See also:
> Racism - some facts and figures

Discrimination faced by lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people, some facts and figures:

• Up to 1967 homosexuality was illegal. However it was not until April 2000 that the age of consent was reduced to 16, equal to that of heterosexuals.
  
  
• There is no age of consent for lesbians.
  
  
• A study by Stonewall in 1996 found that 34% of gay men and 24% of lesbians had experienced homophobic violence. Of these 32% had been harassed and 73% had suffered verbal abuse.
  
  
• The National Gay Men's Sex Survey of 1997 found that 37% of gay men had experienced hate crime in the previous five years, 9% of those four times or more. 85% of victims did not report such incidents to the police and of those who did 33% described their treatment as unacceptable.
  
  
• Bradford Council and West Yorkshire Police now consider homophobia to be a hate crime and will prosecute all such incidents.
  
  
• Rivers, in 1995 and 1996, found that young lesbian, gay and bisexual people often received nasty looks and stares, had their property stolen or vandalised and were often ostracised by their peers. These forms of bullying can be just as destructive as the threat of violence by damaging self esteem and causing insecurity. Bullying of this type took place in the classroom, playground, sports field, changing rooms and to and from school. One third of the victims told their teachers or parents, but in only 6% of cases did this form of bullying stop.
  
  
• In 1997 the Institute of Education found that 61% of schools surveyed were aware of gay or lesbian pupils in their school; 42% of teachers had been asked for advice on these issues and 57% of schools reported that they did not have any information about sources of support. 51% of schools reported at least one incident of homophobic bullying and yet only 6% if them specifically mentioned homophobic bullying.
  
  
• The Bradford Inclusive Schools Project is attempting to tackle these issues.
  
  
• Section 28 was repealed in September 2003.
  
  
• Social and Community Planning Research (1995) found that 21% of victims had been harassed at work; 4% had lost their jobs because of their sexual identity; 8%had been refused promotion and 64% concealed their identity from those they worked with.
  
  
• The new EU Directive, adopted in December 2003, outlaws discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the workplace.
  
  
• There are no partnership rights for gay and lesbian couples
  
  
• There are no automatic pension rights for gay and lesbian widows and widowers.
  
  
• There is inequality in terms of capital gains and inheritance tax.
  
  
• There can be inequality in terms of fringe benefits, ie. partners having access to employers' health and life insurance schools, access to services, etc.
  
  
• Inheritance and next of kin arrangements can be legally challenged by blood relatives.
  
  
• Gay and lesbian couples cannot adopt jointly, ie. in both names.
  
  
• In terms of Local Authority housing, there are no legal rights of succession or joint tenancies, although a House of Lords' ruling has set precedence.
  
  
• The Government has published an LGB Civil Partnership Bill.