Two-thirds of LGBT people 'fear holding hands in public', survey reveals

No one should be fearful of publicly expressing affection to those they love, regardless of sexuality.

But that seems to be the sad case for many in the UK.

A new survey has shown that more than two-thirds for LGBT people avoid holding hands in public in the country for fear of getting a negative reaction, the BBC reports.

The survey also found that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people were more likely to be “less satisfied” with life than the rest of the population.

Over 100,000 people took part in the survey carried out between July and October last year.

Participants identifying as gay or lesbian accounted for 61% of those questioned, whereas just over a quarter identified as bisexual and just 4% pansexual and 2% asexual.

People who identified as transgender made up for 13% of those taking part.

A quarter of respondents said they had kept factors of their LGBT identity secret from family members.

A shocking 56% of trans men surveyed said they avoided expressing their identity for fear of negative reaction, while even more trans women felt the same (59%) and more for non-binary respondents (76%).

In response to the survey, the government has produced a ’75-point plan to improve the lives of LGBT people’, the BBC report.

Stonewall, a charity that campaigns for the equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people across Britain, say that there are still “pockets of society” where the LGBT community was “far from safe”.

In response to the news, Prime Minister Theresa May said nobody “should ever to have to hide who they are or who they love”.

May said the results “shone a light” on the “many areas where we can improve the lives of LGBT people”.

Equalities minister Penny Mordaunt told BBC Breakfast: “There’s still much more that we need to do to enable people to thrive, to access healthcare services and to ensure that they can go about their daily business without fear or feeling intimidated.”

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