Issue #38 Monday, 4 March 2024
Welcome to the latest issue of the LGBT Great News Digest, a short briefing on the 5 LGBTQ+ news stories that you need to know about right now.
This month, we are delighted to bring you the #ProudToHire campaign focused on raising awareness for International Women's Day, National Careers Week, Trans Day of Visibility and Neurodiversity Celebration Week. Keep an eye on our social media!
Here are three fortnightly LGBT Great updates to support you in engaging and inspiring others this month:
1: Sister Act Charity Gala in Partnership with OKRE – Become a Corporate Sponsor Announcing Albourne Partners, Blackrock, and Bank of America as our first three sponsors! Taking place at the Dominion Theatre, London, on 16 May 2024, this event will bring together the Financial Services and Business Community for a special West End performance of the hit musical Sister Act. The musical features Beverley Knight MBE and Ruth Jones with pre-and after-show entertainment from Queenz, Pink Singers and the London Symphony Orchestra. Read the Press Release | Read the Info Pack | Register to Get Tickets
2: Top 30 Under 30 Awards 2024 – Nominate and Empower a Young Person LGBT Great’s brand-new Top 30 Under 30 is a Project 1000 Initiative. The programme seeks to spotlight the incredible work of the next generation of future leaders, who are blazing new trails for diversity, equity, and inclusion across their organisations. Nominate Today | Amplify on LinkedIn 3. Proud to Hire: Trans and Neurodiverse Recruitment Experiences – Join the Webinar Join us on Thursday 21 March as we explore some of the unique challenges trans and neurodiverse people face in the recruitment process. Our goal is to equip you with the tools and insights to offset these, allowing them to truly shine in your organisation! Register Here
Thank you for reading, and watch out for our next Digest issue on Monday, 18 March. Best wishes, LGBT Great Team
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| 1. UK Conservative MPs accuse FCA of putting women’s rights at risk |
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In a recent development, The Telegraph reports that nearly 40 Tory MPs have written a letter to the Chancellor accusing FCA of taking an "activist approach" to its diversity policies, citing self-identified gender identity data collection as an erosion of women’s rights. The signatories say the FCA is promoting “pseudoscience and gender ideology” to the detriment of “science, reason and women’s rights”. _____ Our View: As articulated in our response to the FCA CP23/20 in December, we believe the collection of data around gender should include both gender identity and sex assigned at birth. The submission of this letter by Conservative MPs here speaks to a staunch and overt anti-trans position. The language used in the letter is particularly concerning given the rising rates of anti-trans violence reported in the UK.
We remain unchanged in our position that capturing self-ID gender identity poses no threat to women’s rights. Rather, it enables a more inclusive and sensitive approach to data capture that ultimately seeks to promote inclusion. |
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| 2. Ghanaian parliament passes anti-LGBTQ+ bill |
| On 28 February 2024, the Ghanaian parliament passed an anti-LGBTQ+ bill, the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values' Act, which imposes prison sentences of up to five years for "willful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities," in addition to the existing three-year sentence for same-sex relations. The bill needs to be validated by the President to become law. _____ Our View: A recent Amnesty International report revealed a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment across Africa, with 31 countries still criminalising LGBTQ+ identities. This highlights the concerning intersection of rising prejudice and discriminatory legal frameworks in many African nations. LGBT Great condemns the passage of this bill and urges President Nana Akufo-Addo to withhold signing it into law.
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| 3. Nearly 3 in 4 respondents say that a strong DE&I culture influences their decision to take a job |
| On 7 February 2024, a new report was released by the ACCA surveying 9,889 professionals across 157 countries and across financial services, which found that organisational DE&I culture was a key factor for 73% of respondents when choosing a new employer. _____ Our View: It is reaffirming to see data that reiterates the importance of DE&I initiatives. According to a survey LGBT Great conducted towards the end of 2023, we found that 65% of LGBTQ+ talent were more inclined to apply to organisations that had been assessed for LGBTQ+ sensitivity. This reemphasises the crucial role of an inclusive culture in attracting and retaining talent, particularly diverse talent pools.
Keep an eye out in March for LGBT Great's new Quarterly Talent Trend Watch editorial, which is launching this March. This editorial will delve deeper into such trends, providing valuable insights into talent attraction and retention strategies.
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| 4. Equal opportunity policy for trans people introduced by Indian government |
| The end of February saw the Indian government introducing a national policy that would prohibit the disclosure of a trans person’s gender identity without their consent. It also ensures that trans employees can choose their pronouns, gender and name at their place of work. _____ Our View: We are delighted to see these enhanced protections being introduced for the trans community in India. Building upon the 2019 Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act which legally prohibits employment discrimination, this new policy aims to ensure greater inclusion and economic opportunity for the Indian trans community.
Despite this update, employment access inequality remains a ubiquitous struggle for the trans community in India, with numerous recorded cases of discriminatory practices. An NHRC report from 2017 found that merely 6% of trans individuals were in formal employment.
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| 5. Czech parliament rejects same-sex marriage equality |
| On 28 February 2024, the lower house of the Czech Parliament rejected a bill to legalise same-sex marriage. Instead, a "compromise" bill was passed, which enables same-sex partnerships to be called unions with rights to adopt each other's biological children. The legislation still needs to be approved by the Senate and President Petr Pavel. _____ Our View: A 2023 poll by CVVM revealed that 58% of Czechs support same-sex marriage equality, with even stronger public backing for granting them adoption rights. While same-sex partnerships have been legal since 2006, they offer fewer rights compared to marriages for heterosexual couples.
Despite the majority of public support, this bill offers limited improvements for the LGBTQ+ community. LGBT Great hope this piecemeal legislation will eventually be replaced by a comprehensive law which grants equal marriage rights and benefits to same-sex couples in Czechia.
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| Upcoming 2023 Events & Webinars |
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Disclaimer The information contained in this newsletter is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by LGBT Great and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the newsletter or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in the newsletter for any purpose. All the quotations in the news are presented as originally published. LGBT Great does not necessarily share the views of the quoted authors and is not responsible for the accuracy of the information or quality of the analysis provided by them. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. |
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