As celebrations for Lesbian Visibility Week kick off around the world, a new survey of lesbian, bi and queer women – as well as trans people – points to communities in the UK that are out and proud, but often feel unsafe in their day to day lives.
A deep dive into the experiences of UK LBQ+ women and trans people reveals:
● Less than a third (30%) of LBQ+ women and trans people in the UK feel ‘very safe’ in their own neighbourhood. 62% feel ‘somewhat safe’ or ‘quite safe’ and 2% don’t feel safe at all.
● Only a fifth (20%) of LBQ+ women and trans people in the UK feel ‘very safe’ in gyms and leisure centres. Over half (52%) feel ‘somewhat safe’ or ‘quite safe’ and 6% don’t feel safe at all.
● Only 13% of LBQ+ women and trans people in the UK feel ‘very safe’ using public transport. More than two thirds (69%) feel ‘somewhat safe’ or ‘quite safe’ and 6% don’t feel safe at all.
● Only 11% of LBQ+ women and trans people in the UK feel ‘very safe’ in bars and nightclubs. Two thirds (66%) only feel ‘somewhat safe’ or ‘very safe’ and 7% don’t feel safe at all.
● Only 10% of LBQ+ women and trans people in the UK feel ‘very safe’ 59^ on social media. 59% feel ‘somewhat safe’ or ‘quite safe’ and 10% don’t feel safe at all.
The data tells an uplifting story about communities that are confident in who they are. In 2024 the majority of LBQ+ women and trans people in the UK are out to all or most of their family, friends and even their work colleagues, though trans and non-binary people are slightly less likely to be out about their gender identity, and a significant minority are still not comfortable coming out to any family members at all (12%) or work colleagues (10%).
But confidence and visibility doesn’t create safety. LBQ+ women and trans people in the UK too often feel unsafe going about their day to day lives. This new data comes after a decade of rising hate crime targeting people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity: between 2013 and 2023 homophobic and biphobic hate crimes in England and Wales rose by 465% and transphobic hate crimes rose by a staggering 1,211% (Police Recorded Hate Crime, ONS). It also comes amid widespread concern about rising anti LGBTQ+ online hate.
These findings are reflected across the other countries studied: in the UK, USA, India and South Africa, while the majority of LBQ+ women and trans people reported feeling safe in day-to-day settings, a significant minority feel unsafe. Feelings of unsafety are particularly common amongst trans and non-binary respondents.
Nancy Kelley, Director Lesbian Visibility Week, said: “Lesbian Visibility Week is about celebrating and uplifting our community, so it’s wonderful to see so many LBQ+ women and trans people in the UK living our lives out and proud. But visibility should never come at the cost of safety. It is unacceptable that in 2024 so many LBQ+ women and trans people in the UK feel still unsafe, and its unacceptable that they have a good reason for feeling the way they do. From our neighbourhoods and our high streets to our online world, something must change.”
Eyes on allies
The findings come from The DIVA Survey: Catalysing Change. Conducted by Kantar for Lesbian Visibility Week, the survey collected data from 2101 respondents across the UK, USA, India and South Africa.
This survey gives deep insights into the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ people and allies across the globe. It finds that, across the four countries, the vast majority of respondents are open about their sexual orientation (89%) and gender identity (80%) with their close friends.
Positively, many respondents in the LGBTQIA+ community reported feeling relatively safe in their workplace (84%), on social media (74%) and when seeking medical support (89%), with public transport and pubs/bars identified as the places they feel least safe.
This year the study also delved into the experience of allies for the first time. Interestingly, the experiences of allies often mirror those of LGBTQ+ people themselves, with 67% of allies reporting that they feel safe in bars/clubs (compared with 72% of LGBTQ+ respondents) and 23% of allies reporting that they don’t feel safe on social media (compared with 20%).
Caroline Frankum, CEO, Profiles Division, Kantar, added: “In the spirit of inclusion and always getting better, we have expanded our survey in two significant ways this year – firstly, by introducing the voice and experiences of allies; and secondly, by expanding into India and South Africa. This presents a more well-rounded and diverse set of global experiences. Business has a huge role to play here as influencers and contributors to our wider culture, and these insights are a valuable resource for those brave brands who want to take a stand and catalyse change.”