University increases efforts to welcome LGBT staff

When Henriëtte Hendriks accepted a researcher position with the Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics, she didn't actively try to hide the fact that she is a lesbian, but she wasn't eager to broadcast it until she knew a bit more about her new work environment.

“I built in some safety; I didn't explicitly state it in my CV or in any of my forms. It's always a bit tricky – you don't know how people will respond,” Hendriks said.

Once here, she realized she could be open without difficulty. “I have never encountered any problems at this University,” Hendriks said. “I do sense, though, that not everybody is willing to be out at work. The level of comfort might vary depending on the department you work in.”

The University's Personnel Division is heading an initiative to ensure all lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) staff feel comfortable and welcome in the University. As part of that effort, a website launched this month will help make clear policies on sexual orientation.

“The policies we have in place are inclusive, but we needed to make sure that people are aware of them,” said Jenny Woodhouse, Equality and Diversity Policy Officer in the Personnel Division.

Last summer, the University commissioned a report on sexual orientation at work. The Schneider-Ross Consultancy surveyed LGBT staff about their experiences at the University, finding that the climate appears to be positive overall. However, a few staff felt they needed to keep their sexual orientation more hidden than they would prefer. Others, while comfortable being open, felt unsure of what benefits were available to their same-sex partners.

“We learned we need to raise the profile of LGBT staff, showing they are a vital and important part of our University community,” Woodhouse said. “The new website is really only a start – we hope to go on adding resources and information.”

The site currently includes employment and pension policies, the Schneider Ross report, sources of information for gender reassignment and transgender issues, and links to legislation, external organizations and the University's Dignity@Work web pages.

As a result of the report, a group of out staff, including Hendriks, formed a steering committee on sexual orientation. One of their first tasks has been to organize a lecture this autumn given by Ben Summerskill, Chief Executive of Stonewall, an LGBT advocacy group. Vice-Chancellor Professor Alison Richard will chair the event, which will take place at 5pm, Tuesday, 9 October, in the Keynes Lecture Theatre at King's College.

Mary Jennings, Computer Officer for the Judge Business School and Member of Wolfson College, is a member of the steering group. When she came to the University 15 years ago, she made the decision to be out from the start.

“This is the first environment I've been where I've been completely out,” Jennings said. “I think the atmosphere here is generally positive, but I'd like it to be more actively welcoming. I hope what this initiative will do is highlight the contributions that gay people have made to this working environment and make the culture here more excited by diversity.”