Inequality among lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender groups in the UK: a review of evidence

This evidence review was commissioned by the Government Equalities Office (GEO) to identify the nature of inequality and relative disadvantage experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB&T) people in the UK. Its purpose was to support the development and targeting of policies intended to remove barriers to LGB&T equality. It builds upon three previous reviews1 to critically assess the nature, robustness and strength of evidence in order to highlight differences among and between LGB&T groups, as well as other relevant comparators.

The review takes a systematic approach, scoping and critically reviewing published and unpublished literature from 2008 onwards. It covers empirical research for the UK and its constituent parts, and focuses on nine policy areas. These are:

•      education;
•  safety, including hate crime and domestic violence;
•  health and access to healthcare;
•  access to and experience of services;
•  employment;
•  LGB&T families, adoption and fostering;
•  homelessness and access to housing provision;
•  participation in civic society; and
•  16-19 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEETs).

It also reviews evidence in regard to particular LGB&T groups, including older and younger LGB&T people, and gay and lesbian asylum seekers.

All relevant representative, quantitative evidence identified is included in the review. Ideally the review would have included only representative evidence with adequate sample sizes to make comparisons between and within LGB&T and non-LGB&T groups. However, a lack of such evidence in many policy areas made it necessary to include some research with small sample sizes and no comparisons. The limitations of such evidence are made clear throughout the report.