9 in 10 of us have been verbally abused
Verbal abuse against lesbian, gay and bisexual people often gets swept under the carpet. So many of us have experienced name calling when we are growing up that it becomes too familiar. Society’s refusal to accept homophobic language as seriously as other forms of verbal abuse doesn’t help.
9 in 10 of us have been verbally abused
In a survey amongst the LGB community in Manchester, 75% of those verbally abused did not feel able to report the matter to the police for fear of not being taken seriously or through worries about being ‘outed’.
“I once made the mistake of telling a doctor that I was a lesbian. The way he responded made me feel like I was scum. He was really rude and made out that either I was being silly and should go out and meet a man or that I was ill and should keep myself locked up. I don’t think I would talk about my sexuality if I was to use a service, unless it was somewhere like here (The Lesbian and Gay Foundation).”
From Minority Report (Report on Substance Misuse and Treatment Needs amongst the LGBT community in Manchester.The Lesbian and Gay Foundation, Department of Health University of Central Lancashire, 2005
- To ensure lesbian,gay and bisexual people’s voices are heard, the LGF is represented on a number of local, regional and national bodies including the NorthWest Equality and Diversity Group,Greater Manchester Sexual Health Network and the Department of Health Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Advisory Group, amongst many others.
- In 2006/07 our website took almost 7 million hits, making a significant contribution to increasing access to information and services to lesbian gay and bisexual people throughout the NorthWest and beyond.
- We produced and distributed over 185,000 copies of outnorthwest and a further 584,936 information resources informing and advising LGB people and our supporters – including vital information on local services, sexual health, mental health and drug and alcohol related issues.
