientation provisions came into force on 30 April 2007.
The regulations prohibit discrimination on the basis of:
a person's actual sexual orientation
the sexual orientation he or she is thought to have and/or
the sexual orientation of someone with whom he or she is associated.
What is homophobia?
According to Stonewall Homophobia is an irrational hatred, intolerance, and fear of lesbian, gay and bisexual people and their culture.
The Anti-Defamation League says that homophobia 'is the hatred or fear of homosexuals − that is, lesbians and gay men − sometimes leading to acts of violence and expressions of hostility. Homophobia is not confined to any one segment of society, and can be found in people from all walks of life'.
How many people in the UK are lesbian, gay or bisexual?
The exact number is not known for certain as until recently national and local surveys of the population and people using services did not ask about an individual's sexual orientation.
The Department of Trade and Industry has estimated that between 5 and 7 per cent of the population could be lesbian, gay or bisexual.
If this figure were applied to Derbyshire this would mean around 37,000 people (or the same population as a town the size of Ilkeston − Derbyshire's second largest town).
It will always be difficult to get accurate stattistics on the number of lesbian, gay and bisexual people because of homophobia and the fact that many people do not "come out", but keep their sexual orientation private − often because they fear being subjected to homophobia by their families, work colleagues or the community in which they live.
Currently around 1 per cent of our workforce has indicated that they are lesbian, gay or bisexual, although many people have not yet provided information.
What are we doing to tackle discrimination towards lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people?
We are doing a number of things to tackle discrimination and homophobia, including:
Monitoring recruitment, including by sexual orientation.
Monitoring our workforce and the impact of our employment procedures and policies.
Supporting a staff network for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans employees.
By being a Stonewall Top 100 Employer for the last three years.
Working with local LGB and Trans organisations and groups to identify where policies and services can be improved for LGB and Trans people.
Supporting countywide LGB and Trans forum to meet − so that all the public bodies in Derbyshire can take action together to reduce discrimination and homophobia, and promote the safety and well-being of LGB and Trans people across Derbyshire.
Considering sexual orientation when we carry out equality impact assessments and produce equality policies and plans.
Tackling hate crime (Stop Hate) and bullying towards LGB and Trans people across Derbyshire, at work and in Derbyshire schools.
Celebrating LGBT History Month each February and by marking International Day Against Homophobia in May each year by flying the rainbow flag on council buildings.
The impact of the Equality Act 2010
Under the Equality Act 2010 both sexual orientation and civil partnership become protected characteristics, although the provisions relating to civil partnerships effectively provide parity with married people and are fairly limited.
Frome April 2011 the Council and other public bodies will have a duty to promote sexual orientation equality and to publish appropriate objectives in relation to this protected characteristic.
For more information on the Council's work in relation to sexual orientation please contact:
John Cowings, Senior Policy Officer, Equalities on 01629 538384 in relation to policy, service delivery and Derbyshire LGBT Forum
Tanya Causebrook, Senior Human Resources Consultant on 01629 536934 in relation to employment and for information about the Council's LGBT Staff Network.