ONE in four LGBT Scots faced discrimination in 2023, a major new poll has found – with a charity calling the results “no surprise”.
The Scottish Government published its annual report highlighting key findings on discrimination and harassment from the 2023 Scottish Household Survey on Monday.
The report stated that almost one in four (23%) respondents who described their sexual orientation as gay, lesbian, or bisexual experienced discrimination in 2023, while roughly one in seven (14%) experienced harassment.
In comparison, respondents who identified as heterosexual or straight reported experiencing discrimination or harassment at far lower rates (7% and 4%).
The chief executive officer of the Equality Network, a charity that champions LGBT equality and human rights in Scotland, said the annual survey has seen a steady increase in discrimination and harassment based on people’s sexual orientation.
Dr Rebecca Don Kennedy said: “We know, sadly, that discrimination based on LGBT status and identity is still very much a part of life in Scotland for our community. It is no surprise that so many of us are still being subjected to this.
“23% of LGBT+ people asked experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation, and 14% experienced harassment for the same reason.
“For people facing discrimination or harassment based on their sexual orientation, statistics (from this repeated survey) have shown a steady increase over the past few years.”
Kennedy said the report indicated that more trans and nonbinary people are experiencing harassment and discrimination than in previous years by using data published between the Scottish Census and the Household Survey.
“We surmise that for trans people, experience of discrimination and harassment may be even greater, at up to half of all trans people in Scotland.
“Although there is no analysis of this within the report, from figures published in the recent Scottish Census, and using the numbers published here, we can surmise that half of all trans people declared in the census have experienced harassment and discrimination in Scotland,” she said.
“The percentage of people stating the reason they experienced harassment or discrimination was due to their trans status was roughly 0.2% within this survey.
“We know from the Scottish Census that 0.4% of the population are trans.
“More trans and nonbinary people are experiencing this now than in previous years.”
The 2023 Scottish Household Survey polled 9750 Scots across the country.
