Homophobia and racial harassment are the two main topics of investigation for Community Values 2010, as they begin their study on workplace discrimination.

This research study is thought to be the largest and most widespread Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) research study of its kind, offering an uniwue insight into the lives of LGBT from different corners of the world.

Out Now the specialist gay marketing consultantcy are the very people behind this mammoth project which is currently live in 23 countries and 10 languages, covering more than 1.3 billion of the world’s population, already more than 25,000 respondents have already taken part.

The findings will be revealed in January 2011.

Ian Johnson, founder and CEO of Out Now, said: “Preliminary results show the importance that the LGBT community places upon workplace equality. But the value of existing diversity and inequality policies is being called into question and the picture that is emerging is by no means a comfortable one.

“Companies that demonstrate support for their LGBT employees can influence positively the spending habits of the LBGT community. This research will allow organisations to map their diversity journeys in a more engaging and effective way, using the voices of employees themselves to identity what is not working and where they need to implement change.”

Various channels have been used to reach a broad cross-section of the LGBT communities to obtain a robust and statistically viable sample. Regional and national magazines and websites, sports, social and community groups and organizations and social networking platforms have all distributed the study. The details have also been circulated to a number of HR and diversity professionals and groups.
Areas being studied over and above workplace discrimination and equality include lifestyle, travel, consumer, relationships and demographic data.