In this LGBTQ+ History Month the annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements we asked our colleague Andrew Bailey to tell us what working for NCFD as gay man means to him.
It’s great working with the team at NCFD. I was made redundant, and I decided to take some time out to think about what it was I wanted to do next. It may sound grand but one of my considerations was to find a job collaborating with people that tangibly made a difference by bringing about change. So, when I saw the NCFD was looking for an administrator, I thought why not? It ticks a box for me.
I intuitively knew it was a job I wanted to do after I had an initial call with Dawn, we clicked which proved that it was going to be a good fit where my values were aligned to those of the Centre.
It was important for me to know that the team understood what I was about, and I knew what they wanted to achieve. I wasn’t wrong; it’s invisible but as an everyday thing being respected and being listened to means a lot to me knowing my contributions are seriously considered and some ideas taken on board.
As a gay man I want to be able to come to work and not hide parts of my personality and NCFD allows me to this. In other roles throughout my career especially when I was younger, I remember telling colleagues I had a girlfriend as I didn’t want to be judged. I felt I could not be myself. From the get-go at the Centre, it has just been embraced. We are happy to be who we are either individually or as a collective.
And Solat practices what he preaches. The first time we met he just seemed cool and was interested in me as an individual, wanting to know what made me tick. I have been in a long relationship over 25 years and am a married gay man and Solat was appreciative and supportive. I felt valued and that I had a voice which has not always been the case in the past.
Having diversity in the workplace where all our collective experiences count is powerful and can make a difference whether it is dealing with people taking their teams through Investors in Diversity or Leaders in Diversity to influencing what we do.
Early on I suggested that the demographic questions on the surveys needed to be updated. My suggestion was to ensure we included questions for those that considered themselves non binary or trans so they could feel seen and understood.
One of the satisfying things is seeing how change makes a difference. Part of my role is to read the advisor reports. The first surveys we send out really illustrate what changes need to be made and pinpoint where changes will make a positive impact. The comments from the staff across a company are revealing, many are not happy because they don’t feel listened to or noticed. It’s great on the follow up surveys to see almost a 99% positive change. For me that shows the excellent work a company is doing and the fantastic role that NCFD plays in that journey. I wanted to contribute to this newsletter to keep up the publicity around LGBTQ+ months because these awareness campaigns do count and help. It is important as they cultivate conversations around issues even more vital especially as there is transgender hate crime going on year-by-year.
An annual event means we don’t forget what happened in the past. I always say we might have won the battle, but we must continue because there are countries around the world that are marginalised. So, these awareness months are an essential part of the national debate.
We have come a long way and there are LGBTQ+ folk out there all with different stories and experiences but all with a voice. Some are loud others are quiet and the importance of LGBTQ+ month is that it really doesn’t matter. Everyone is an individual in their own right.
I played in a gay rugby team something I miss as I’m too old and injured now! It was great there were guys who were out and showy and Pride was their thing but there were also men who went home to their husbands or partners, for them it was just a social thing seeing a group of guys in a different social setting.
We need to be open and educate in a subtle way. That’s what I love about the NCFD’s E-learning courses, and it goes back to where I started if we can help people understand and feel part of life that is healthy.
The message is important, the past is important because we can be open and learn lessons to help the future. That’s why I am part of the NCFD’s team.
