This is the seventh blog post in a series titled Wonderful Websites. The first focused on general health and can be read here. The second focused on mental health and mental illness and can be read here. The third post focused on shopping and can be read here.
The fourth focused on money and can be read here. The fifth focused on gigs, shows and theatres and can be read here. The sixth focused on paganism and can be read here.
Here’s Wonderful Websites about gay culture and society:
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) people in employment today have more acceptance and more equality than ever before. But have we reached a point were a persons sexuality isn’t important? Were their ability to do the job is paramount?
LGBT people have more acceptance and equality today, than ever before. Image from & copyright Total Jobs @ GIPHY.
LGBT people in employment today have more acceptance and more equality than ever before. This has been helped by the wider society acceptance. It has also been helped by employers working with organisations such as Stonewall to learn and understand LGBT employees and to have more inclusive working practices.
Employers are working with organisations like Stonewall to understand LGBT people and have better working practices to include LGBT employees. Image from & copyright Total Jobs @ GIPHY.
But for good and smart employers it’s about more than just acceptance and inclusion. It’s about valuing employees as individuals and celebrating the diversity of their workforce. This in turn increases productivity and leads to better outcomes (including bigger profit margins for private sector organisations) according to research studies quoted in this BBC article: Why it’s important to be yourself at work and this Infographic.
So acceptance, inclusion, valuing employees as individuals and celebrating diversity of LGBT employees is a win-win situation. Employees are happier and feel more secure. Employers get increased productivity and better outcomes.
Acceptance, inclusion, valuing employees as individuals and celebrating diversity of LGBT employees is a win-win situation. Image from & copyright Total Jobs @ GIPHY.
But according to Todd it’s not all positive. He cites surveys that report that some LGBT people still experience bullying and/or harassment at work and that some LGBT people feel that some workplaces have been/are unwelcoming.
I can only speak of my own experiences. My experiences of being an LGBT person in employment has been very positive for the fast majority of the time.
But I have experienced bullying and harassment because of my sexuality and/or gender (as a Nurse who happens to be male). Three or four times in my career, which for me is three or four times too many. Each time by an individual employee and each time I felt unable to challenge their attitude or behaviour because of the situation I was in.
Still I have observed a massive change in attitudes and cultures both in the workplace and outside of it during my career. I think that if someone attempted to bully or harass me in the workplace today, that one of my colleagues would challenge it before I had chance to.
What do you think of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) people in employment today? Please leave a comment below.
Gay by Degree is a website that has been developed by gay rights charity Stonewall. Initially when I heard about it, I wasn’t sure what to think. But when I looked at it I was impressed with the idea and how it has materialised.
Basically Stonewall has rated each University on it’s level of gay friendliness. They’ve done this by checking if the universities have the following:
•A Stonewall Diversity Champion
• A policy that protects lesbian, gay and bisexual students from bullying
• Compulsory staff training on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues
• Lesbian, gay and bisexual staff network
• Student lesbian, gay and bisexual society
• Info for students on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues
• Events for lesbian, gay and bisexual students
• Explicit Welfare Provision for lesbian, gay and bisexual students
• Consultation with lesbian, gay and bisexual students
• Specific Career Advice for lesbian, gay and bisexual students
(From: http://www.gaybydegree.org.uk/introduction-to-the-guide, Last Accessed: 18 August 2010)
The sad truth is that homophobia still exists in the world today. Some people still believe that it is a heterosexual world and that being gay is wrong and worthy of a beating. For some reason it’s usually heterosexual men that are the perpetrators towards gay men. See this video:
Now before you strug this off as American, do you remember the case of a gay teenager Michael Causer in Liverpool (a city close to were I live)? He got murdered on his way home.
Homophobia is alive in every country of the world, and we should not forget it.
