World Rugby, the international governing body, has vowed to take a lead on stamping out homophobia in sport in the wake of a major study that showed the extent to which gay athletes and spectators risk abuse and discrimination. More
Category Archives: LGBT
Robbie Rogers calls for bans over homophobia in sports stadiums
Robbie Rogers, the first professional footballer in England to come out as gay since Justin Fashanu, has called for a zero tolerance approach to homophobia in sport in light of a major survey that reveals disturbing levels of abuse and bullying. More …
Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – March 2015
International Women’s Day will be held on Sunday 8 March and with this in mind we have chosen Sandi Toksvig as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.
A passionate campaigner for equality and human rights, Sandi has led the charge for same-sex marriage in the UK, and is dedicated to celebrating and supporting women in today’s society.
One of the original members of the Comedy Store Players, Sandi’s hugely successful career has spanned several decades across television and theatre. She has written numerous works for the stage including her play Bully Boy at the St James Theatre, and seasons with the Nottingham Playhouse and the New Shakespeare Company at Regents Park.
A renowned broadcaster, Sandi’s work also includes Channel 4’s Fifteen to One, Behind the Headlines, The Big One with Mike McShane, Island Race with John McCarthy, Whose Line is it Anyway? and Call My Bluff. She is also a regular on BBC Radio 4 and is currently host of The News Quiz.
Sandi is the author of more than 20 novels. Her book Hitler’s Canary, which was based upon her family’s experiences living under occupation in Denmark during the Second World War, was published in 2005, and another book for children, Girls Are Best, was published in 2009. Her latest novel Valentine Grey was released in 2012, and she also has a regular column in Good Housekeeping.
In January Sandi was named President of Women of the Year, an organisation that has recognised, celebrated and inspired women of all backgrounds for 60 years and continues to shine a light on extraordinary women through an annual lunch, lecture and on-going foundation work. She is a long term supporter of the organisation and has compered the annual Lunch & Awards for more than ten years, she has also been one of the judges.
Sandi entered into a civil partnership with her partner Debbie in 2007. They renewed their vows in March 2014, when same-sex marriage was introduced in England and Wales, and in December 2014, their civil partnership was converted into a marriage.
For more information on Sandi, her life and work, see her website at http://sanditoksvig.com/
Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – February 2015
February is LGBT History Month and with this in mind we have chosen the University LGBT Staff Network as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.
This is the first time we have chosen a group of people and the first time we have chosen university staff. The LGBT Staff Network was born out of a survey in the HR Directorate newsletter Staff Matters asking whether staff would be interested in a network of this type. The answer was a small but resounding Yes! The Network had its official launch in September 2013 with a well attended reception being held at our Greenwich Campus.
The Network is supported by senior management at the University with Christopher Hallas as the Senior LGBT Champion and Linda Burke as the Senior Straight Sponsor. The LGBT Network Committee works very closely with the Equality and Diversity Champion on a number of issues in particular the Stonewall Submission for the Equality Workplace Index and they are the main reason why we have managed to climb up the index to our current position of 182 out of 397 participating organisations.
Since its launch the Network has grown steadily in numbers and holds events throughout the year including ‘Tea on Tuesdays’ on the first Tuesday of every month, an informal drop-in & catch-up session. It’s an ideal opportunity to meet up with colleagues and new acquaintances for a general chat, networking, or to catch-up on the Network’s ongoing\future activities. For details of ‘Tea on Tuesdays’ and other activities and events please visit the ‘What’s On’ page of the Network’s blog.
The LGBT Staff Network is a huge supporter of the annual University Celebrate Difference and Diversity Event and will be taking part again this year. So come along and see them at their stall in March.
You can also find further information on the Network on the HR webpages at http://www.gre.ac.uk/offices/hr/e-and-d/lgbt-staff-network or follow them on Twitter @UoG_LGBT.
Stonewall Workplace Equality Index
We are very pleased to announce that our Workplace Equality Index ranking has gone up again this year. We are now ranked at number 182 out of 397 organisations. Last year we were 228 out of 369 organisations.
Feed back from Stonewall was very positive saying it was a ‘substantial jump’ and that we are ‘consistently climbing’ the rankings.
Many thanks goes to all those you contributed to the submission
The Closet is a Terrible Place
‘The closet is a terrible place …’ How coming out transformed five lives.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, it’s hard to be happy when you have to lie about who you are – More
£2m Anti-Bullying Fund: Government Recognises University Work
A £2million government fund to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools sees national recognition for a five-year research project by a University of Greenwich academic.
Professor Elizabeth West is the Academic Lead for the landmark survey into the views and experiences of thousands of young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) people, which was aimed at improving their life chances and tackling discrimination.
The confidential online survey, the largest of its kind to be carried out in the UK to date, is part of a project backed by the Big Lottery Fund to identify issues facing LGBTQ young people. The project is led by London-based charity METRO, in partnership with the University of Greenwich and Ergo Consulting. More
The Rainbow List 2014
Rainbow List 2014: The annual celebration of the lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender people who make a real difference.
The result honours those who have long and brave histories of standing up for equal rights, as well as youngsters whose openness in the past year shows children (and adults) that who they are and whom they love need not be a barrier to success in any walk of life. More …
Hermaphrodite Snail Named after Marriage Equality
A new species of hermaphrodite land snail found in Taiwan has been named in support of marriage equality.
Biologists christened the species Aegista diversifamilia, referring to a diversity of family types, because it “represents the diversity of sex orientation in the animal kingdom”.
The snail is widespread throughout eastern Taiwan, but was previously mistaken for a closely related species.
Its discovery is reported in the journal ZooKeys.
“When we were preparing the manuscript, it was a period when Taiwan and many other countries and states were struggling for the recognition of same-sex marriage rights,” said Dr Yen-Chang Lee, who first suggested the snail might entail its own species. More\…
British Universities Becoming More Gay-Friendly, says Stonewall
British universities are becoming more gay-friendly, according to a major new study by a gay rights charity.