Lesbian, gay and bisexual equality

Sections:

Policy Statement

Bristol City Council's Equalities Policy states:

We will:

Take positive action to reassure lesbian, gay and bisexual people who use our services that they do not have to deny their relationships or sexuality to receive equal access to a service;

Work with the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Forum, school governors and relevant pressure groups to tackle the serious problem of homophobic bullying in schools, identify examples of good practice from other local authorities (we recognise that homophobia and ignorance in schools is a real issue for pupils, parents, governors and teachers); and

Work with our partners to develop specific services where needed. Lesbian, gay and bisexual young people and adults who use our services may have specific service needs and access issues. For example, people who live in a young person's hostel or an older people's residential home may not feel able to be open about their sexuality and so will have a bad experience of the service.

In employment, we will:

Help lesbian, gay and bisexual employees at all levels in the workforce feel as safe in the open about their sexual identity. Lesbian, gay or bisexual staff will not have to deny their relationships. The right to be open or 'to come out' about their sexuality will be respected in the workplace. Or, this information can be kept private if staff prefer to do so.

A survey carried out by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) suggests that as many as 44% of lesbians and gay men have experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace and that a large proportion of this is harassment. ("Towards equality and diversity": Government Cabinet Office, December 2001).

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Reporting Harassment

We have made a council-wide commitment to respond to all types of harassment in the workplace and the community and have developed a way of reporting any incident of harassment, including homophobic harassment. Report an incident on the council web site.

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Employment (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003

The council is committed to implementing the regulations and we have produced guidelines for managers and employees on the implementation of the regulations and what this means in principle and practice. If you would like to know more read:

Bristol City Council Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Guidelines - (24kb, pdf)

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Goods and Services - Sexual Orientation Regulations 2007

The Equality Act 2006 introduced protection from discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the grounds of sexual orientation. The new regulations came into force on 30 April 2007.

The legislation outlaws discrimination in a range of important areas, from hospitals to schools in the public sector and B&Bs to banking in the private sector.

All organisations in the public sector are covered by the legislation. Service providers such as hospitals, GPs. local authorities and other public sector organisations and schools are obliged to treat everyone equally.

It is the same for the private sector. It's now illegal for businesses including banks, estate agents, hotels and bars to turn away lesbian, gay and bisexual customers or discriminate against them when providing goods or services.

An overview of what is covered by the new rules and what to do if you are discriminated against

A legal briefing on the new legislation

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Out in the workplace

National research carried out by Stonewall has shown that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people perform better at work when they can be themselves. The research found that LGB people almost universally reported a link between a positive workplace culture and their own productivity and performance.

This has also been identified as a priority for the council and is an indicator in the Single Equalities Scheme that was adopted at full council in March 2010.

If you would like to display some advice on your notice board please download the short version of Out in the workplace
If you would like to find out more detail please download the full version of Out in the workplace

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Rainbow Group

The Rainbow Group is the self-organised group for lesbian, gay and bisexual employees of the council. The aims of the group are to raise awareness, to act against discrimination in the workplace, to provide support to its members in the workplace, to advise on service provision and the development of employment policies and practice and to work towards diversity and equality for all its members.

If you would like to know more about the group or wish to become a member, you can either contact the Equalities and Social Inclusion Team (see below) or, if you are an employee, visit the group's site on the council's intranet.

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Lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Bristol - listings

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Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Forum

The Council financially supports Bristol's Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Forum. The Forum works independently of the council and campaigns around and promotes lesbian, gay and bisexual equality. To find out more go to Bristol's Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Forum web site

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