Guest writer, Mark Adderley, ILFM Council Member and Manager at Crowe has kindly written this article for us in this LGBT history month.
LGBT history month is a time of reflection for many people in the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a time to recognise just how far society has come in a relatively short space of time.
Male-male sexual intercourse was made illegal in 1553, and was only legalised in England & Wales in 1967, Scotland in 1980 and Northern Ireland in 1981. Lesbian relationships were never illegal, but lesbians were still subjected to judgement and homophobia.
Many countries that were formerly within the British Empire still have these laws on their statute books. In fact,68 countries globally still have anti-homosexuality laws.
Society has changed, for the better, but there is still a long way to go to achieve equality.
Reflecting on my own journey as an LGBTQ+ person, I’ve realised how significantly workplaces have changed since I started in the workplace as a school leaver in 2011.
Whilst I am very lucky that I’ve never been subjected to homophobia in the workplace, I wasn’t always comfortable bringing my whole self to work.
There were innocent questions, meant with all good intentions, that pushed me deeper into the closet. Things like asking if I had a girlfriend or what I was doing with my wife at the weekend. Then there were family fun days where I wouldn’t have felt comfortable bringing a man along.
Looking back, I wish I had the confidence to be open. Knowing what I know now, I had nothing to worry about. Not one colleague batted an eyelid, there was never a word said that wasn’t kind or caring.
The same goes for the clients I work with day in and day out. They all get excited when I talk to them about my wedding and don’t blink when I tell them my fiancé's name is Elliot.
As many at the ILFM know, I work with law firms of all shapes and sizes. Many of my clients are small firms, that don’t have the resources to implement ED&I initiatives. There’s no sugar-coating it, they aren’t cheap to run, they take up senior management time and not everybody in a firm has the energy to drive them forward.
Legal and Accounting Firms – ED&I
Firms don’t need to spend a fortune on ED&I networks if they don’t have the resources to do so. Kindness and compassion are free, Open and honest conversations cost nothing. There are loads of free resources available online that a firm could circulate to their teams.
What is really important, is to ensure that whatever a Firm does, is done with integrity. Equality, diversity and inclusion should be enshrined within every firm’s values.
You can’t just put up a rainbow flag in the office and call yourself a proud employer. However, that’s not to say that a visible symbol of inclusion within the office isn’t important. For a new colleague, a rainbow flag might just give them that warm fuzzy feeling that you just can’t describe, the feeling of acceptance.
It fills me with joy every June when our offices become awash with rainbows when our lock-screens wave the flag with pride. We walked in Manchester Pride in 2022, and to walk with my colleagues, side by side was simply fantastic.
I’m proud to sit on the ED&I steering group at Crowe and will do whatever I can to help my colleagues be themselves at work.
The ILFM too would love to find ways to help law firms to embrace ED&I, and would welcome any suggestions as to how we can help you and your firm.
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