英国：360万人(英国人口の6％)は同性愛者-公式発表

12/12 英国人の16人に1人が同性愛者？――数字の正確さをめぐり論議 - UK Today

同性愛者同士のカップルに対し、年金や税率、遺産相続など既婚男女と同等の法的権限を認める法律『シビル・パートナーシップ法』が、英国で今月から施行されたのに伴い、政府が国内の同性愛者人口を公式に初めて調査。これにより、英国国民の16人に１人が同性愛者であるとの報告がなされたが、その統計結果が論議を呼んでいるという。

同性愛者の権利団体「Stonewall」の代表、ベン・サマースキル氏は「英国内に相当数存在する同性愛者の実態を初めて政府が認識した瞬間」と肯定的にとらえるコメントを発表。しかし一方で、この統計値は他の統計結果よりも約６倍も多いことや、この数値が同性愛者の権利推進運動のために利用されるのではないか、といった懸念の声も上がっている。

2001年の国勢調査で約4万組の同性愛カップルが同居しているという統計が発表され、42万５千組の同性愛カップルが既婚男女と同等の権利を望んでいるとする政府の見解と、かなりの差があることが昨年明らかになったばかり。

「National Family Campaign」のヒュー・マッキニー氏は、今までの統計結果での英国総人口に占める同性愛者の割合は約１―２％であるとし、事実を誇張することは、少数派グループが政府の方針を、公正さを欠いたものに誘導する危険につながりかねないとしている。

また、シビル・パートナーシップ法を施行する貿易産業省では人口の５―７％が同性愛者と概算しているが、ゲイ、レズビアン、両性愛者などの内訳や詳細に至ってはほとんど明らかにされていないという問題点も指摘されている。



3.6m people in Britain are gay - official
First Whitehall figure settles long-running debate
Denis Campbell, social affairs correspondent
Sunday December 11, 2005
The Observer

Six per cent of the population, or about 3.6 million Britons, are either gay or lesbian, the government's first attempt to quantify the homosexual population has concluded.

Whitehall officials have answered the much-debated question 'how many of us are gay?' by declaring that the true number is one in 16.66. Previous answers have ranged from one in five to as few as one in a hundred, and many people have believed the figure to be one in ten.

Treasury actuaries came up with the estimate when analysing the financial implications of the new Civil Partnerships Act, which comes into force this month and allows same-sex partners to marry and gives them similar rights to married couples in areas such as tax, pensions and inheritance.

There are an estimated 1.5 million to two million gay men, lesbians and bisexuals in the 30 million-strong workforce, according to the Department of Trade and Industry. Given the UK population is just under 60 million, that means that the gay community has between three and four million members.

'This is a significant moment,' said Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, the gay equality campaign group. 'For the first time the government has robustly acknowledged the existence of a substantial number of gay people in modern Britain. This is welcome and long overdue.

'Historically people have got bogged down in endless rows about this with some of the more colourful gay activists insisting as many as 20 per cent of the population was gay, while people who were opposed to gay equality, such as Norman Tebbit, claimed it was one in 100. Six per cent feels like a sensible estimate.'

Publication of the figure comes as big name companies such as Barclays bank, Hilton hotels and cosmetics giant L'Oreal join the growing rush to cash in on a gay economy which is worth tens of billions of pounds. Barclays has just received research which showed that gays and lesbians enjoy a combined annual income of £60 billion.

It has recently funded 300,000 copies of a guide to civil partnerships for same-sex couples, and in February is holding workshops at branches in Brighton, Manchester, Birmingham, London and Blackpool, where staff will guide gays and lesbians through the financial consequences of marrying - and try to attract new gay customers in the process.

Barclays spokesman Michael O'Toole admitted the bank is very keen to woo Britain's gays and lesbians by portraying itself as sympathetic to gays' desire for equality. 'We want to position ourselves as the bank of choice for Britain's gay and lesbian community,' he said.

'There's more of a push going on now to enter this market of about 2.5 million adults. It's a good time to do that because civil partnerships remove a great injustice.' Staff have been advised to make gays feel as comfortable as possible 'about their personal circumstances' if, for example, they want to discuss getting a joint mortgage. Advertisements in the gay press for the workshops will reinforce that message.

The Hilton chain is trying to entice gay couples to hold their civil partnership celebrations by offering tailor-made parties and even the chance to hold the ceremony at some hotels.

Barclays' research revealed that gay and lesbian people have greater disposable income than heterosexuals. Among the 1,000 gays who took part, men had spent on average £626 and women £519 on holidays and mini-breaks. Gay men also spent more than lesbians on clothing, £374 compared with £249, as well as furniture and fittings, where they typically spent £300 to women's £263.

That reflects the fact that the typical gay man working full-time earns an average £34,168, compared to £24,783 for a lesbian. Both figures, though, are much higher than the salaries earned by the average male and female British worker of £24,236 and £18,531 respectively.

Among the respondents, 40 per cent of the women and 25 per cent of the men were professionals; 11 per cent of the women and 13 per cent of the men were managers; five per cent of the women and six per cent of the men were senior managers; and eight per cent of both sexes were clerical and office workers.

Chasing the pink pound: companies trying to grab a slice of the £60bn gay economy

Banking

Barclays bank is holding a series of seminars in cities where there is a significant gay population to explain the financial implications of civil partnerships to existing and potential gay and lesbian customers. Has paid for 300,000 copies of Get hitched!, a guide to 'gay weddings' to help explain the rights and responsibilities involved. Gives funds to gay rights group Stonewall and has floats at Pride, the big gay festivals.

Leisure

Hilton Hotels is wooing gay couples to hold civil partnership celebration parties at its 70 branches across the UK; some are licensed to hold the registration ceremony itself. The Hilton Avisford Park in Arundel, West Sussex, is holding its first 'gay Christmas' break from 24-27 December for £599 a head.

Grooming

L'Oréal is advertising its Hydra Energetic Daily Anti-Fatigue Lotion for men in publications such as FHM and Loaded with a man beside the words 'You think you look the business. She thinks you look overworked'. In publications such as Attitude and Gay Times, the 'she' has become 'he'. Rob Robillard of L'Oréal Paris says: 'The gay market is important to L'Oréal and our success with gay men is a key priority.'