Pride Month – Behind the flag

In June 1969 a gay bar in Manhattan, called the Stonewall Inn, was raided by police. Riots followed for days in protest of discrimination and police brutality, sparking the gay rights movement in the US. This movement spread across the world, adopting the term Pride, and is celebrated across the month of June as the anniversary of the riots.

 

The pride flag was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978 to represent the LGBTQ+ community and refused to trademark it. There have been many iterations, including removal of colours and addition of new patterns to represent the unique struggle of BAME, transgender, non-binary and intersex people. Originally it was seen as controversial for use by companies and public bodies, now it is common place across the month of June.

 

Despite the legal strides, most significantly the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the Equalities Act 2010, there are still cultural barriers to inclusion.

• A survey of LGBTQ+ engineers found 46% of respondents were not out at work, and 17% felt it would hinder their career progression (E&T)
• 1 in 5 of LGBTQ+ people have been the target of negative comments from work colleagues in the last year (Stonewall UK)
• 25% of employers in the construction and engineering industry admitted they’re less likely to employ a worker that was transgender (Crosslands Solicitors)

Here at CBG we want to support breaking down barriers and champion inclusivity.

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