Being inclusive means acknowledging that everyone is different, in terms of their characteristics, sexual orientation or gender identity, just as with our height, eye colour, hair colour, all of those things that make us unique. Being LGBT Inclusive, through our words and our behaviour, ensures we don’t leave people out of our conversations and help them contribute fully as their authentic selves and fulfil their potential.
During Pride 2020, the NICS LGBT Staff Network launched the Let’s Get Better Together language guide to give you some tips and thoughts on how to use language respectfully and inclusively, and when referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse people. It is our hope that the guide has and will give many of you the confidence to be the LGBT Ally that perhaps sits quietly within you.
To build upon the Guide the Network has asked Stonewall to run a number of workshops during the month of March that are aimed at building confident LGBT+ allies at all levels within the NICS.
These workshops are open to all within the NICS, except the ‘Championing LGBT inclusion as a senior leader’ workshop which is targeted at members of the Senior Civil Service’, however, numbers are limited to 50 attendees per workshop. If you would like to book a slot at one of these sessions, please drop an email to the Network email address – LGBTNetwork@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
Liz Skelcher & John McCord Network Co-Chairs
