Rainbow flags in Belfast | Photo: Flickr/Nicola McFall
Stonewall UK is teaming up with The Rainbow Project to help support LGBT-inclusive employers in Northern Ireland.
The organizations announced their new initiative today (20 April).
Five years ago, The Rainbow Project established a program to help support these inclusive employers.
Currently, they work with 10 employers. However, with the new partnership, they’re aiming to extend their work to 40 employers in just the first year. Plus, by 2019, they also plan to name Northern Ireland’s most inclusive employer overall.
Every year Stonewall already names its top-most inclusive employer.
Inaugural businesses of the program include: Allen and Overy, Allstate, Baker McKenzie, Citi, Close Brothers, EY, Pinsent Masons, and The Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Change the pace for LGBT people in NI
On Thursday (19 April), over 100 people gathered to celebrate this new venture.
‘We’re thrilled to officially launch this partnership,’ said John O’Doherty, Director of The Rainbow Project. ‘We know that many employers are keen to make their workplaces welcoming of all lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff.
‘Now that we’re working with Stonewall, we can make that work happen faster and dramatically increase the pace of change for LGBT people in Northern Ireland.’
Ruth Hunt of Stonewall also praised the project. She said it will ‘transform the lives’ of LGBT people in the country.
She continued: ‘Employers want to get the best out of their staff and we know that people perform better when they can be themselves.
This partnership enables us to share the expertise and skills we have developed over the past decade, and to better understand how we can support LGBT movements in places where the law is different.’
Northern Ireland is still fighting for LGBT rights, as seen in their continuing journey to marriage equality.
