Straight people 'care more about animal rights than gay equality'
A survey by Pride London has revealed huge divides between LGBT+ and straight people when it comes to equality and tolerance.
Friday 22 June 2018 09:16, UK
Straight people care more about animal rights than equality between people of different races, genders or sexualities, a new survey has claimed.聽
A poll issued by the organisers of London Pride revealed a huge gap between the priorities of LGBT+ people and those of their heterosexual counterparts.
Of those straight people who are not trans who were surveyed, only 3% said they were concerned about tolerance for individuals with different gender identities or sexualities, 2% were worried about gender inequality, and 6% were worried about racism.
Less than half - 49% - completely agreed that people in the LGBT+ community had the right to live their life as who they are without fear of judgement or prejudice.
Conversely, 44% of LGBT+ people said they were worried about tolerance for people of different sexualities and gender identities, and 22% said they were worried about gender equality.
London Pride questioned straight people who are defined as cisgender - meaning they identify with the gender they were assigned at birth - and LGBT+ people.
Chairwoman of Pride in London, Alison Camps, said: "Our research shows that, although many in this country may think LGBT+ people have achieved equality, the reality is that we are by no means 'equal'.
"Together with our straight allies, we see it as our collective responsibility to challenge harmful attitudes across society and highlight the reality that LGBT+ people face in all aspects of their lives."
While straight cisgender people were unconcerned about gay rights, the survey showed that LGBTQ+ people are still vulnerable to abuse and discrimination.
The report found that one in three LGBT+ people surveyed had been verbally abused because of their identity within the last year, and 44% felt threatened by others.
Among LGBT+ people, 5% said animal rights were a concern while 7% of straight cisgender people said they were worried about it.
The survey asked respondents to pick the three issues they were most concerned about, from a selection of 15 topics including crime, education, animal rights and terrorism. Around 2,000 people from each group were quizzed about their priorities.
LGBT+ people and straight cisgender people did converge on some issues, however.
Similar numbers from both groups said they cared about the NHS, the environment and Britain leaving the EU.
A significantly higher percentage of straight cisgender people also said they were worried about crime and terrorism compared to those in the gay community.