Issue #60 - Monday, 27 January 2025
Welcome to issue 60 of the LGBT Great News Digest, a short briefing on the 5 LGBTQ+ news stories you need to know about right now. As always, here are 3 updates for you: 🏳️🌈 1 – AXA Investment Managers Case Study: Want to know how you can build a globally consistent inclusion model that is locally sensitive? Read our AXA IM feature here that outlines how they have effectively fostered a culture of inclusion across their organisation.
🎉2 - Legacies of Leadership: Celebrate LGBTQ+ and Black History with us by attending our webinar on 25 February where we discuss the transformative legacies of leaders who have shaped history and continue to inspire workplace inclusion - Sign up here. 💡 3 – iiBT 2025 Launch: The 2025 iiBT survey has now opened giving members a wider timeframe for completion. We look forward to receiving your submissions. Click here to learn more about the iiBT and discover ways to get involved. Check out this issue’s five news stories below and watch out for our next Digest issue on Monday, February 10th. Should you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to reach out to us. Our team is dedicated to providing any assistance you may need. The LGBT Great Team
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| 1. AXA Investment Managers showcase effective ways of fostering an inclusive culture |
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In our recent report titled “Redefining the Future”, AXA Investment Managers were featured because of their commitment to cultivating an inclusive culture for LGBTQ+ talent in their organisation. Their inclusion policies are globally consistent while being locally sensitive, underscoring lucrative ways to enable underrepresented talent to thrive across their organisation. Read an excerpt below. _____ “Thinking Global Irrespective of geographical location, it is imperative for companies to make their commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion clearly visible, both internally and externally. AXA IM’s public DEI policy has a clear commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion. This is supported by regular content and testimonials from LGBTQ+ role models, senior sponsors, and allies.”
“Acting Local At other times, a locally adopted approach to LGBTQ+ inclusion should be considered. Since 2021, our annual Global Inclusion Survey has helped us to measure feelings of inclusion, belonging, access to equal opportunities, and experiences of non-inclusive behaviour across various employee demographics, including LGBTQ+ individuals. We recognise the challenge of self-disclosure of LGBTQ+ data in countries where the laws are not LGBTQ+ friendly, and as a result, we have removed such optional questions linked to respondents’ sexual orientation from the survey in certain countries to protect our employees.”
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| 2. Trump signs executive orders to limit gender to a binary and revoke federal DE&I initiatives |
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On 20 January 2025, newly inaugurated President Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders. Under these executive orders, the 1965 Equal Employment Opportunity Act which prohibits discrimination based on race, colour, religion and national origin in the federal government was eliminated. Further, he rolled back numerous other federal DE&I programs to "end DEI inside the federal government". He has also signed an executive order announcing that there are only two sexes- male and female. _____ Our View: These regressive rollbacks highlight the administration’s staunchly anti-trans views. Such rhetoric is extremely dangerous and unscientific, erasing trans and intersex identities vehemently and restricting gender identity with no biological or psychosocial underpinning.
The current administration's decision to revoke federal DE&I initiatives further signals a concerning disregard for the progress made towards equality in the United States. This ahistorical perspective poses a real threat to the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalised groups.
Despite these federal setbacks, LGBT Great remains committed to supporting our LGBTQ+ siblings and allies. We firmly believe that organisations have the power to counteract these harmful changes by actively fostering a culture of inclusion in their workplace.
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| 3. New report finds 77% of LGBTQ young people have experienced workplace sexual harassment |
| A new report released by ANROWS which surveyed 1000+ LGBTQ+ young people found that 77% of respondents had experienced workplace sexual harassment often associated directly to their LGBTQ+ identity. Most of the victims chose not to make a formal report and instead chose to leave their job. _____ Our View: Another 2019 report from TUC found that 68% of LGBTQ+ people had experienced sexual harassment and 2/3rd of those victims did not report it as well.
These findings reveal a clear pattern highlighting the disproportionate levels of sexual harassment that LGBTQ+ people face in the workplace. Creating a space where all people including your LGBTQ+ employees feel psychologically safe to report such incidents is paramount.
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| 4. Indian Supreme Court rejects appeals for same-sex marriage equality |
| On 9 January 2025, the Indian Supreme Court rejected multiple petitions that challenged its 2023 ruling against same-sex marriage equality. The five-judge bench said that there were no errors in the judgement that justified a review. _____ Our View: In a country where LGBTQ+ people have openly existed and been celebrated for thousands of years, the Supreme Court’s rejection of same-sex marriage equality goes against the ideals of the nation's famously LGBTQ+ inclusive history.
Additionally, as one of the world's biggest emerging markets, India's lack of comprehensive LGBTQ+ rights and protections could potentially hinder its economic progress. Such country-specific case studies are well-documented by Open for Business.
By rejecting these pleas, the Supreme Court has clearly conveyed that it does not believe LGBTQ+ relations to be equal to heterosexual relations in the eyes of the law.
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| 5. Turkey launches "Year of the Family" fuelling anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric |
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On 13 January 2025, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched the “Year of the Family” targeting LGBTQ+ people and indicating that LGBTQ+ “ideologies” were “perverse” and a result of the neoliberal frameworks that govern the west. _____
This rhetoric has trickled down to public sentiment as well. This is well-evidenced in the Ipsos 2024 Pride study in which the Turkish public sentiment was one of the most LGBTQ+-exclusionary, in all countries surveyed. |
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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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