Shock suicide figures show transgender Scots’ struggle
MORE than half of transgender people in Scotland have thought about taking their own life, says new research.
Equality charity Stonewall Scotland also found 49 per cent of LGBT people have experienced depression – including more than seven in 10 trans people (72 per cent).
More than half of trans people (52 per cent) said they had thought of taking their own life in the last year, while two in five (37 per cent) have avoided seeking healthcare for fear of discrimination.
The research, based on YouGov polling of more than 1,250 LGBT people in Scotland, found nearly a quarter (24 per cent) have witnessed discrimination or negative remarks against LGBT people by healthcare staff, while one in six (16 per cent) have deliberately harmed themselves in the last year.
Three in five (60 per cent) LGBT people reported experiencing anxiety in the last year, including nearly four in five (77 per cent) trans people.
Colin Macfarlane, director of the charity, said: “Last year, our research found an 89 per cent increase over a five-year period in the proportion of LGBT people who had experienced a hate crime.
“Sadly, this report highlights the impact that hostility and abuse have on mental health and wellbeing, with many lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in Scotland experiencing poor mental health this year.
“It’s vital that LGBT people feel able to access quality healthcare when they need it, but this report shows they can expect to face unequal treatment and discrimination when accessing healthcare services.
“Many LGBT people – particularly those who are trans – continue to be ‘outed’ without their consent, treated with inappropriate curiosity and subjected to unequal treatment by healthcare staff.”
Stonewall Scotland is now calling for all healthcare staff to receive training on those needs, as well as a zero-tolerance approach to homophobic, biphobic and transphobic discrimination.