Now in its fourth year, the annual report probes attitudes towards LGBT people. It was compiled in conjunction with the Harris Poll.
Approximately 2,000 non-LGBT respondents are asked questions about how comfortable or uncomfortable they feel in relation to LGBTQ people.
For example: How comfortable would they feel to discover their doctor is LGBTQ? Or seeing a same-sex couple holding hands?
In 2014, 2015 and 2016, respondents showed a gradual but definite move in the direction of acceptance. However, in 2017, that trend went in the opposite direction.
For example, when asked how comfortable they would feel if their child was place in a class with an LGBT teacher in 2014, 30% said ‘very comfortable’ or ‘somewhat uncomfortable’. This dropped to 29% in 2015 and 28% in 2016, before rising to 31% in 2017.
Respondents, based on their answers, were designated as ‘allies’, ‘detached supporters’ or ‘resisters’, based on how comfortable or uncomfortable they felt around LGBT people. Again, the 2017 report found a shift from allies to detached supporters.
Speculating on the reasons for this reversal, GLAAD points the finger at the change in government: ‘2017 brought heightened rhetoric toward marginalized communities to the forefront of American culture.
‘Policies and headlines ran that were anti-LGBTQ including the President’s proposed ban on transgender people entering the US military, confirmation of a Supreme Court justice opposed to marriage equality, and the passage of a state law in Mississippi which allows businesses to legally deny service to LGBTQ families.’
It also noted a reduction in LGBT visibility in the news and media.
The report was unveiled to coincide with the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. At the same time, GLAAD announced it was to benefit from a $15 million lead gift from the Ariadne Getty Foundation to help fund its work.
‘In the past year, there has been a swift and alarming erosion of acceptance which can only be fought by being visible and vocal,’ said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.
‘This report puts numbers to the bias that too many LGBTQ Americans have recently experienced. GLAAD is fighting the rollback by enlisting philanthropic leaders like the Ariadne Getty Foundation and global change makers attending the World Economic Forum to use their platforms and move our community forward.’
Earlier this week the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) released a report that showed a shocking increase in violence against LGBT people in the US. It reported 52 LGBT-related homicides – an 86% increase on 2016.
Transgender women, cisgender men, and people of color faced the most violence. A majority of the victims (67%) were under the age of 35.
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