International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

Today (17 May) is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), founded to draw attention to the discrimination experienced by people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and to advance LGBT+ rights.

Following our participation in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2023, the University has been reflecting on our support for LGBT+ students and colleagues, and how we can improve this. We were proud to be awarded a position in their Top 100 Employers list, and receive additional recognition with a Gold Award for our leading examples of trans, non-binary and bi inclusion.

The feedback from our submission shows that we are outperforming the average across both public sector and Education entrants in the 2023 Workplace Equality Index in several areas. These include:

• Inclusivity demonstrated in our Dignity at Work, Family Friendly and Transitioning at Work policies.
• Good practice content of our LGBT+ Allyship training in Sexuality and Gender Identity, and the inclusion of LGBT+-specific case studies in our mandatory EDI training courses.
• Our active LGBT+ Staff Network, which is explicitly inclusive of marginalised and underrepresented LGBT+ groups.
• High visibility of LGBT+ identities and awareness days in University communications and events, including our new LGBT+ Staff Network profiles.

The Workplace Equality Index also included a staff survey, in which 79% of our LGBT+ colleagues reported that they feel able to be themselves in the workplace, compared to 74% of respondents across the Education sector. Additionally, 90% of non-LGBT+ colleagues stated they support LGBT+ equality in the workplace, and understand why Royal Holloway is committed to this.

Whilst these results are promising, they provide an indication that there is more we can do to promote LGBT+ inclusion in the fullest sense. The application identified several key areas of work, including:

• Having visible allyship and support from senior leadership, to influence decision making and nurture an inclusive culture.
• Ensuring that trans and non-binary students and colleagues can have their identities fully represented on workplace systems.
• Mapping the full student lifecycle, and considering any areas where students with particular marginalised identities may face barriers.
• Ensuring that all the suppliers we work with uphold our EDI values by closer consideration in the tendering process, monitoring throughout contracts, and supporting with training.
• Formally recognising contributions to EDI activity in employee appraisals and rewards.
• Fostering an intersectional approach to EDI activity, so that colleagues with multiple marginalised identities feel like they belong.

Some of this work is already underway – for example, our new Inclusive Leadership Training for Managers aims to support and empower managers to develop an inclusive mindset, and acquire the necessary tools to contribute towards establishing a supportive and inclusive workplace. Our Development and Progression Strategy Working Group have an action to review how EDI is embedded in PDRs, and intersectionality is one of the six principles of our proposed EDI Framework 2023-28. Other actions will be reviewed and incorporated into the work of the EDI Equality and Strategy Working Groups.

Students and colleagues who are interested in supporting EDI work in different areas are invited to join any of our four Equality Groups below. Please note that you do not need to consider yourself to hold a marginalised identity which aligns with the group to join. Please email equalityrhul.ac.uk for more information or to join a group:

• Disabled
• Gender
• LGBT+
• Race