Everyone is welcome at Carnival UK however they identify
Spectrum, Carnival UK’s LGBT+ & Friends employee-led network, supports belonging and inclusion by championing, challenging and celebrating the LGBT+ agenda. Encouraging colleagues to be curious, we drive allyship to promote positive change across Carnival UK and the communities we are a part of, creating a feeling of belonging for everyone.
LGBT+ resources
Policy documents
Latest news
From advising and supporting the business on inclusive policy changes, to spotlighting LGBT+ inequality issues, and driving headline sponsorship of Southampton Pride, read our news stories to find out more about what we do.
Want to get involved?
Join our Facebook group Spectrum @ Carnival UK or email us at LGBTnetwork@carnivalukgroup.com
How you can be an ally
Educate and Empower yourself: Doing some research, reading up online and learning a little more about the LGBT+ community is a great place to start. Even if you’re part of the community, find out about people whose orientation or gender identity differs to your own. Getting the language right can sometimes feel intimidating, so why not start with Stonewall’s glossary of terms?
Listen & Learn: As allies, and colleagues who Respect and Protect one another; we have to be able to Listen and Learn, ask how someone is doing and be aware that other people’s lives and experiences will be completely different to our own, especially in terms of discrimination and prejudice. Remember that just because someone has come out to you, they might not be out to everyone. Be respectful of each other and enjoy learning about all the differences and diversity in the communities around us
Share your pronouns: Gender pronouns are how we identify ourselves and how we refer to others, for example ‘they’, ‘he’ or ‘she’. By an ally by sharing your pronouns, and recognising the pronouns of your colleagues. Even if you are cisgender (cis) – your gender identity matches your sex assigned at birth – we need your support to start normalising the practice of sharing pronouns. By doing this you’ll help others accept that everyone is unique, and we should never make the default assumption that someone uses a ‘she’ or ‘he’ pronoun. Find out more about pronouns here.
It’s really important though, to remember that sharing pronouns is a personal choice and we must respect the decision of colleagues who choose not to do so.
Be visible and Speak Up: Be loud, visible and proud. We want as many positive messages out there as possible. When you hear people making negative comments or using hurtful or abusive language towards LGBT+ people, Speak Up and challenge it, if safe to do so. If it’s online, report it. You might not always have all the answers or know exactly what to say and that’s OK. Here are some tips to think about:
- Keep calm and explain why bullying is wrong
- Try saying something like, ‘Stop, this is wrong’ and explain why
- Make sure you stay safe and don’t put yourself in danger
- Check the person being bullied is OK
- Encourage them to report it
Being an ally goes beyond just LGBT+
It’s important to remember that people have lots of different elements to their identities – someone might be bi and also a person of colour (PoC), or trans and Catholic, gay and disabled, non-binary and dealing with a mental health issue. This may mean they suffer multiple levels of discrimination in their life. Being an ally is about listening to and learning from someone else’s experiences and showing your support for them.
Key dates in UK LGBT+ history
Tom Driscoll is lead for Spectrum, with the support of an active member group from across the business for key events and activities.
“For a long time I kept my personal and professional life separate and I think that was because I wasn’t completely comfortable being my whole self at work. Now, as lead of Spectrum, Carnival UK’s LGBT+ & friends network, I’m proud to be championing the LGBT+ community at every opportunity.” Tom Driscoll, Lead, Spectrum