Equality and Diversity Unit
Confronting Inequality: Celebrating Diversity
Confronting Inequality: Celebrating Diversity
I work in the School of Health Studies and the Centre for Educational Development as a learning technologist. I've been at the university for 8 years now.
I came out back in 1980 and waved the flag and carried the banners for gay rights, in particular Section 28, which was only repealed in the UK in 2003, just as I started work here.
Since then we've had a raft of legislation giving us more rights in employment and as consumers but although we can get civilly partnered, we still can't get married.
I've always been out in the workplace but I still have to come out on a fairly regular basis as I meet new people. The overriding assumption is still that being gay is other. And that's why we need our staff network.
Clare and I are joint chairs for the Respect LGB staff network. The network formed in 2003 and from small beginnings we have become a formally recognised staff network with representation on the various equality and diversity committees which are responsible for promoting and upholding E&D at the university.