Twelve universities have been named among the UK¡¯s most gay-friendly places to work.

Cardiff University is the sector¡¯s highest-placed institution in this year¡¯s annual Stonewall Top 100 Employers, positioned as the UK¡¯s 20th best employer, according to the gay rights charity.

It is followed by Swansea University (36th place), which enters Stonewall¡¯s top 100 for the first time.

Other new entrants to the list include Teesside?University (44th), the University of Essex (joint 53rd), the University of Greenwich (80th) and London South Bank University (92nd).

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Others to feature on the list include the University of Birmingham (50th), the University of Manchester (joint 53rd), De Montfort University (58th), the University of Sheffield (61st), York St John University (61st) and Leeds Beckett University (64th).

It means that higher education now has 12 representatives in the top 100, its highest ever share.

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Employers are selected for the list after an assessment of 10 areas of employment policy and practice, which includes surveys of about 50,000 staff about gay-friendly policies in the workplace.

Cardiff¡¯s lofty ranking was, in part, because its senior management had shown significant support for staff and student lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender networks and societies, Stonewall said.

Swansea¡¯s support for staff and student gay networks was also cited as a reason for its high standing in the table.

Raymond Ciborowski, registrar and chief operating officer at Swansea, said that the university was ¡°delighted to have made such a significant leap in this year¡¯s Stonewall index¡±.

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¡°This new ranking is further recognition of the thriving, diverse campus environment at Swansea that makes it such a great place to work and study,¡± he said.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com