About the project
The aim of this project is to provide a listening space for LGBT+ voices covering a wide range of areas within higher education institutions in the UK to address concerns about marginalised or excluded LGBT+ people, perspectives, teaching and research in higher education institutions. UCU research and policy demonstrates considerable reason for concern about the position LGBT+ workers find themselves in within higher education institutions. Pride and Prejudice in Education (2016) reported that whilst many organisations had policies that included LGBT+ inclusivity these were not implemented effectively.
The project is developing country wide knowledge about these concerns and will create understanding about LGBT+ experience of working lives in higher education institutions in the UK, and in the long-term work towards having improving working conditions. The project also includes a focus on the impact of Covid-19 on LGBT working lives. Covid-19 has made significant impact on all our lives, and we have started to see how the impact of Covid-19 is disproportionately experienced by people with protected characteristics (as defined in the Equality Act 2010), this includes gender reassignment and sexual orientation.
On this background we are exploring LGBT+ experiences of structures, functions and lived realities of working life in higher education institutions. We are doing so in two ways, through qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and invite members of the LGBT+ community working in higher education to take part in our research and in discussions on how to improve our working conditions.
The project is run by a group of people who work within the sector united in a shared interest to research the experience of LGBT+ people in higher education institutions, and we are looking forward to work with our fellow LGBT+ colleagues in creating a lasting change in our working conditions.
