“It is shocking that in today’s society some of us can’t even enjoy a simple holiday without fear of discrimination.”
While many straight couples go on vacation to reignite the passion in their relationships, an overwhelming 95% of same-sex couples say they are afraid to show any sort of affection in public while traveling, according to a survey conducted by Virgin Holidays.
The airline polled 1,000 LGBT couples and 1,000 straight couples in order to get the startling results, in which only one in 20 same-sex couples reported being comfortable showing affection abroad.
The research also revealed that 58% of the gay couples polled had been stared at while on holiday, 29% had been verbally abused, and one in ten were threatened with physical violence.
Virgin Holidays recently partnered with ATTN: to create a video that highlights the problem as part of the airline’s three-year plan to become one of the most LGBT-friendly travel companies in existence.
“It is shocking that in today’s society some of us can’t even enjoy a simple holiday without fear of discrimination,” company founder Sir Richard Branson said in a statement. “At Virgin Holidays, we believe everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, has the right to be whoever they are, wherever they are.”
