At the end of 2016 – a year filled with so much anti-LGBTIQ prejudice, both here and overseas, I dubbed it ‘Annus Homophobicus’ – I decided to conduct a survey to record people’s experiences of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and intersexphobia.

 

This included asking questions about verbal and physical abuse, discriminatory comments, and discrimination in education, employment, health, community services and aged care.

 

The survey also asked for a range of demographic information, including sexual orientation/gender identity/intersex status, age, state or territory of residence and whether respondents were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

 

This allowed analysis to determine whether some groups within the LGBTIQ community were disproportionately affected by homophobia, biphobia, transphobia or intersexphobia.

 

Perhaps most importantly, the survey allowed LGBTIQ people to provide written examples of the prejudice they had experienced – these answers were definitely the most powerful (and often the most heartbreaking) to read.

 

From March to June I then published the results of the survey in a series of six posts, focusing on different themes. I strongly encourage you to read through each, including the personal stories which people have shared.

 

This is the Australia that LGBTIQ people live in – in 2017, we remain a long, long way from ending homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and intersexphobia in our community.

 

You can read the full results here:

• Part 1: Verbal Harassment & Abuse
• Part 2: Physical Abuse or Violence
• Part 3: Where Discriminatory Comments Occur & Their Impact
• Part 4: Discrimination in Education
• Part 5: Discrimination in Employment
• Part 6: Discrimination in Health, Community Services or Aged Care

 

 

Notes on Methodology

 

The survey was designed using the online platform Typeform and distributed electronically, via my personal blog, Facebook page (‘No Homophobia, No Exceptions’) and twitter accounts.

 

It was also promoted via several boosted Facebook posts, in order to ensure there was coverage across all states and territories, as well as to increase responses from lesbian, trans and intersex people, and to seek engagement from people aged 45 and over.

 

In all, the survey received just over 2000 completed responses. However, not all responses were analysed, with the following responses excluded:

 

• 19 people from outside Australia
• 287 people who answered None of the Above (rather than LGBTI or Q)
• 41 responses from an attempted ‘hack’ (a series of responses, completed in quick succession, providing exactly the same demographic answers including being all of LGBTI and Q, and then indicating no experience of discrimination whatsoever across any category) and
• 2 responses from people whose entire answers consisted solely of anti-muslim bigotry.

 

Ultimately, there were 1,672 valid responses to the survey, with at least 300 from lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer Australians, at least 250 from each of 24 and under, 25 to 44 and 45 to 64, and at least 100 from each state.

 

There were also 62 survey respondents who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, a sample that, while not large, was sufficient to establish greater rates of discrimination across nearly all of the areas considered.