LGBT Great digest 85

 

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Issue #85 - Monday, 23 February 2026   Welcome to Issue 85 of the LGBT Great News Digest, your concise briefing on the 5 LGBTQ+ news stories you need to know about right now. This issue highlights how political and societal volatility continues to shape safety, access, and trust for LGBTQ+ people globally, reinforcing the importance of consistency and care at work. Before you read our view on the developing news stories, here are 3 updates for you:    🔊1 – New Toolkit: Raising the Bar for Employee Networks    They are no longer optional forums, they are strategic enablers of leadership, optimism and empowerment. Download our new toolkit that provides a practical framework for designing and activating Employee Networks in ways that are intentional, effective and sustainable.     🤝2 – Response to the FCA Mills Review   Click here to read the LGBT Great in partnership with NEXUS response to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Mills Review. This review looks into the long-term impact of AI on retail financial services – ensuring that concerns/opportunities of LGBTQ+ consumers are considered.  ✨3 – Don’t Miss Out – Our New 30 Minute Masterclasses  These interactive masterclasses bring together inclusion leaders, executive sponsors, ERG leaders, and advocates to explore the essential foundations of allyship, belonging, and resilience.  ➡️Register - EMEA & APAC Session  ➡️Register - US & EMEA Session   Read this issue’s 5 news stories below. If you’d like to discuss any of the themes covered, we’d welcome the conversation. Write to us here. The next News Digest will be published on Monday 09 March 2026.     The LGBT Great Team If you’re using this Digest to inform leadership conversations, build awareness, or people-risk and wellbeing discussions, we’d welcome your feedback HERE

5 LGBTQ+ News Stories

1. New Research Reveals Impact of Inclusive Leadership New research conducted by The Conference Board reveals a widening gap between what executives believe they are delivering for inclusion and diversity and what employees actually experience day to day. The report found that the number of US workers who felt inclusion and diversity initiatives affected them personally fell from 57% in 2024 to 50% in 2025, with respondent sentiment underscoring that the provision of initiatives did not guarantee meaningful change in employee experience. The research also revealed that employees who feel included and respected by their managers were more than twice as likely to say inclusion and diversity efforts improve job satisfaction, collaboration and trust, and three to four times more likely to say initiatives positively shaped their workplace experience. _____ Our View: This new research highlights the crucial role that the behaviour of senior leaders plays in the impact of inclusion and diversity programmes and the fostering of inclusive workplaces. As our 2025 research, For All: The Power of Allyship and Belonging, highlights, leaders set the tone; programmes, initiatives and policies alone cannot change workplace culture. Leadership quality and behavioural consistency are therefore paramount. Role modelling respect, fairness, support and allyship are key, helping to ensure that initiatives translate into real benefit. To learn more about how you can close the gap between executive perception and employee lived experience through embodying inclusive leadership, sign up to our Leadership Masterclass Series here.

2. The European Parliament Agrees to Resolution Declaring that Trans Women are Women On the 11th of February, European Parliamentary members voted 340-141 to adopt a resolution made up of a number of recommendations for the EU to pursue at the 70th UN Commission on the Status of Women, which is set to take place in March. Amongst the recommendations was a proclamation that emphasised the importance of the ‘full recognition of trans women as women’. _____ Our View: Though not legally binding, European Parliament resolutions typically carry significant influence across EU member states. These welcome developments from the European Parliament underscore the affirmation of trans inclusion at an international level, whilst highlighting widening divergence across countries, posing potential implications for organisations. As external political headwinds continue to shift, it is important that organisations maintain internally consistent inclusion standards across regions, reaffirm their support for their trans and nonbinary talent, and ensure psychologically safe workplaces are bolstered by clear internal protections. To learn more about how to support your tans and nonbinary talent, click here.

3. Good Law Project Loses Legal Challenge Against Interim EHRC Guidance on Single-Sex Spaces The Good Law Project has lost its legal challenge against the interim guidance on single-sex spaces issued by the EHRC in April 2025. On Friday the 13th of February, Mr Justice Swift found that the Good Law Project did not have legal standing to bring a challenge against the guidance and rejected arguments that the interim advice was rushed, legally flawed or excluded trans people from accessing services they had been using for years. _____ Our View: Applying the ruling to workplaces, Judge Swift found that transgender employees being forced to out themselves to colleagues by using unisex toilets did not amount to discrimination. This decision from the high court has left employers and services with little additional clarity and has done little to minimise the increasing uncertainty and rising anxiety amongst trans and nonbinary employees. As we await the publication of the updated EHRC guidance that is currently under government review, it is imperative that organisations take proactive steps to reassure employees, maintain psychological safety and continue to review workplace policies. To read more about how to prepare for the publication of the EHRC guidance, click here.

4. City Officials Reinstate Pride Flag at Stonewall Following it’s Removal by Trump Administration On Friday the 13th of February, New York city officials reinstated the Pride flag at the Stonewall national monument, just days after it was removed by the Trump Administration. The flag had been removed in response to a memo from the US interior department stating that only certain federal flags could be flown in national parks. _____ Our View: This move by the Trump administration is just the latest attempt to erase and sanitise the histories of America’s LGBTQ+ communities. As the UK celebrates LGBT+ History Month, this serves as a stark reminder of the importance of continuing to safeguard and celebrate our histories. In these volatile times, organisations should continue to show up visibly and vocally for their talent and leverage education and conversation to build awareness in the workplace.

5. Philippines Supreme Court Rules that Same-Sex Couples can be Recognised as Co-Owners of a Shared Home The Philippines Supreme Court has issued a landmark ruling recognising that same-sex couples who live together can be considered co-owners of property acquired during their relationship, provided they can show clear evidence of financial or material contribution. _____ Our View: This ruling from the Philippines Supreme Court is an important step toward protecting the rights of same-sex couples in a country where marriage equality is yet to be recognised. Whilst a welcome move in the right direction, this example nevertheless is an important reminder that LGBTQ+ people across the globe face unequal rights, often lacking the default legal protections afforded to heterosexual people. As national legislation often fails to provide protection for LGBTQ+ people, it is essential that organisations ensure that their internal policies, benefits, and practices compensate for legal gaps that exist in wider society.

Where might your people be experiencing uncertainty out of the workplace, and how clearly is your organisation showing up as a source of stability? If you’d like to share reflections or learn more about how your organisation can get involved, contact us atinfo@lgbtgreat.com