A report examined the range of housing needs and problems facing lesbian/gay/bisexual people living in Wales, and identified examples of good practice among housing service providers.
Source: The Housing Needs of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) People in Wales, Stonewall Cymru (029 2023 7744)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Oct
A new book analyzed the health and social care needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people.
Source: Julie Fish, Heterosexism in Health and Social Care, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Oct
A report examined the experience and support needs of people who suffered attacks because of their ethnic origin or sexual orientation. 'Hate crime' victims suffered major damage to the quality of their life, including the loss of their home or business due to arson or vandalism, and deterioration of emotional well-being.
Source: Crime and Prejudice: The support needs of victims of hate crime, Victim Support (020 7735 9166)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Aug
Researchers examined the legitimization of same-sex relationships. Gay and lesbian couples in the study were divided on whether it was preferable to have a special category of civil partnership, or to expand the existing legal form of marriage to include same-sex couples.
Source: Carol Smart, Jennifer Mason and Beccy Shipman, Gay and Lesbian Marriage : An exploration of the meanings and significance of legitimating same-sex relationships, Morgan Centre for the Study of Relationships and Personal Life/ University of Manchester (0161 275 0265)
Links: Report | Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Aug
A report examined the expectations and experiences of gay men and bisexual men who believed themselves to be HIV-negative. It looked at how their social and sexual relationships with men with diagnosed HIV influenced their perception of HIV risk, expectations of positive disclosure, and the sex they had.
Source: Peter Keogh, Laurie Henderson, Catherine Dodds and Gary Hammond, Morality, Responsibility and Risk: Gay men and proximity to HIV, Sigma Research (020 7737 6223)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jul
The Law Lords ruled that two young sisters taken away from their biological mother and placed in the care of her former lesbian partner should be given back, reversing a Court of Appeal ruling. The fact that the woman was the natural mother, while raising no presumption in her favour, was an "important and significant factor" in determining what would be best for the children.
Source: In re G (children) (FC), UKHL 43 (Session 2005-06), House of Lords Judicial Office (020 7219 3111)
Links: Text of judgement | Times report
Date: 2006-Jul
An article examined the value of the Civil Partnership Act in the light of family law policy and gay and lesbian politics. It considered the context of Northern Ireland, where the issue was complicated by prevailing moral conservatism.
Source: Lisa Glennon, 'Strategizing for the future through the Civil Partnership Act', Journal of Law and Society, Volume 33 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jun
The government began consultation on proposals to outlaw discrimination by pubs, hotels, and restaurants against gay, lesbian, and bisexual customers.
Source: Getting Equal: Proposals to outlaw sexual orientation discrimination in the provision of goods & services, Women and Equality Unit/Department of Trade and Industry (0845 001 0029)
Links: Consultation document | WEU press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A study examined the attitudes to policing of people within the gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities in Northern Ireland. 56 per cent of respondents who had reported a crime to the police were either satisfied or very satisfied with the service they received. But 32 per cent of respondents had experienced problems with the police in the previous year, and (of those) 25 per cent felt these had been due to their sexual orientation.
Source: Katy Radford, Jennifer Betts and Malcolm Ostermeyer, Policing, Accountability and the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community in Northern Ireland, Institute for Conflict Research (028 9074 2682)
Links: Report | Police Ombudsman press release
Date: 2006-Feb
An article highlighted the absence of systems to evaluate initiatives by local authorities on the issue of 'sexualities equalities' (those affecting, for example, gays, lesbians and transsexuals).
Source: Surya Monro, 'Evaluating local government equalities work: The case of sexualities initiatives in the UK', Local Government Studies, Volume 32 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Feb
A report examined policy and practice relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people at local authority level in Scotland.
Source: Andrew Fyfe, Russell Fleming and Steven Reid, Sexual Orientation Research Phase 3 A Stocktake of Local Authority Policy and Practice, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Date: 2006-Feb
A study found that out of 168 hours of prime-time BBC One and BBC Two programming, lesbian and gay lives were realistically portrayed for just 6 minutes (0.06 per cent). A further 32 minutes of programming featured derogatory or offensive references to gay people.
Source: Katherine Cowan and Gill Valentine, Tuned Out: The BBC s portrayal of lesbian and gay people, Stonewall (020 7881 9440)
Links: Report | Stonewall press release
Date: 2006-Feb
An article said that entering into a civil partnership could improve the health and well-being of gay men and lesbians, including a reduced risk of depression and a longer lifespan.
Source: Michael King and Annie Bartlett, 'What same sex civil partnerships may mean for health', Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Volume 60 Number 3
Links: Abstract | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Feb
An article examined the reported experiences of lesbians, concentrating on those who provided care for others, and reviewed the way in which legal and social changes looked set to impact on them. The government was becoming more pro-active in its response to lesbian lifestyles, particularly in respect of those who had, or intend to have children: but the overall approach, though based upon sound principles of civil rights, was piecemeal, and lesbians faced continued discrimination and inequality.
Source: Jill Manthorpe and Elizabeth Price, 'Lesbian carers: personal issues and policy responses', Social Policy and Society, Volume 5 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
A new book examined 'non-hetero' sexualities in relation to contemporary Christianity.
Source: Stephen Hunt (ed.), Contemporary Christianity and LGBT Sexualities, Ashgate Publications (01235 827730)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Jan
The equality and human rights watchdog set out what needed to be done to tackle the damaging discrimination and disadvantage that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people faced; and identified where organizations would need to focus in order to address the changes required. It published a series of linked research reports.
Source: Beyond Tolerance: Making sexual orientation a public matter, Equality and Human Rights Commission (020 3117 0235) | Gavin Ellison and Briony Gunstone, Sexual Orientation Explored: A study of identity, attraction, behaviour and attitudes in 2009, Research Report 35, Equality and Human Rights Commission (web publication only) | Martin Mitchell, Charlie Howarth, Mehul Kotecha and Chris Creegan, Sexual Orientation Research Review 2008, Research Report 34, Equality and Human Rights Commission | Peter Aspinall, Estimating the Size and Composition of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Population in Britain, Research Report 37, Equality and Human Rights Commission | Sam Dick, Homophobic Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents, Research Summary 38, Equality and Human Rights Commission | Gill Valentine and Nichola Wood, The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Staff and Students in Higher Education, Research Summary 39, Equality and Human Rights Commission | Sue Botcherby and Chris Creegan, Moving Forward: Putting sexual orientation in the public domain, Research Summary 40, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | Research report 35 | Research report 34 | Research report 37 | Research summary 38 | Research summary 39 | Research summary 40
Date: 2006-Jan
The government began consultation on an action plan to tackle stigma and discrimination associated with HIV infection.
Source: Department of Health Action Plan: HIV Related Stigma and Discrimination, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2006-Jan
The new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government published a cross-government programme to tackle prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. It included: a commitment to remove historical convictions for consensual gay sex from criminal records; new work to end homophobic bullying in schools; and work to allow same-sex couples to register their relationships in a religious setting.
Source: Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality, Government Equalities Office
Links: Workplan | GEO press release | Stonewall press release | TUC press release | PinkNews report
Date: 2006-Jan
An article reported on the findings of a qualitative study that used in-depth interviews with members of same-sex couples to explore the personal impacts of the Civil Partnership Act. The Act had had significant positive impacts in terms of improving the lives of, and reducing perceived discrimination against, same-sex couples. But there had also been range of effects that for some couples were not desired.
Source: Sarah Dickens, Martin Mitchell and William O'Connor, 'The impact of the Civil Partnership Act on the lives of same-sex couples', Benefits: Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Volume 17 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
An article reported a systematic review of qualitative literature on lesbian/gay/bisexual patients' experiences of healthcare provision. There was evidence that these patients had poorer experiences of healthcare compared with the general population, but the causes were not entirely clear.
Source: Mary Pennant, Sue Bayliss and Catherine Meads, 'Improving lesbian, gay and bisexual healthcare: a systematic review of qualitative literature from the UK', Diversity in Health and Care, Volume 6 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan