Diversity Digest

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at King's College London

Tag: Pride (Page 1 of 2)

Pride 2023 Reflections

July 19, 2023 /

It’s been a pretty fabulous summer here at King’s, with members of our university community celebrating all things LGBTQ+ for Pride Month throughout June & July. Jake Orros an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Project Officer here at King’s shares some of the highlights of one very busy pride month for King’s.

In a snapshot Proudly King’s once again marched in the Pride in London parade and joined fellow London universities at the London Trans+ Pride march. Our faculties got involved with the celebrations, with the Faculty of Natural Mathematical & Engineering Sciences hosting an ‘LGBTQ+ in STEM’ event and Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Science staff and students came together for a pride inspired picnic. Members of the EDI team volunteered behind the scenes at Pride in London, brushing shoulders with LGBTQ+ icons. And together with colleagues in student services and corporate communications, the EDI team brought you a ‘what pride means to me’ blog series.

Volunteering at Pride in London

Pride events across the world including London’s are only possible because of the amazing people who give up their time and volunteer to help run these events. Over 1000 volunteers supported Pride in London this year, including our very own Lorraine Kelly, Director of Organizational Development & Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, and myself.  This year’s Pride in London theme was ‘Never March Alone: Championing Trans Allyship’.

Lorraine Kelly (right) with Trafalgar Square volunteers

Lorraine was part of the brilliant stages team, working behind the scenes to pull off a brilliant show on the Trafalgar Square stage. Lorraine brushed shoulders with stars including Beverly Knight, Adam Lambert, Rita Ora who all preformed on what is affectionately known behind the scenes as T Square.

In Lorraine’s own words – “I had the great pleasure of volunteering at pride at Trafalgar Square it was an amazing experience, the vibe was positive and inclusive – if you haven’t done it before I would def recommend that you get involved”.

Lorraine (second from right) volunteering at the Trafalgar Square stage before opening to the public.

I was also there volunteering on the day, I had the brilliant job of being an Event Manager and being part of the core team planning and delivering the Pride Family & Youth Area at St Giles-in-the-Fields Church. We delivered the space in partnership with Lego and The Scouts who ran pride themed activities for young people and their families. We had our biggest attendance to the space ever with approximately 7,000 visitors throughout the day which was phenomenal and it was brilliant to see members of the King’s community drop in with their families too! I am so proud of what we achieved on the day, the 6 months of planning paid off and was so worth it – I loved seeing the beaming smiles of the young people and their families as they enjoyed the LGBTQ+ inspired activities from The Scouts & Lego and performances from LGBTQ+ artists on our stage.

Jake in a purple pride manager tshirt stood back to back with another pride volunteer

Jake (right) volunteering in the Pride Family & Youth Area

I couldn’t agree with Lorraine more, volunteering at pride was a brilliant experience and it is such a great way to meet new people, to feel a part of something special and to have a real positive impact. So why not join the team and volunteer at a pride event next year!

What Pride Means to Me? Blog Series

Throughout pride month we shared what pride means to members of our King’s Community. Emily Coutts interviewed 5 brilliant staff and students from across King’s about why pride month is important to them. Emily spoke to: Taj – a Global Health & Social Medicine student, Jo – who Head of Mental Health & Counselling Outreach & Training, Rosanna – a Student Content Manager and James & Andrew – both Faculty Wellbeing Advisors.

We asked Emily to sum up her experience of working on this inspiring pride month project – “It was a pleasure to interview these fantastic people about what Pride means to them. Although their experiences and identities vary hugely, I was struck that they’re all motivated by a desire to make life better for other LGBTQ+ people, and to support those experiencing oppression. It’s great to know that I’m surrounded by such thoughtful and passionate colleagues at King’s.”

You can find the blogs on our Diversity Digest site here.

Proudly King’s

Kirsty McLaren, Communications & Community Co-Chair of Proudly King’s reflects on how our LGBTQ+ staff network marked pride month…

This year marked a transformative moment for Pride at King’s College London.

Amidst the standard festivities associated with Pride in London, King’s took steps to address some pressing challenges faced by queer students in higher education. For the first time ever, Proudly King’s marched shoulder to shoulder with Pride Power, a group of students on our flagship widening participation programme, K+.

Without support, reaching university is a challenge for anyone from a widening participation background. Thriving while you’re there is even harder. Some students face further barriers because of immutable parts of their identity. LGBTQ+ students experience more bullying, poorer mental health, and higher rates of estrangement. They are less likely to feel they belong at university. This leads to many LGBTQ+ students dropping out of university and those who stick it out until graduation often leave with a lower degree classification.  The Widening Participation team created Pride Power to address these issues.

A group from Pride Power holding placards at Pride in London march

Pride Power at Pride in London

What makes Pride Power stand out is its tangible efforts in fostering an environment where these students find belonging. Its essence lies in its relentless efforts to create an environment of acceptance and love. Many of its members, for instance, haven’t come out at home. Yet, with Pride Power by their side, they confidently joined us at Pride in London. Thanks to generous donations from our Departments and Faculties, they had group T-Shirts and could express themselves with their own banners. Making the banners was a beautiful way for them to increase their bond, sharing their experiences of being queer in school and at home. One student described it as “the best experience of [their] entire life.”

As for Proudly King’s, we kicked off the Pride season with a pre-pride party hosted on campus. It was an authentic expression of our community, with speeches and craft tables to write messages of hope for the future generations. These were sent to the Pride Power students ahead of their march. The event marked our return to Pride in London in the spirit of pride as a protest: less about grand gestures and more about genuine connection, setting the stage for the subsequent march.

Collage of images at Proudly's pre pride party,

Proudly Pre-Pride Party

Our Pride Planning Committee’s relentless efforts and the generous donations culminated in a remarkable parade float on the morning of Pride in London. Both Proudly King’s and Pride Power’s branding was on full display, with a DJ truck that played Cher’s hits repeatedly, much to the crowd’s delight. Our Senior Sponsor the Rev’d Dr Ellen Clark-King showcased her unwavering allyship by joining us on the truck right after surgery. Also, among us was the KCLSU LGBTQ+ Network President, Taj Donville-Outerbridge, a double recipient at the 2023 Queer Student Awards.

“Joining [the march] and hearing from [the committee] and feeling like the weight of the world was taken off my shoulders – well that was SOMETHING” – Suz from the School of Politics and Economics on her first ever Pride parade.

King's staff wearing navy blue Proudly King's branded tshirts posing for a group photo

Proudly at the Pride in London Parade

7 days later, Proudly King’s marched once again in London Trans+ Pride, an event that is a response to the injustices that trans, intersex, gender nonconforming, and non-binary people face daily, all over the world. Though June is long-gone, our Pride season at King’s will stretch all the way through to September when we’ll be attending London Bi+ Pride. And in August we’ll be teaming up with the KCL Race Equality Network to attend UK Black Pride, the world’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean-heritage LGBTQ+ people.

We’re looking forward to the next academic year when we can expand efforts to make King’s a better place for LGBTQ+ people. Our Proudly King’s committee is expanding, and our Pride Power group will grow even more. To see more pictures from Pride in London and Trans Pride, sign up to our mailing list, or even apply to become a committee member just visit www.proudlykings.com

Love, Always.

Kirsty on behalf of Proudly King

Join the Proudly King's Committee Poster featuring a montage of photos

Join the Proudly King’s Committee

Pride Picnic

Our colleagues in the dentistry faculty hosted a pride picnic with over 50 staff and students attending. There were some incredibly tasty pride themed cakes, including a huge rainbow inspired sponge cake created by a talented member of FoDOCS staff.

A large wedge of pride themes layer cake held up against a window with views of South London in the background.

Pride themed layer cake

The decorate your own gingerbread person activity base was buzzing with activity, with people queuing to decorate their own edible LGBTQ+ gingerbread icons. The event served as an important opportunity to further develop a sense of meaningful community within the faculty and enabled all those present to take time out from busy work and study schedules to learn more about LGBTQ+ inclusion and meet other members of the community & allies.

Gingerbread people people decorated with icing and little sugar coated stars.

Gingerbread Icons

King’s Libraries – Must Watch List

Throughout the month staff from across King’s Libraries & Collections team shared their suggestions of must watch LGBTQ+ inspired content.

You can explore all of their suggestions on the King’s Libraries Twitter & Instagram pages, where you will find an eclectic mix of documentaries, short films and thought provoking features, all curated to expand your knowledge of queer history and theory.

All the suggested content is available to watch for staff and students via the Library’s Kanopy subscription here.

My experience at London Trans Pride

Alex an undergraduate Management and Modern Languages student and a summer intern with the Student Content Management team attended London Trans Pride.

You can read all about Alex’s experience of attending the event here.

Want to Learn more about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at King’s College London?

What Pride Means to Me: Taj

June 30, 2023 /

This Pride Month, we are talking to LGBTQ+ members of the King’s College London community to find out what Pride means to them. If you would like to share what Pride means to you, please email the team at diversity@kcl.ac.uk. 

Taj Donville-Outerbridge is studying for a BSc in Global Health & Social Medicine. He’s President of KCLSU’s LGBT+ Society, and recently won Role Model of the Year and Queer of the Year at the 2023 UK Queer Student awards. Taj is pansexual.

Taj at the Queer Student Awards holding two trophies featuring a big Q on each. Taj is wearing a plum velvet 2 piece outfit, a medal around his neck and stylish sunglasses.

Taj at the Queer Student Awards

Moving beyond stereotypes

I grew up in Bermuda. While being gay is technically legal there, the Caribbean can be a difficult and dangerous environment for LGBTQ+ people.

I’ve always been out and accepted by my family but I experienced pressure from within the LGBTQ+ community to conform. As a gay, Black man, you’re expected to either be straight-acting and closeted, or very feminine and creative.

I love science and am an academic at heart: I don’t fit neatly into either stereotype. It took time to accept that I could embrace all sides of myself.

Same problems, different island

Homophobia intersects with many different types of prejudice, and that’s as true in the UK as it is in the Caribbean. Media figures are often caricatures of gay Black men – RuPaul would be a good example – while Black role models in professional fields are very heteronormative.

Back home, everyone highlighted my gayness, whereas now I’m in the UK they tend to see my race. I’m often the only Black person in LGBTQ+ spaces. Everywhere I go, there’s a barrier to truly belonging.

That’s why I created ‘Tea Time with Taj’ through KCLSU. The intersectional needs of queer people of colour are often overlooked in race or sexuality-based societies, so we meet to chat, drink tea and build a sense of community.

What Pride means to me

Queer joy is wonderful but ultimately Pride is a protest. It’s important we don’t let it slide into a performative corporate gesture.

The LGBTQ+ community needs to stop fighting over small things. We need to become aware of other groups’ needs and global issues. An ex-boyfriend of mine was murdered in Grenada earlier this year, victim of a homophobic hate crime. Injustice like that should remind us how much work still needs to be done.

At King’s, I want to set an example for all students who feel marginalised, or caught in the intersections between marginalised groups. University can be difficult if you’re trans, and perhaps even more difficult if you’re Black, trans and disabled.

Pride is our opportunity to advocate for others.

Get involved & make a difference this Pride Month
  • Join our LGBTQ+ staff network Proudly King’s or attend one of their events here.
  • Check out our Pride student news article which is full of useful links here.
  • Pride Month Step-Out challenge! Join Proudly King’s & King’s Sport in a 28, 06,69 step challenge in June and July to commemorate LGBTQ+ Pride Month and summer activities whilst keeping active. Sign up on the King’s Move app from 12th June here!
Want to Learn more about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at King’s College London?

What Pride Means to Me: Jo

June 29, 2023 /

This Pride Month, we are talking to LGBTQ+ members of the King’s College London community to find out what Pride means to them. If you would like to share what Pride means to you, please email the team at diversity@kcl.ac.uk. 

Jo Levy is Head of Mental Health & Counselling Outreach & Training at King’s. Jo is genderqueer and uses they/them pronouns. They live in London with their partner, Bev, and are supported at Pride by Flossie, their sister’s Cockapoo.  

Jo standing with Bev.

A day of joy and safety 

The significance of Pride has shifted over time. I’m showing my age here, but 30 years ago we partied against a backdrop of overt homophobia. I lost friends to HIV and hate crime was common. Section 28, the UK law which banned the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ in schools or in public institutions, was still in place. It was only revoked in 2003. 

At Pride back then, my friends and I would get together and celebrate our independence and freedom. We were as present and exuberant as possible. It was our way of sharing that awareness with the world: it’s not a crime to be yourself. 

 

Holding others’ rights in mind 

Pride in 2023 is partly about celebrating the freedoms we’ve won. Compared with 30 years ago, it’s easier to be out and open at work, with your family and in the wider community. 

But we’re also fighting a backlash. Globally, there are many countries where LGBTQ+ people are imprisoned or killed simply for being themselves. There is also a lot of dangerous rhetoric closer to home, perhaps particularly around trans rights. 

Pride is a great opportunity to look beyond our own small group. LGBTQ+ people shouldn’t hide in silos. We should be caring about one another and fighting for our rights as a collective. 

Flossie the dog is blond and fluffy, wearing a rainbow garland around its neck with a red bowtie. The dog is stood on a blue, green and yellow night sky cloth covered in stars.

Improving accessibility for LGBTQ+ students 

I’ve worked for King’s Counselling & Mental Health Service for nine years. We’ve always offered support to any student who’s struggling, but I think we’ve improved the way we promote our services to LGBTQ+ students in recent times. 

KCLSU has led the way in promoting inclusivity. Simple measures such as sharing pronouns on e-signatures and at the start of meetings help create a culture of allyship.  

Statistically, LGBTQ+ young people experience worse mental health than their peers, so we’re taking steps to cater for their needs. We partnered with Togetherall, the online counselling provider, to help support those who aren’t comfortable meeting face-to-face. We’ve also just launched Queer Identities, a therapeutic group for queer and questioning students. 

There’s always more that can be done. My hope is that by being out and open within the counselling service, I can help make it a more inclusive space for others. 

Get involved & make a difference this Pride Month
  • Join our LGBTQ+ staff network Proudly King’s or attend one of their events here.
  • Check out our Pride student news article which is full of useful links here.
  • Pride Month Step-Out challenge! Join Proudly King’s & King’s Sport in a 28, 06,69 step challenge in June and July to commemorate LGBTQ+ Pride Month and summer activities whilst keeping active. Sign up on the King’s Move app from 12th June here!
Want to Learn more about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at King’s College London?

What Pride Means to Me: Rosanna

June 28, 2023 /

This Pride Month, we are talking to LGBTQ+ members of the King’s College London community to find out what Pride means to them. If you would like to share what Pride means to you, please email the team at diversity@kcl.ac.uk. 

Rosanna McNamara is a Student Content Manager within the Student Knowledge & Information Team. She has an MA (Distinction) from King’s in Christianity and the Arts, and is an active member of Proudly King’s, the staff LGBTQ+ network. You can check out her trans liberation embroidery on Etsy.

Rosanna spoke to us about asexuality.

A portrait of Rosanna McNamara. She is stood up wearing a black t-shirt. in the middle of the t-shirt is an illustrated mouth, neon blue lips, with trans rights written on the teeth.

Rosanna McNamara, a Student Content Manager within the Student Knowledge & Information Team.

I don’t know exactly what I am

Like many people, I did a lot of introspection during lockdown. I have a male partner, but I’ve never recognised myself in the ways that other straight people talk about relationships and desire. I did a lot of research, asked a lot of questions, and explored the possibility that I’m asexual.

Straight sexual attraction (known as allosexuality) is often conflated with ‘human nature’, especially in the media on shows like Love Island. For those of us who don’t experience the world that way, that framing feels very exclusionary.

In the current cultural climate, women can’t win: we’re shamed if we’re sexual and if we’re not.

A group of 4 people stood in a group against a sparkling wall under dim lighting. Rosanna is stood at the front of the group wearing a long blue floor length gown.

Asexuality is about attraction, not behaviour

My research has taught me that there are many different types of asexuality, which can be shorted to ‘ace’. The ace community encompasses people who don’t experience romantic attraction (aromantic) and those who don’t experience sexual attraction (asexual).

Many of us also exist in the grey area between feeling sexual and asexual, for example by identifying as demi-sexual, which is the experience of needing to know someone very well before experiencing sexual attraction to them.

These labels are fluid and people change them a lot. When I first started exploring asexuality I found labels liberating, but now I can find them restrictive: even within the ace community, there can be a tendency to force people into boxes.

I feel happiest describing myself as queer. For the past two years I’ve taken vogue dance classes at the Rainbow Nation Dance Academy, which is a queer-run company. I love it, and it feels like home.

A piece of purple fabric, covered in embroidery. There is a yellow shield, with 'being ACE is ACE' stitched into the middle, with a yellow golden star either side.

Being ACE is ACE embroidery

What does Pride mean to you?

Pride is a riot and a fight. Yes, it’s fun too, but ultimately it’s about people coming together to combat oppressive forces within our society.

I’m acutely aware of the ways I’m privileged: I’m white, cis and in a romantic relationship with a man. This year, I want to use my voice to fight for more marginalised members of the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m volunteering at London Trans+ Pride and working for better King’s representation at UK Black Pride through Proudly King’s.

Pride is about celebrating and protecting the great plurality of human experience. We should all be equal in our differences.

Learn more about asexuality:

My Etsy shop, where I also make queer art with donations to charity: RosannaMcNamara – Etsy UK

Get involved & make a difference this Pride Month
  • Join our LGBTQ+ staff network Proudly King’s or attend one of their events here.
  • Check out our Pride student news article which is full of useful links here.
  • Pride Month Step-Out challenge! Join Proudly King’s & King’s Sport in a 28, 06,69 step challenge in June and July to commemorate LGBTQ+ Pride Month and summer activities whilst keeping active. Sign up on the King’s Move app from 12th June here!

 

Want to Learn more about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at King’s College London?

What Pride Means to Me: James

June 19, 2023 /

This Pride Month, we are talking to LGBTQ+ members of the King’s College London community to find out what Pride means to them. If you would like to share what Pride means to you, please email the team at diversity@kcl.ac.uk. 

James Falcon-Martini Hallett is a Faculty Wellbeing Advisor at King’s, and the team’s lead on LGBTQ+ student support. He’s currently studying for an MSc in Therapeutic Counselling. James is originally from the North-West of England and now lives in London with his husband, Mau.

 

James Hallett

I’ve always been a bit different

Who I am is always in flux. I tend to tell straight people I’m gay, and LGBTQ+ people that I’m queer: different words feel appropriate at different times.

I grew up in Lancashire, and I’m from a working-class, single-parent family. I came out early, when I was around 12 years old, but even before there was a sense that I was different: I’d be described as ‘soft’ or ‘sensitive’.

My close family were always supportive of me, particularly my mum, although a lot of my wider family cut off contact when I came out because of their religious beliefs.

I felt a lot of guilt and shame throughout my teenage years but finding my community really helped me to come to terms with who I am and embrace my identity.

 

Looking for a place to be me

I’ve lived in London for the past 10 years now and what drew me here is what keeps me here: I love how cosmopolitan it is!

Much like the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, we’re all these different people, with different experiences, sort of held together in the same space. There’s so much opportunity to connect and learn from other people.

I think it’s so important for LGBTQ+ folks to create a sense of community, because sadly we often grow up feeling quite alone, and it can be powerful to be together with others who share our experience.

 

What Pride means to me

To me, Pride is a celebration of possibility and potential; of all the various intersecting identities that create our community; of hoping for a future in which we’re free to just be ourselves.

Trans members of our community are particularly suffering at the hands of incredibly hateful and dangerous rhetoric at the moment, and I hope this Pride can be a protest, and an affirmation that our community won’t be divided.

In my role as a Faculty Wellbeing Advisor, I want all students to be able to access support when they’re struggling, but I’m aware there are sometimes additional barriers that can prevent LGBTQ+ students seeking help. I’ve experienced this first-hand and feel passionately about breaking these down in the work I do.

 

Get involved & make a difference this Pride Month
  • Join our LGBTQ+ staff network Proudly King’s or attend one of their events here.
  • Check out our Pride student news article which is full of useful links here.
  • Pride Month Step-Out challenge! Join Proudly King’s & King’s Sport in a 28, 06,69 step challenge in June and July to commemorate LGBTQ+ Pride Month and summer activities whilst keeping active. Sign up on the King’s Move app from 12th June here!

 

Want to Learn more about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at King’s College London?

What Pride Means to Me: Andrew

June 14, 2023 /

This Pride Month, we are talking to LGBTQ+ members of the King’s College London community to find out what Pride means to them. If you would like to share what Pride means to you, please email the team at diversity@kcl.ac.uk. 

In our first edition of ‘What Pride Means to Me’ we speak to Andrew Hall. He is a qualified social worker who studied Psychology at the University of Birmingham. He’s a queer, cisgender man who is currently working as a Faculty Wellbeing Advisor in King’s Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine.

 

A portrait of Andrew Hall. He is wearing a tshirt with black and white stripes and has brown hair.

Andrew Hall

Being queer means having space to explore

I grew up in rural Wiltshire, which isn’t a very diverse place. It wasn’t until I was an undergraduate in Birmingham that I began to accept my sexuality wasn’t fixed or clear-cut. I was attracted to both men and women.

For a while, I identified as bisexual, but that word never felt like it expressed who I am. I experienced biphobia at university, from some straight people but also from some members of the LGBTQ+ community. At that time (2014), there seemed to be rigid expectations of how a ‘straight’ or ‘gay’ man should act, and I didn’t resonate with either stereotype.

That’s why I love the term queer. It allows me to be curious, exploring who I am rather than someone else putting my identity in a box.

 

What Pride means to me

I’m privileged in many ways: I’m white, cisgender, and my family accept and support me. Pride Month is an opportunity for me to stand united with other people across the LGBTQ+ community, including those who may not be as fortunate.

There’s a lot of fracturing over LGBTQ+ issues at the moment, within the movement and in wider society. I think that the othering of trans people comes in part from the same reductive impulse to put people into boxes that I experienced at university, and it’s critical to push back against that.

Pride helps bring different groups together. We’re strongest when we’re united, asserting our freedom to explore and be ourselves.

 

We’re all still learning

My advice to anyone who wants to support the LQBTQ+ community at King’s? Be open to improving your knowledge and learning from mistakes.

I’ve spent the last six months reading up about trans experiences because I felt, strongly, that I didn’t know enough about trans people’s struggles. If you’re interested, Shon Faye’s The Transgender Issue is a great place to start.

None of us are completely free from prejudice, and none of us get it right all the time. But we can stay curious and hold up our hands if and when we get something wrong – it all adds up.

 

Get involved & make a difference this Pride Month
  • Join our LGBTQ+ staff network Proudly King’s or attend one of their events here.
  • Check out our Pride student news article which is full of useful links here.
  • Pride Month Step-Out challenge! Join Proudly King’s & King’s Sport in a 28, 06,69 step challenge in June and July to commemorate LGBTQ+ Pride Month and summer activities whilst keeping active. Sign up on the King’s Move app from 12th June here!

 

Want to Learn more about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at King’s College London?

International Non-Binary People’s Day

July 14, 2022 /

International Non-Binary People’s Day is marked annually on the 14th July. This coincides with Non-Binary Awareness Week which this year runs from the 11th – 17th July 2022. The aim of both occasions is to celebrate Non-Binary people globally and raise awareness of the challenges members of the community face.

Non-binary flag

What is non-binary?

The LGBT Foundation have shared the following definition: Non-binary is used to describe people who feel their gender cannot be defined within the margins of gender binary. Instead, they understand their gender in a way that goes beyond simply identifying as either a man or woman. Some non-binary people may feel comfortable within trans communities and find this is a safe space to be with others who don’t identify as cis*, but this isn’t always the case.

*Cis – ‘The word “cis” comes from a Latin word meaning “the same side.” Cisgender is a term used to describe someone whose gender has not changed from the one they were given at birth’ (LGBT Foundation).

Is non-binary new?

The short answer is no!

Non-Binary and gender nonconforming identities have existed throughout history, you just need  to know where to look. Here are some handy Historic England and Britannica articles that explore this in more detail.

What is it like being non-binary in the UK?

Leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall explore what it means to be non-binary in the UK today in this article.

How can I be an ally to non-binary people?

Its important that we all take steps big and small to be inclusive and supportive of one another. The charity Stonewall have created a useful list of 10 things you can do to step up and be an ally of non-binary people, you can find it here.

What are we doing to support non-binary members of the KCL community?

We have developed a toolkit full useful guidance on  how to support trans & non-binary members of our university community, we have also produced a map of the gender neutral facilities that can be found across our campuses and we have a wider LGBTQ+ inclusion resource hub, you can find all of this and more here.

We are committed to protecting the dignity of members of our university community. We want a university free of bullying, harassment, sexual misconduct and hate crime. You can find advice, support and reporting procedures on our Dignity at King’s pages.

Pride Month Reflections: Proudly King’s

June 21, 2022 /

Paul Webb, Executive Chair of Proudly King’s offers his reflections on Pride month and looks at some of the work that has been happening at King’s College London. 

Proudly King's taking part in a pride parade with a decorated London bus.

Every Pride month, the problem of ‘Rainbow Washing’ rears its technicolour head. For those unfamiliar with the term, when companies appropriate the Pride flag during the month of June but do nothing of pragmatic value for their queer customers, that’s Rainbow Washing.

But it’s not just companies who offer nothing in return to the LGBTQ+ community who receive backlash. You might remember Marks and Spencer launching a Pride month sandwich in 2019 – the Lettuce, Guac, Bacon and Tomato. They declared the sandwich ‘packed with flavour’ and donated £10,000 to AKT (the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ homeless charity) but it still left a bad taste in people’s mouths.

So, what is it about Rainbow Washing that provokes angry community leaders and a month of social media outrage? Perhaps it’s about money. Yes, Marks and Spencer gave a healthy sum to AKT, but I’m sure they made a few quid for themselves by jazzing up a BLT and selling it for £4.45. But let’s be realistic. Companies are about profits, and the margins need to be worth it.

Maybe lack of creativity is to blame.

Since 2016, Skittles have ditched their signature rainbow colours for Pride Month, selling white sweets in white packaging because ‘only one rainbow matters [during] pride’.  Like M&S, they donate a portion of proceeds to deserving charities.

They might have made it impossible to find the purples and avoid the greens, but the public responded more favourably to a campaign promising to ‘give the rainbow’ rather than take it purely for commercial gain. Skittles went further than adding some arbitrary guacamole to a British lunchtime staple.

They build on their campaign year after year, and in 2021, they colourised black and white images of LGBTQ+ history for the first time, bringing attention to queer heroes without whom we wouldn’t be celebrating Pride in the first place. Surely that’s a worthy Pride campaign.

Then again, Mars Inc (owner of Skittles) must have profited, because the rainbow-less confection is back for the seventh year running, and it’s difficult to believe a multi-billion-pound company runs on altruism alone.

If I had to guess what makes a good Pride campaign, I’d say it’s about authenticity. I can’t define authenticity (which I appreciate isn’t very helpful) but I can tell you about some of the things Proudly King’s are doing to celebrate Pride Month 2022:

  • We’ve organised social and educational events. Both are important. We’re particularly excited about ‘Stories of Queer Poland’, a joint event with Warsaw University on Wednesday 22nd June at 5.30pm, online and in person.
  • We’re continuing our allyship campaign, encouraging colleagues to pledge to the LGBTQ+ community in order to receive a beautiful progress lanyard and wear with pride. So far, we have over 400 pledges. You’ll see some of them at the bottom of this blog.
  • We’re flying flags from Strand, Guy’s, Waterloo and Denmark Hill campuses. The buildings at Denmark Hill are illuminated with rainbow colours. There’s nothing wrong with visible celebration of Pride Month as long as that’s not the only thing you do.
  • Most importantly, we’re continuing our year-round work. We’re marching at London Trans+ Pride in July and attending UK Black Pride in August and Bi Pride in September. We’re continuously working with EDI and Senior Leaders to improve the LGBTQ+ experience at King’s. I’m sure you’re all aware (because we haven’t stopped banging on about it) that King’s was awarded a Stonewall Gold Award in February 2022 and Proudly King’s was a highly commended Staff Network. That’s a testament to our institution’s commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion.

There’s no rule book on ‘How To Do Pride Month’. To be honest, I’m not always sure what’s right and what’s wrong. But I do know that authenticity (however you define it) goes a long way.

This year, I emailed Estates and Facilities colleagues around King’s to ask about flying Pride flags. They responded almost immediately, with kindness and enthusiasm, to tell me they’d be up on the June 1st. They didn’t need reminding.

So yes, they’re just flags, but they symbolise King’s coming together to support and celebrate our LGBTQ+ colleagues.

That’s what Pride means to me.

Proudly King’s Allyship Campaign Pledges

Below are some pledges that members of the King’s community have shared with Proudly King’s as part of their allyship campaign.

As a white cis gay man, I’ve had a lot of things pretty easy, but even so I still think twice before holding my husband’s hand in public. I’m going to support + the LGBTQ community more visibly, promote equality and challenge prejudice in my work, volunteering and my personal life.
I will work towards incorporating more inclusive events and LGBTQ+ representation within the Refreshers and Welcome to King’s projects, expand our support and offer guidelines to services and faculty events.
I will engage in self-directed learning and active listening so that I can better understand the issues impacting the community.
I pledge to display the Proudly King’s banner as a symbol of my allyship for the LGBTQ+ community and to indicate my openness to having conversations with students and staff about issues they might find difficult to talk about. Being open about my allyship is an important step for me.
It starts at home. I champion this within my family hoping that changes in the way they speak and describe members of the LGBTQ+ community would lead to changes in interactions within their own social circles and so on.
I’m going to try and be more of a visible bi role model in my department and continue to support others in having challenging conversations. I also hope to introduce pronouns to more student activities for the projects I oversee.
I’m going to speak out against transphobic attitudes when raised by friends and family. I’m going to look at ways we can be more inclusive for young learners in our widening participation programmes.
I will stand up against negative, harmful and discriminatory comments and behaviour. I will continue to educate myself – and know this is my responsibility. I’ll model good behaviour but will own my mistakes and learn from them.
I will be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community by ensuring that all of our processes and policies within the Business School support equality, diversity and inclusion. I will try my best to encourage all of the diverse voices and views within the School to be heard, and to speak up when homophobic, transphobic or other intolerant views are expressed in my presence.
I pledge to proactively learn more about LGBTQ+, through books, films, tv shows, listening to podcasts, talking to those who identify as LGBTQ+ to better understand the existing barriers and challenges. I hope that this will not only allow me to be informed but will also enable me to learn how to become a better ally.

 

You can get involved by visiting the Proudly King’s website, and dont forget to follow them on Twitter & Instagram. 

 

Where you can seek support

For members of the King’s College London Community:

External support available to all: 

  • Galop is a charity that supports LGBTQ+ people who have experienced abuse.
  • Switchboard LGBT+ helpline offer free, confidential and impartial advice and support.
  • Stonewall are a leading LGBTQ+ charity.
  • Mermaids offer support to transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse young people and their families.
Want to Learn more about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at King’s College London?

LGBT History Month Reflections from Professor Bronwyn Parry

February 17, 2022 /

Introducing Professor Bronwyn Parry, Vice President and Vice Principal (Service), King’s College London’s new Senior Sponsor for all things LGBTQI+.

Having been at Kings ten years this year (where did the time go!) I am delighted to say that this anniversary will also coincide with my elevation as KCL’s Senior Sponsor for all things LGBTQi+. The past decade has seen some very significant advances in thinking about such matters and there is much to celebrate in this year’s LGBTQi History Month.

Professor Bronwyn Parry

Professor Bronwyn Parry.

One of the most significant of these has been the inclusive ways in which we have worked to support members of the wider King’s community who are trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming. I remember very well how difficult it felt, in years gone by, to secure acceptance from colleagues and the wider community for anything that deviated, even marginally, from what was at the time, a seemingly all consuming hetero-normativity. And yet, here we are, not so many years hence, when I find that I can say that wonderful phrase ‘my wife’ without producing even a marginally raised eyebrow.

All of human life and behaviour undergoes continuous change and evolution. Ideas that some thought were completely unacceptable in the past (opening universities to people who came from working class backgrounds, for example) have now, thankfully, been fully revisited and our conceptions of what is fixed and fluid productively re-worked, as a consequence. By extending allyship to those in the trans community we create a safe space in which we can all reflect on the fluidity of what for many have been seemingly fixed categories. Transitions of all kinds, whether in gender or thought can be personally challenging, but also, consequently, highly generative of new understandings and approaches to matters that we thought, perhaps, long settled.

To help us with these ruminations, Proudly King’s has created a wonderful set of interactive events that that will open many new perspectives for all of us. I hope that everyone will take up opportunities that these afford to create fresh conversations and partnerships across and between our varied, staff, student and professional services communities in ways that help us improve understanding and knowledge of the experiences of all those whose lives do not directly mirror our own. This is, in essence, the promise of inclusivity that lies at the heart of all our EDI ambitions, one that I have, and will, work to deliver in my new role.

I wish everyone a very happy and productive LGBTQI History Month, one in which we come together to celebrate the strengths that diversity, in all its colours, can bring to the enhancement of life!

Stonewall – staff survey now open!

September 14, 2021 /

Nicole Robinson, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant & Jake Orros, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Project Officer at KCL share how to get involved with this year’s Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.

At King’s we are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment where all members of our community can achieve their potential. This includes our lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer colleagues. To support our journey to being a truly inclusive employer we have worked with the charity Stonewall since 2016.

This year we are taking part in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index and we need your help!

As part of our submission to the Workplace Equality Index we want to hear from you. We are calling all staff at King’s College London to take part in Stonewall’s employee survey. The staff survey is your chance to tell us how we’re doing as your employer. It asks about your identities and about your experience working at King’s. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to have your say and honestly share how we are doing as an organization. Together we can create a more inclusive university.

Whether you’re LGBTQ+ or not, we want to hear from you!

You can take part in the survey here.

Stonewall is a charity  that stands for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) rights everywhere. Over the last 30 years, they have helped create transformative change in the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the UK and around the world.  The charity has also been at the forefront of making workplaces inclusive for LGBTQ+ people for more than 15 years through the Stonewall Diversity Champion scheme.

King’s has proudly taken part in the Diversity Champion scheme since 2016; the programme empowers LGBTQ+ people and allies to step up as leaders, role models and activists in the workplace. As truly global institution the Champion scheme echoes King’s vision to develop and empower individuals to lead and make the world a more inclusive place.

Sarah Guerra, Director of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:  “This independent Stonewall survey is a good opportunity for all our staff to feedback on our LGBTQ+ inclusion journey and success to date. King’s has come a long way since we became a Stonewall Diversity Champions in 2016. I myself have come out as Bi whilst working at King’s.

Since 2016, we have seen all of the Senior Management Team undertake structural inequality and Trans Matters training, updated our trans inclusion policies,  improved the provision of gender Free toilet facilities and we are currently creating an allyship toolkit to support all members of our community. I would encourage all staff at King’s to get involved and complete this years workplace survey.”

Organizations from across the UK take part in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, each receiving a score as a measure of their actions to build an inclusive workplace. The Index is our chance to celebrate our achievements, understand where we need to make progress and benchmark ourselves nationally as an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace. This year we’ll be sharing with Stonewall our updated Trans inclusion and Dignity at King’s policies, as well as sharing our work on socially responsible procurement and Trans matters training delivered to senior leaders.

Our submission is divided into 2 parts:

  • Firstly, we are measured across 8 areas of employment policy and practice.
  • Secondly, all staff are invited to take part in the online survey run by Stonewall.

Both parts of our submission are independently reviewed by Stonewall who will announce the latest Workplace Equality Index early next year.

We want to say thank you for supporting our Stonewall journey and for participating in the survey. If you would like to know more or if you have any questions you can get in touch with the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team via email at diversity@kcl.ac.uk

Take part in the survey here

Frequently asked questions:

  • The survey takes 5–10 minutes to complete.
  • The survey is open to all staff at King’s – not just members of the LGBTQ+ community.
  • The information you provide is anonymous and completely confidential. All of the information gathered by Stonewall is fed back to King’s in an aggregated way, without any personally identifiable information.
  • Survey closes on 5th November 2021.
  • 16th February 2021 top 100 and Gold, Silver & Bronze employer awards are announced.

Useful links & additional information:

Note: If you don’t work at King’s College London, why not reach our to your employer and find out if they are taking part in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index this year. The Survey is open for all organizations taking part until 5th November 2021.

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