The news comes following a poll conducted by the teachers’ union, NASUWT, at its LGBTI Teachers’ Consultation Conference.
A new poll has found that nearly a third of LGBTQ teachers chose not to reveal their sexual identity in the workplace, raising questions over how well plans to tackle discrimination and advance equality are going.
The poll was conducted through the use of a real-time electronic poll, and found that 30% of respondents said they weren’t open about their identity. The true number is believed to be higher, as only those in attendance of the event were asked.
The poll also threw up some more distressing figures, with 38% of respondents saying they’d faced some form of discrimination or bullying in the past 12 months because of their sexual identity, and 58% saying that they had had colleagues make stereotypical assumptions of them because of their identity.
Related: One in 10 LGBT+ employees have experienced workplace bullying, says new study
49% of respondents said that they wouldn’t recommend teaching as a job to their friends and family, and 29% believed that the amount of homophobic bullying in their school had remained the same in recent years.
Chris Keates, the General Secretary of NASUWT said: “It is deeply worrying that some LGBTI teachers report experiencing and hearing more homophobic language within schools and that incidents of hate crime and hate speech have increased more generally.
“Being ‘out’ in the workplace is a matter of personal choice, but too many LGBTI teachers tell us they would like to be out but do not feel their school is a safe environment for them to do so.
“Schools which are not inclusive environments for LGBTI staff are unlikely to be supportive environments for LGBTI pupils either.
“It is important that schools take their responsibilities on promoting equality and respect seriously to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and safe.”
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