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| Hi there, your editors for this newsletter are Simon Storvik-Green (Cranmore), and Francesca Parsell (Sheffield Haworth). |
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Introduction from the Editor
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Dear Link Members,
After a successful 2019, 2020 also promises to be a busy one for Link, with a whole host of industry and social events in the pipeline; from our new Link & Learn events to the Link Charity Quiz and Pride in London. Keep an eye on your mailbox and our website for updates as they come in! We are also excited to welcome two new members to our Steering Committee: Manuel Thompson-Oloko and Arthur Dann. You can read more about them below.
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On a more sombre note, from 2017/2018 to 2018/2019 the UK Government saw a sharp increase in recorded hate crimes for the strands of sexual orientation and transgender identity, which increased by 25% and 37% respectively over the period. For example in 2018/2019, 2,333 hate crimes were recorded in respect of transgender identity compared to 1,703 in 2017/2018 and 313 in 2011/2012. A full overview of the statistics can be found here. I think we can all agree they make for shocking reading. As members of, and allies to the LGBT+ community, we all have a collective responsibility to take steps to raise awareness and do what we can to ensure a safe environment for all. In that vein I’d like to bring your attention to some incredible work done by Enterprise Holdings in conjunction with the Hampshire Constabulary. Enterprise, which also has an insurance wing, has worked with Safer North Hampshire, Hampshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to produce a series of Business Crime Guides, supporting employees affected by hate crimes. According to Karen Evans, Community Safety Officer, “any crime lowers the quality of life for a victim, but a hate crime attacks a person’s core sense of identity and belonging within society. In order to help businesses best respond to their managers or employees being a victim or witness of a hate crime in the workplace, Enterprise Rent A Car, Safer North Hampshire, Hampshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner have designed the following, easy to read and implement guides which we hope will be helpful to your organisation”:
We at Link hope you will take some time to read these guides and disseminate them where necessary. Keeping to the theme of safety and well-being, the beginning of the year is often a time when we are busy planning our holidays, but did you know that homosexuality is illegal in over 70 countries worldwide? Some of these include popular holiday destinations in the Caribbean and Middle East. At Link we would always advocate that you do your research before jetting off, and in order to help you, we have stumbled across this Sporcle Quiz asking you to name the countries with laws against homosexuality. Give it a go - you may be surprised by what you find. Finally, February may be just around the corner, but on behalf of the Link Leadership and Steering Committee I would like to wish you all a very happy and successful 2020. Simon Storvik-Green
Link Steering Committee Member |
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Welcome to the newest additions to the Link Committee.
We are excited to have two new members join the Link committee. |
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Manuel Thompson-Oloko
Manuel is the Early Careers Manager at the CII, responsible for leading all programmes related to apprenticeship activity for the professional body, and the united profession on the whole. He has worked in learning and development for over a decade, with a specific drive to promote social mobility, which is backed by the CII’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, and a strategic vision of relevant learning.
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Arthur Dann
Hi everyone, Arthur the Aussie Actuary here. I am a proud dual citizen, having moved to London in 2012, and I currently live in Notting Hill. I am trained as an actuary, and have worked across life, general, reinsurance and software at various stages of my career. My current role is within Risk Management at Lloyd's. Within the D&I world, I have an interest in understanding LGBT+ issues, culture, and gender identity. It was interesting growing up gay and non-white in Sydney, where there is an atmosphere of friendly banter about oneself and others.
I am a committee member of Lloyd's Pride and Allies network, as well as the London chapter of Macquarie University’s Alumni group. Outside work I am a keen traveller with an interest in modern architecture and regional cuisine. I am also at the theatre around 1-2x a week, and particularly enjoy classical music and ballet. I love a good journey, so I'm really excited to get to know you all better through my involvement in LINK.
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Willis Towers Watson & AIG host 'Gender: No Need to Panic.'
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In December 2019, Willis Towers Watson’s UK LBGT+ and UK Gender Equity (GEN) Networks in conjunction with AIG’s LGBT & Allies (STEP) and Gender Equality Matters (GEM) Employee Resource Groups hosted an important event entitled Gender: No Need to Panic. The session was led by Dr Meg-John Barker who draws on 20 years of research and sought to clarify what gender is and how it works, particularly in relation to trans and non-binary people and gave all attendees an opportunity to consider what gender-inclusive practice might look like for everyone including a few common identities like cisgender, transgender and non-binary. The event was extremely well attended on both sides and the room was fully booked. |
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Dr Barker opened the discussion by saying we appear to be in the midst of a moral panic about gender. We know that gender is highly related to struggles such as high rates of suicide, addiction, and violence among men, and high rates of depression, anxiety, body image, and self-esteem issues among women. It is also highly relevant to workplace issues such as equal pay, emotional labour, and sexual harassment. Attempts to question rigid binary notions of gender, or to see gender as something that can be more flexible and fluid, are often regarded as highly threatening. Trans people suffer the highest rates of mental health struggles of all under the LGBT banner, and often face discrimination in the workplace, due to the cultural stigma attached to being trans. Government and organisational attempts to make life easier for trans people have been met with a backlash across mainstream and social media. Conversely, Dr Barker stated that the current binary view of gender is relatively new in historical terms. Gender is in fact a sociocultural construct, shaped by the culture one grows up in and takes many forms over time and around the world. In biological terms, sex assigned at birth is also not as binary as we are led to believe, but rather a complex spectrum made up of numerous intersectional bio-psycho-social elements. Physical sexual characteristics in some infants are ambiguous; surgical interventions are often made in such cases to assign a particular sex at birth. Dr Barker explained that gender today in the UK can be thought of in many ways: cisgender (someone whose gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth), intersex (someone who has both male and female physical characteristics), and trans which covers social (those who culturally identify with being male or female but were not assigned that sex at birth) and physical (those who have transitioned from one gender to another), and non-binary (those who don’t identify with male or female). In a world pre-occupied with labels, how can we move past this to achieve a more fluid view of gender? Dr Barker suggests, in the short-term at least, that labels are useful. It is important to ensure equal rights, to tackle oppression, to identify the numbers affected and to measure the difference so as to overcome the lack of representation, pay gaps and inequality. It is also important so that people can share connections and experiences. Continuing this important dialogue around gender helps shape conversations, provide role models, promote gender intelligence and ensure inclusivity for all. You can purchase Dr Barker’s latest book: Gender: A Graphic Guide from Amazon. |
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Following three years’ research and analysis, and a Market Task Force programme comprising over 150 volunteer leaders and experts in their field drawn from across insurance and financial services, financial guidance bodies, trade and professional bodies, regulators, policymakers and individuals from PwC, Insuring Women's Futures have launched their full Manifesto: 'Living a financially resilient life in the U.K'
While the catalyst for this work has been women’s financial inclusion the ten overarching recommendations combining policy and practice, business and society aim to improve financial resilience for the whole of society.
Data from the Government Equalities Office, ‘National LGBT survey: summary report’, July 2018 was used for this important publication.
As part of their manifesto, Insuring Women's Futures are encouraging employers in the insurance and personal finance sector to sign up to two pledges, a Financial Flexible Working Pledge and Inclusive Customer Financial Lives Pledge, which both show leadership in support of not only women’s financial resilience with commitments of support, but all those in our Market!
The full Manifesto and both Pledges can be found here by clicking in the button below.
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A study was conducted in 2019 by lgbtQ+@Cam, a new inter-disciplinary program at the University of Cambridge, to explore, document and analyse the experiences of LGBTQ+ students and staff at
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the University. A lot of the issues, and lessons learned, are the same as in many corporate environments, and the report makes for a very interesting, and informative, read for anyone interested in this area of study. As follow-up to the publication of the report University of Cambridge LGBT+ Alumni have facilitated a symposium with lgbtQ+@Cam to share corporate knowledge and best practice in the area of inclusion and engagement. As part of this they would like to reach-out to LINK members to request any feedback they have on the report, and if possible to share with them any relevant policies (good and bad) that they have within their organisation that could contribute to the University’s ongoing research. All feedback will be treated as confidential and names of individuals, and organisations, will not be shared. If you are interested in getting involved with this project, or becoming a member of LGBT+ Alumni, please contact matmaddocks@cantab.net |
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Charles Taylor launch employee LGBT network
On Thursday 16 January, Charles Taylor hosted it’s launch event for it’s employee LGBT network – Charles Taylor+. Over 100 internal people attended the event along with guests from the LINK committee and other LGBT networks.
Presenting at the event was Oliver Hutchings who explained the company’s commitment to LGBT issues in conjunction with Charles Taylor’s wider diversity and inclusion agenda. Mieke Imberg from Stonewall also presented on the importance of such networks within organisations and what individuals could do to support the network.
Charles Taylor hopes to host an event for LINK during 2020 as well as continuing to develop it’s relationship with the network. |
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For hundreds of years the Tower of London has left its mark on the capital, as an imposing fortress, royal palace and infamous prison. Now, to celebrate LGBT History Month, Historic Royal Palaces is revealing some of the lesser known stories from this iconic landmark, with a series of new and immersive LGBT+ tours.
Queer Lives at the Tower combines creative storytelling with live performance to explore like never before the lives, loves and experiences of LGBT+ figures linked with the Tower of London, from the 14th Century to the present day, based on extensive research by Historic Royal Palaces curator Matthew Storey.
Tours: 15, 22, 24, 25 and 26 February 2020
For more information and to buy tickets please click the button below.
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LGBT+ History Month
February marks LGBT+ History Month and to mark this we have included some resources you may find useful and interesting which can be used in the workplace. |
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Voices and Visibility: Uncovering hidden histories wallchart
The wallchart has been produced by the Forum for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Equality in Further and Higher Education and a group of trade unions. The aim has been to produce a resource to support those raising awareness of sexual orientation and gender identity equality and diversity. It highlights important legal milestones and identifies visible and significant contributions made by individuals, groups and particularly the labour movement. You can download your copy here. |
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Queerportraits.com
A website set up to share portraits of historical queer people, with a sentence or two about each person to explore LGBT+ history through the people who created it. Take a look. |
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First Tuesday Networking
Date: Tuesday 4th February 2020
Time: 17.30-22:00
Location: Tank & Paddle, Minster Court
The first Tuesday of every month is a permanent fixture on the Link networking event calendar and is a great opportunity to interact with other LGBT+ members of the Insurance Industry.
Come along to catch up with colleagues and meet new friends at our regular monthly networking event. It's always great to hear your views on recent events and discuss possible topics for future presentations.
If it’s your first time to one of our events please approach one of our committee members, who will be more than happy to introduce you to a few other people (they will be wearing badges so you can recognise them). Of course this is not strictly an LGBT+ event and we welcome anyone within the insurance industry who is interested in coming along so please do feel free to bring along your straight colleagues!
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LINK & Learn: Back to Basics with LGBTQ+ Terminology
Date: Wednesday 19th February
Time: 17:45 - 19:30
Join us at the Chartered Insurance Institute for a bite-sized learning session on LGBTQ+ terminology, lead by LINK's Theresa Farrenson. Katherine Russill of the CII will also be talking about her experiences as a pansexual person, and there will be drinks & snacks provided.
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Pride in London 2020
This year's Pride in London parade will take place on 27th June 2020. As in previous years, Link will be applying for places, with details to follow shortly. Watch this space! |
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