Pride and Prejudice

How times have changed! London is draped in rainbows to mark Pride week. The LGBTQ+ community is being celebrated from within and without, loudly and proudly.

I don’t need to tell anyone that it hasn’t always been like that. When I started work many moons ago, there was no legislative protection in the workplace. For good reason, many remained in the closet for fear of reprisal. Roll on the decades, and employees join the workplace “out”. In fact, I like to think that there is no “in” and “out” anymore – very few care whether someone is straight or LGBTQ+, and if people do care about an individual’s sexual orientation, there is a raft of legislation and workplace rules to protect the dignity and respect of all employees, whatever their personal characteristics. Even family leave and benefits are now pretty much on a par for all employees, irrespective of sexual orientation.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that it is a level playing field everywhere. I am saying that things have changed for the better. But we still need to do more.