"At Queen Mary we are delighted that each June the University comes together to celebrate Pride Month as our LGBTQA+ staff and students are a vital part of our diverse community who are the bedrock for fostering the diversity of thought that we strive for.

As well as being a time of celebration Pride Month also offers us all an opportunity to educate ourselves and raise awareness of the issues people from the LGBTQA+ community face.

I would encourage all those at Queen Mary to dedicate time through June and beyond to listen and understand the experiences and needs LGBTQA+ people and identify how we can ensure our LGBTAQ+ staff and students can flourish and reach their full potential."

- Sheila Gupta, Vice Principal for People, Culture and Inclusion

Pride Month 2022

What is Pride Month?

Pride Month is about people and communities coming together in celebration, protest and solidarity, and to remember those who have fought for equal rights for the LGBTQA+ communities. Pride Month takes place during the month of June, to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, June 1969.

Pride Month is often marked with parades, protest marches, poetry readings, public speaking, educational/awareness raising sessions and many other events. The events are a huge celebration of diversity as well as an acknowledgment of some of the hard-won freedoms of LGBTQA+ communities around the world.   

Making sure that celebrating Pride Month in an intersectional way is vital as it recognises that overlapping identities impact the experiences and lives of LGBTQA+ people throughout history and today. At Queen Mary 5-7% of staff identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual and we have staff and students from over 170 countries, 75% of our undergraduates identify as being from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic ethnicities and 9% are registered as having a disability: further highlight why intersectional approaches to Pride Month are imperative for us as a community. 

Why is Pride Month important to Queen Mary?  

As well as being a month-long celebration of LGBTQA+ culture, achievements and progress, Pride Month was born from protest and continues to be an opportunity to raise political awareness of current issues facing LGBTQA+ communities nationally and worldwide. Pride Month also acts as a reminder of how much more still needs to change and be done to ensure that all people who identify as LGBTQA+ are supported and included. 

National surveys show:

• Two in five LGBT students (42%) have hidden their identity at university for fear of discrimination: this is high for trans students (61%) and bi students (47%) compared to gay and lesbian students (29%). This number is also higher for LGBT disabled students (51%) and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic LGBT students (48%) and LGBT students of faith (46%).[1]
• More than one in five lesbian, gay and bi students (22%) wouldn’t feel confident reporting any homophobic or biphobic bullying to their university staff. Women and non-binary students feel less confident in reporting this bullying, 28% per cent and 25% respectively, compared to 13% of men.[2]
• 70% of people with a minority sexual orientation have avoided being open about their sexual orientation for fear of a negative reaction; this was higher for cisgender respondents who were asexual (89%), queer (86%), and bisexual (80%).[3]
• 23% of LGBT employees have experienced a negative or mixed reaction from others in the workplace due to being LGBT or being thought to be LGBT[4].

Pride Month is a time for the LGBTQA+ community and allies to continue to raise awareness of the inequalities and discrimination faced by LGBTQA+ communities around the world and to campaign for equal rights and freedoms for all. 

 

What actions can you take all year round to celebrate and support the LGBTQA+ community at Queen Mary?

• Wear a Queen Mary LGBTQA+ Pride lanyard to signify your commitment to providing a safe and comfortable environment for all of our LGBTQA+ staff and students.
• Read and share our ‘Being a Trans Ally’ and ‘Pronouns Matter’ leaflets
• Read and share our booklets on ‘Non-binary Inclusion and Allyship’, ‘Ace Inclusion and Allyship’ and ‘Bi Inclusion and Allyship’
• Join us in highlighting the ongoing need for solidarity both from within the LGBTQA+ community itself and via allyship from the wider community, and engage with dates such as the
• If you experience or witness homophobia, biphobia or transphobia, you can report it (anonymously if you like) and / or access support through the Queen Mary Report + Support tool.

 

[1] LGBT in Britain - Universities Report, Stonewall (2018)

[2] LGBT in Britain - Universities Report, Stonewall (2018)

[3] National LGBT Survey, summary report, Government Equalities Office (2018)

[4] National LGBT Survey, summary report, Government Equalities Office (2018)