LGBT Matters in Waltham Forest

On Monday evening, I attended the LGBT Matters event, which took place at Waltham Forest Town Hall Complex, Forest Road, Walthamstow, as part of the council's LGBT History Month.

I'm not a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) community myself, but I've always been a supporter of gay rights, and I believe that it is important for the wider community of Waltham Forest (where I live) to show their support for the rights of gay, bisexual and transsexual people in the London Borough.

At the event,a report (PDF) was presented on the views of LGBT people in Waltham Forest, commissioned by Waltham Forest Council and researched by Sigma Research.

Report into LGBT experiences in Waltham Forest:

Peter Weatherburn, Director of Sigma Research, highlighted some of the most striking findings.

While over three quarters of the 270 LGBT respondents felt safe outside in Waltham Forest during the day, just over a third felt safe after dark.

Over half of those who completed the survey felt that homophobic and transphobic harassment was a big problem in the borough, with many trying to appear "straighter" as a result.

One in three also avoided certain areas in the borough as they were worried about being attacked.

LGBT Hate Crime in the Borough:

One in ten respondents had been physically attacked, and just over a third had been verbally abused because of being part of the LGBT community.

Of these, less than half of those physically attacked and less than one tenth of those who were verbally abused informed the police. Many believed that while the police would act professionally, they would either not take the abuse seriously or be able to do much about it.

Only one-third were aware of the existence of an LGBT liaison officer, and few were aware of alternate hate crime reporting services.

Other discrimination:

While most respondents did not experience abuse or assault when using leisure or health facilities, many had when shopping, using public transport or going to a bar or restaurant.

Response from the Council:

After the report was presented, Head of Diversity at Waltham Forest Council Jane Brown told those present that the research would inform the council's Diversity Plan, as well as allow a joint working group to be set up within the next twelve months.

Andrew Kilburn, the Chief Executive of Waltham Forest Council, also spoke briefly at the end of the evening, emphasising how the Council's commissioning of the survey showed how committed they were to listening to the experiences of LGBT people. He also acknowledged areas that the Council needed to work on.

Councillor Marie Pye, communities cabinet member and chair of the meeting,told the Waltham Forest Guardian after the meeting: "We work hard in our schools and in the wider community to educate young people about celebrating differences.But perhaps we are not working hard enough to contact those who actually experience harassment".

Comments from the floor:

While I am not going to report on comments from fellow attendees in detail, one comment was that minorities were only being asked about one aspect of their life. For example, elderly LGBT people might only be asked about being LGBT, or black LGBT people might only be asked about being black.

Another point made was that more needed to be done to help LGBT people feel confident with the care system, for example being able to come out to their carer.

There was also concern that the report did not focus enough on LGBT people in the borough's schools and colleges.

Summary:

The meeting was attended by around forty people, including a hate crime liason officer, representatives from Sigma Research and several Waltham Forest councillors.

Also present was Angela Mason, Commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who gave a short speech on gay rights throughout the last fifty years, including the Stonewall Riots and the work of the East London Out Project, who are also based in Walthamstow.

Personally, I am pleased that LGBT people were able to give feedback to the Council, both through the survey and through last night's meeting. It is worrying that so many feel the need to "act straight" to avoid prejudice, and that some feel other communities are homphobic towards them.

It was also disappointing that more non-LGBT members of the community did not attend to take an interest and show solidarity.

This information is a valuable starting point. Now the Council needs to work with LGBT people to work towards eradicating homophobia in Waltham Forest.

Waltham Forest LGBT matters: the needs and experiences of lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans men and women in Waltham Forest (PDF).

In related news, it is worth praising the Council for their support of Leytonstone School's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet called Romeo and Julian.

I think Professor Stanley Wells' comments in the Daily Mail story are an excellent rebuttal of Philip Davies MP, who criticised the play in the House of Commons.