44’s Bryan Jones looks at why it’s so great to be helping people in the workplace get the inclusion and diversity message across – and why learning about and understanding historic struggles is so important.
Last week, I was watching a brilliant Russell T Davies Channel 4 five-parter called It’s A Sin. You may have heard about it – it tells the story of a group of friends growing up as the dark clouds of the AIDS epidemic rise up around them.
I was drawn in by the writer’s dazzling story-telling – haunting and heart-breaking, and at the same time funny, uplifting, endearing and hopeful.
The drama touches on some pretty unpleasant moments in recent British history – moments I lived through, but which didn’t really impact on my middle-class (straight) family life. The appalling treatment of AIDS sufferers – you might remember it was dubbed the ‘Gay Plague’ by the media – and the introduction of the infamous Section 28.
The then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher introduced Section 28 ostensibly to make sure children learned family values in schools. It outlawed the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools, effectively banning the very mention of different types of relationship other than the ‘normal’ heterosexual version. It forced teachers to remove any literature from their libraries which referred to homosexuality.
Astonishingly, that legislation was introduced in 1988 – not in the 1950s. It remained one of the laws of our land until 2003. Hard to believe.
We’ve come this far – but there’s still a long way to go
Which is why it’s so great to say that here at 44, we’re working with companies that embrace and actively promote all types of diversity. Including the ones Mrs T, in her wisdom, sought to oppress.
During LGBTQ+ History Month, we’ve helped them create brilliant publications and content which celebrates heroes from the LGBTQ+ community, points people towards cultural tour-de-forces like It’s A Sin, and explains why the struggle for so-called ‘gay rights’ is so important.
Sadly, we still have a long way to go. Only last year there were protests on religious grounds from the parents of children being taught about diversity in family life at a school in Birmingham.
And one of our contributors told us how he’s planning to tie the knot to his long-term partner who he met just eight years ago, when there was no such thing as same-sex marriage.
They’re busy planning their honeymoon: “Maybe Mauritius or the Maldives. No. Homosexuality is illegal there and we could be arrested. The Bahamas? Dubai? Egypt? No. In fact we could be breaking the law in 70 countries and even face the death penalty in 13 of them. For loving someone.”
Engaging content and sensitive delivery
The work we’re doing on inclusion and diversity in internal comms shows how far we’ve come perhaps. Engaging content and the intelligent, sensitive delivery of the message seems to be hitting home with the clients we work with. Let’s hope the wider world gets with the programme soon.
If you’re inspired, if we can help with your organisations’ leadership communications, or you just want a chat about diversity over a cuppa, get in touch.
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