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POWERED UP - AN INSIGHT BY THE IN GROUP

Days like this highlight the experiences of people in this community and remind us that there’s still a lot of work to do. Changing this will require not only a seismic cultural shift but a shift in the mindsets of these individuals – some of whom may feel reluctant to aim for these roles because of the discrimination they faced growing up. Organisations need to make a conscious effort to be as inclusive as possible across all types of diversity, making a systemic change to foster a real sense of inclusivity amongst their workforces. Changing people to suit the world around them – or changing the world so everyone’s welcome? “We’ve certainly made a lot of strides in the past 10 years, but it’s still somewhat of a jagged line, and we still have a long way to go,” said one attendee, who described the challenges he experienced as a gay person growing up in a very religious household. “Before I came out, it was thrown around pretty often how people like me were going to hell. My parents put me in conversion therapy when I was in my early teens.”

Up until 2020, when it was banned in the US state of Utah, where this particular attendee grew up, conversion therapy – carried out by licenced therapists and aiming to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender expression – had been a common practice. It was also linked to higher rates of suicide, homelessness, and drug use among minors. While conversion therapy is now banned in the UK for gay people, it still exists for trans people, and the legislative battle will need to continue. “When I officially came out at the age of 18,” he continued, “I became a stranger for my family and was even homeless for a time. So it definitely had numerous effects on my confidence and self-value for a long time.” His experience really shows why these days of recognition and reflection are so important. From a visibility perspective, the more people see something that they’re not familiar with, the less abstract it becomes. This is where queer representation in the media really has an impact. The increase in the number of LGBTQ+ characters in films and TV series, for example, is helping to increase visibility and, therefore, acceptance from outside the community.

While we often talk about gender and racial diversity on boards, we don’t talk much about LGBTQ+ representation. Only 26 of the 5,670 Fortune 500 board positions are held by LGBTQ+ individuals, which amounts to 0.4%.

trans people fairly.’ Just having that conversation with your child can hopefully have a knock-on effect throughout society,” said Marc. Again, this is where allies, particularly from outside the community, can have such a huge impact. “It immediately makes me feel more supported that there are allies out there that really want to make a difference,” he added.

Educating from an early stage

While our awareness of these subconscious verbal transgressions will often increase as we mature, it’s important that we pass on our lessons to young people. If you’re a parent, having a conversation with your child about treating everyone fairly and taking a stand for their LGBTQ+ friends is invaluable. “Growing up, I would probably have talked about not being racist, but I don’t think my parents ever said, ‘make sure you treat gay or

Why is it important that we recognise these days?

The rights of the LGBTQ+ community have evolved so much in recent years, most notably with the legalisation of same-sex marriage. While we should recognise that we’ve come a long way, there continues to be widespread homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia, even in westernised countries which are more advanced in their thinking.