The CEO Activist

13Love Is Love

If you've grown up feeling a little bit different, a little bit unsure of your place in the world and wondering if and how your whole, true self will ever be enough, then you will know how important it is to feel accepted.

It's something those who identify as LGBTQIA+ are only too aware of.

We may be living in 2024, but prejudice and exclusion are still rife.

The CIPD's most recent findings state “LGBTQ+ employees are more likely to experience workplace conflict and harassment than their heterosexual, cisgender counterparts. 40% of LGB+ workers and 55% of trans workers have experienced such conflict, compared with 29% of heterosexual, cisgender employees. In addition, a higher proportion of LGB+ workers (16%) feel psychologically unsafe in the workplace compared with heterosexual workers (10%), while for trans workers, this figure is even higher at 18%.”¹

Globally, we know the LGBTQ+ community face horrific challenges for simply existing in their true self. According to ILGA World, 69 UN member states “continue to criminalise consensual same-sex activity” and in 2020 there were six UN member states where consensual same-sex sexual acts are punished with the death penalty.

Closer to home, Stonewall released a report based on YouGov research – where over 3,000 LGBTQ+ employers discussed their experiences at work. More than a one-third hid their sexuality for fear of discrimination. One in ten Black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBTQ+ employees had been physically ...