We are in the throes of the biggest public health crisis in a century, and some would say it has brought out the worst in humanity – a rolling back of democracy, human rights, education, and social protection, as nations and communities grapple with the serious threats before them, unable or unwilling to see past their own front door.
But this is a cynic’s view and while partly true, it is also true that the past year has brought out the best of humanity, the coming together of communities to demand justice and equality, from Black Lives Matter, MeToo, and LGBT+ movements right around the world. That’s because the fight for black (and brown) lives or trans rights is all part of the same struggle – to treat everyone the way we wish to be treated ourselves, with respect and dignity, and to afford everyone the same fighting chance in life that we were lucky enough to have, regardless of what you look like and who you love. This LGBT+ History Month, let’s celebrate all the things that unite us, and the things worth fighting for.
THE JOURNEY IS FAR FROM OVER
It goes without saying that LGBT+ rights have come a very long way over the past few decades. When I was a child, I did not live in a world where I could marry the man I love, start a family, be a dad, or even hold hands in public for that matter. All that has changed for the better. More than 10 percent of all characters on TV were LGBT+ in the 2019-2020 broadcast season. Only 48 percent of Gen Z identifies as exclusively heterosexual. Everyone, it seems, is a little bit queer now. But huge challenges remain. Gay conversion therapy, for example, is still legal in the UK and marriage equality is still not a reality for LGBT+ people in Northern Ireland. And while things have improved for gay men and women who identity as cisgender, there is still so much work to be done to ensure every gender identity is respected and represented, here at Save the Children and out there in the world. We have a SOGIE Policy (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression) in place, so we are talking the talk. But now it’s time to walk the walk, and embed this policy into our practices and programmes, in the UK and around the world. It’s also critical that we recognise the intersectionality between BAME, disabled and LGBT+ individuals, and the unique challenges they face.
PAINTING RAINBOWS
We have achieved much success in championing and representing LGBT+ rights in the workplace. In 2021, we hope to take our learnings and begin to apply them with more force to our domestic and global programming, to help give LGBT+ children a voice and embed a sensitivity to LGBT+ issues in our programmatic work. Though this will be fraught with complexities, it is the right thing to do, because every child is beautiful and deserves to be heard.
Come join us as we paint the world red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple.
