JUNE: PRIDE

June Month Focus

Pride month

To commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred in June 1969, the month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride month.

This month is a celebration of the positive impact members of the LGBTQI+ community have had on society and we’re joining in the celebrations by sharing the inspirational stories of some of the people in our network.

Traditionally, Pride month hosts numerous events and festivals where people all over the country hit the streets in their masses to promote an equal culture for all and celebrate how far society has come.

It’s not just those within the LGBTQI+ community that get involved. Allies also use this time to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, non-binary, asexual, polysexual, genderqueer and gender variant people.

In June people come together to observe the years of struggle the community has had to endure, fighting for the basic civil rights that heterosexuals have.

On June 28, 1970, exactly a year after the Stonewall riots began, America witnessed its first ever Gay Pride march, organised by Brenda Howard the “Mother of Pride”. Then on 2 June 2000, President Bill Clinton officially declared the month as Gay & Lesbian Pride Month.

Today the following countries celebrate Pride:

Hungary, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Greenland, and the city of Berlin.

What does Pride mean to you?

Pride is a chance to get together with friends to celebrate being gay and have a party. It’s great being amongst other gay people but also other people that want to join in the parade and party. It’s a way to celebrate that you are part of something, part of a community and to celebrate who you are.

It’s great to see various different prides around the country and world. You should be proud of who you are every day but Pride makes you think of the times when men and women years ago were killed and suppressed. Even though it’s a party we’ve got to realise why we celebrate it. There isn’t a straight pride because we don’t need one and that’s a great thing.

LGBTQ+ matters to us

We created VERCIDA to be the service of choice for job-seekers looking to work in diverse environments. And the information we gather from our users suggests a much higher disclosure rate of LGBTQ+ status - around 5.34%. As an organisation, that’s great - we’re truly championing a comfortable environment that allows people to bring their whole self to work. On the flip side, it suggests for every person out and self-declaring, there are two that are not.

How big is the UK’s LGBTQ+ community?

The LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall agrees with us - suggesting the community is actually between 5% and 7%. Others have put it as high as one in 10. The shortfall between the estimate and the statistical data is down to people being reluctant to come out, the rights group says. The problem, they say, is that people can be honest with an anonymous survey but struggle harder to be open with family and colleagues.

That’s because it can be a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ employees. Half of trans employees are so worried about workplace discrimination they have hidden the details of their sexuality, said a Stonewall survey earlier this year. More disturbingly, one in eight have been physically attacked by colleagues or customers. That’s a shocking figure. That figure must change.

At VERCIDA, we believe supportive environments are incredibly important to helping people achieve their potential. We assist our users to find people and environments that allow them to be open, honest and successful. Like Stonewall, we think there needs to be better recognition of the discrimination and anti-LGBTQ+ abuse that still exists. And better solutions for smashing down and removing those barriers. We’re proud to be using technology to tackle those challenges.

PRIDE

JUNE

June Month Focus

June Month Highlights

EMPLOYERS WITH LGBTQ+ INITIATIVES

Articles

Marcia Ore talks BAME Pride and paves the way for D&I at UK Atomic Energy Authority

Pride month with VERCIDA

Virtual Pride to be celebrated throughout the month of June with dunhumby

LGBTQ+ matters to us