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In light of recent events, Stephen Molloy, Recruitment Consultant & Chair of BeProud@Cpl wrote a piece to highlight the need for us, as a community to stand up to homophobia.
With this year’s pride celebrations just coming to an end there have been reports of homophobic attacks across the world. BeProud at Cpl stands for active allies, not just in the times of celebration and acknowledgement of progressive changes but also in times of much needed advocacy and support. Being proud is not just about standing up and celebrating, it is about being unapologetically true to oneself and living in full spectrum.
Pride has just passed, ironically with the theme of community, and this week we saw another senseless death. Born free but killed by hate, in a time that the LGBT+ community has never felt so segregated. There are countries where being gay or any indication of such could result in the death penalty but still in countries that have openly “accepted” and provided the same rights to LGBT+ persons as any other we still see an increase of violent homophobic attacks.
What is worse is that many of these crimes are not even reported due to the fear of victim blaming or other stigmas that could arise. Whatever the context of supposed justification, NOTHING justifies verbal, physical, or emotional attacks on another person due to perceived differences.
Many of us live in a world where we are free to follow our career paths, get married, raise a family, travel the world, dress as we choose, but for many LGBT+ it is not the case. Even walking in the street (anywhere in the world) holding your partner's hand could result in getting physically attacked. Many LGBT+ being constantly on guard, looking for safe spaces to be themselves, being vigilant that “it could be me next”. This is not the world we should be living in.
If you were in a group of friends and someone used a racial slur or heard someone screaming at someone using offensive words, the instant reaction would be of shock and disapproval, why are gay slurs acceptable? We need to change this behaviour and make it unacceptable to use homophobic slurs, including “That’s so gay!”. These slurs encourage social acceptability to turn a blind eye. A lot of the time verbal insults can escalate to attacks, even to levels that result in the loss of life, all because someone is different.
So, step up, stand up, BeProud, be an active ally, raise your voice, your social network, your platform, whatever you do, do better and maybe we will actually see the change happen and can live in a world that we can call home. A true community for all.
LGBT+ Stories & Awareness
Read some of the stories from our people across the Cpl Group about their experiences inside and outside the workplace.
Standing up to Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia: Stephen's Story
The Experience of Discrimination for Bisexual People: Niamh's Story
How to Encourage More Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace with Margot Slattery
LGBTQ+ History Month: BeProud@Cpl Audio Interview
Lesbian visibility week: Audio interview with activist Jules Stewart
Pride month 2021: Cpl’s People of Pride Q&A
BeProud@Cpl
The aim of BeProud is to build an inclusive and safe network that empowers self-belief and confidence, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work. We do this through confidential personal and professional support, collaborating and developing strong relationships with other LGBTQ+ networks, and actively driving conversations on crucial LGBTQ issues internally and on our digital platforms. Learn more on our Diversity and Inclusion page.