UK Parliament

The UK government has announced a £2.6 million plan to help improve the lives of LGBTQ people.

Penny Mordaunt, Minister for Women and Equalities, revealed the extension yesterday (4 November).

She announced that £1 million will be used to help combat bullying of LGBTQ pupils in schools.

Teachers will be provided training on how to spot early signs of bullying and the appropriate measures to prevent it, and resources on how to deliver lessons on LGBTQ issues.

A further £1 million will be given to organisations to improve the health and social care of LGBTQ patients.

This comes after a survey that found that 16% of respondents who used healthcare services in the last year had a negative experience because of their sexual orientation.

Mordaunt also announced that £600,000 will be available for local community groups to help them engage with LGBTQ people, through an LGBTQ Sector and Community Development Scheme.

“Everyone in this country should feel safe and happy to be who they are, to love who they love, and to live their lives without judgement or fear,” she explained.

“That’s why this government is stepping up its work to tackle bullying in schools, to protect more children and to stop hatred from festering and growing into discrimination in adulthood.

“The aim of our Action Plan is that everyone can live safe, happy and healthy lives where they can be themselves without fear of discrimination.”

The extension follows the LGBTQ Action Plan that was announced earlier this year, in which the government revealed that gay conversion ‘therapy’ would finally be banned in the UK.

The plan has been produced in response to a national survey of 108,000 members of the LGBTQ community, which discovered that LGBTQ people are experiencing a high amount of discrimination on a daily basis.

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