Established in 2011, the FIA Rainbow group – former FIA LGBTQ+ working group – aims to raise awareness of and combat the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ performers in order to ensure a more inclusive and equitable working environment for all performers, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The very first endeavour of this group was the undertaking of a survey on Discrimination and Harassment against LGBTQ+ performers. After several years working on this project, the FIA Rainbow group is delighted to announce the publication of the results of this global survey.
The findings of this survey, compiling responses from over 10,000 individual performers across 18 FIA members unions, offer valuable insights into the current state of discrimination and harassment in the workplace for those who identify as LGBTQ+. Despite initial data suggesting that most LGBTQ+ performers feel comfortable enough to be ‘out’ at work, the prevalence of harassment and discrimination indicates that there is still a significant amount of work to be done in our industry to foster a supportive and inclusive work environment.
The alarming levels of harassment and discrimination reported by our members (with 12,8% of respondents per union indicating verbal or written harassment, and reaching almost 40% in certain countries) highlight just how important it is for employers and organisations to implement policies and procedures to address these issues.
The FIA Rainbow group very much hopes these findings will encourage the entertainment industry to acknowledge these challenges and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable working environment for all performers, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identify.
The report concludes with a series of recommendations from the Rainbow Group to the federation and its members, including:
– Continuation of data collection on discrimination and harassment faced by LGBTQ+ performers.
– Raising awareness of the realities of discrimination and harassment against LGBTQ+ performers in the sector and advocating for a discrimination-free workplace and society.
– Advocating for better visibility and fairer representation of LGBTQ+ individuals on screen and stage, encouraging consultation and collaboration with the LGBTQ+ community when dealing with identity-specific content in a production.
– Advocating for equal employment opportunities for LGBTQ+ performers, particularly through inclusive casting practices.
– Giving special focus to transgender and non-binary performers to better understand and address the specific challenges they face in the industry.
– Encouraging governments to support measures combating employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, and presentation at both international and national levels.
The report is currently available in English, French and Spanish.
Results of the FIA Global Survey on Discrimination and Harassment Against LGBT Performers – EN
Results of the FIA Global Survey on Discrimination and Harassment Against LGBT Performers – FR
Results of the FIA Global Survey on Discrimination and Harassment Against LGBT Performers – ES
