- Target:
- LGBT community, Union Groups, Employee Rights
- Region:
- United Kingdom
- Website:
- www.stonewall.org.uk
In recent years the Labour government has enforced numerous acts of legislation to challenge discrimination within the workplace based upon race, age, gender, sexual affiliation etc.
This is to be credited and advances in regards to challenging homophobia have being made and continue to do so.
However over many years I have come to recognize that imposed laws tackling homophobia have simply not being sufficient in challenging attitudes ingrained within the workplace resulting in homophobia remaining rife, often under the surface.
I believe that better investment; whether that be financial incentives for company training or building up gradual awareness is far more likely to be successful as opposed to enforced legislation, which results in individuals, particularly in managerial positions taking an hostile attitude towards the LGBT community.
While I am in full awareness that training detracts from employee time, In my view it is essential to highlight a few facts as found on the Stonewall website:
*Gay people contributed £70 million pounds to the UK economy.
*Dedicated over 3, 100, 000, 00 hours to the workplace
*Gay staff ‘out’ at work are 20% to 30% more productive.
Given such a large role that the LGBT have in making our economy I believe it is time to invest a little back.
In recent years the Labour government has enforced numerous acts of legislation to challenge discrimination within the workplace based upon race, age, gender, sexual affiliation etc.
While this is to be credited, a report by The Independent, published May 2007 found that almost one in every six adult Britons have witnessed workplace homophobia. This is a shocking number in relation to the sheer amount of legislation enforced over recent years.
We, call on individuals, regardless of sexual affiliation, to press the government to not only respond to workplace homophobia through legislation, but challenge it though funding training programs, which challenge the underlying issues, as opposed to enforced laws which only cease create a sense of alienation between the LGBT community and those who enforce the legislation and do not address key issues.
It is interesting to note that gay individuals contributed £70 million to the UK economy last year; don't you think it’s time for the government to give a little back, and invest in challenging attitudes to benefit the future?
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The Challenge attitudes not bureaucracy protecting the rights of LGBT employees petition to LGBT community, Union Groups, Employee Rights was written by Anonymous and is in the category Employment at GoPetition.