Sexual harassment faced by LGBTQ young people in the workplace is widespread and targeted. This is the key finding of #SpeakingOut@Work: Sexual Harassment of LGBTQ Young People in the Workplace and Workplace Training , new research released today by Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS), from researchers at Western Sydney University, the University of Sydney and the University of Technology Sydney.
The national study undertaken with over 1000 young people aged 14 to 30 years shows that 77 per cent of LGBTQ young people have faced workplace sexual harassment, including inappropriate comments, intrusive questions, and jokes about their identities. These incidents are often linked to their gender, age, and sexual orientation, with perpetrators exploiting harmful stereotypes and displaying anti-LGBTQ prejudice. This harassment is part of a broader pattern of violence fuelled by homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia.
Other key findings from the report include:
- 30 per cent of respondents reported perpetrators threatened them with sexual violence as a means of "fixing" their gender or sexual orientation, a common experience for young women and those presumed female at birth.
- Most perpetrators were men who were older than the people they harassed and typically acted alone.
- 46 per cent of perpetrators were co-workers, while 31 per cent were clients or customers of the workplace.
Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine, ANROWS CEO, said: "This is a wake-up call to overhaul workplace culture and policies immediately. Every inappropriate joke, every intrusive question, every exploitative act pushes LGBTQ young people further from feeling and being safe at work. This must stop. A workplace free from sexual harassment is a responsibility we owe every LGBTQ young person."
Distinguished Professor Kerry Robinson, lead researcher from the School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, said: "Sexual harassment isn't an isolated incident for LGBTQ young people—it's part of a larger pattern of harm rooted in homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. This research shows how deeply workplace harassment impacts LGBTQ young people—it's not just about inappropriate behaviour, it's about a culture that devalues their identity."
"The majority of respondents chose not to formally report incidents, citing distrust in workplace systems, and instead often left their jobs to escape harassment."
Dr Cristyn Davies, a researcher on the study from the Speciality of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney, said: "Workplace sexual harassment has profound consequences on LGBTQ young people's mental health, job security, and overall wellbeing. Young LGBTQ people with more than one marginalised identity were at greater risk of workplace sexual harassment. On this International Day of People with Disability, it's important to acknowledge that 83% of LGBTQ young people with a disability reported experiencing workplace sexual harassment, which was significantly more than those without a disability."
The research revealed that LGBTQ young people often reported receiving minimal or no training on workplace sexual harassment. Overwhelmingly, those who had received workplace sexual harassment training said it was an unhelpful, tick-the-box exercise.
The report urges workplaces to implement comprehensive, inclusive training and create policies that foster respectful and safe environments.
