A major new report published this week by LGBT Youth Scotland has found that the number of LGBTQ+ young people who find Scotland a good place to live has decreased over the past five years.
Over 1,000 young people responded to the Life in Scotland report, which the LGBTQ+ youth charity say is the biggest piece of research to date focusing on Scottish LGBTQ+ young people.
The report found that:
- 10% of participants, rated the experience of school for LGBTQ+ people as “good”
- 70% of gay/lesbian participants report experiencing bullying due to their sexual orientation at school
- There has been a big drop in the number of young people who think Scotland is a good place to be LGBTQ+ (81% to 65%)
- 28% rural-based participants rated their local area as a good place to be LGBTQ+ as compared to 62% of urban-based participants
- The vast majority of participants believe that homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia are a problem, both across Scotland as a whole, and in their local area.
- 17% of young people surveyed reported that they would feel confident reporting a hate crime to the police if they experienced one
Conversely, the report also found that:
- Participants are more likely to report leaving home in positive circumstances than they were in 2017
- More LGBTQ+ young people (82%) felt supported when coming out, compared to 2017 (75%)
Dr Mhairi Crawford, chief executive of LGBT Youth Scotland said: “Sadly, overall, things are getting worse for LGBT young people in Scotland across most areas.
“It is important that young people feel valued and listened to and are supported to be the best and honest self. Doing so allows them to thrive and survive. However, for too many LGBT young people they experience high levels of bullying, poorer mental health and other inequalities.
“This research shows that we call can take action in our everyday lives to listen to and empower young people. This is particularly true for decision-makers in Holyrood and local authorities across the country who can have a big impact on the lives of young people.”
To see the report in full, CLICK HERE
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