Pride Month at NIHR

Last June, the NIHR joined the rest of the world in supporting Pride Month and recognising the stories, and victories of those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and others under the sexual and gender minority (SGM) umbrella.


As you're aware, we have made a commitment to promoting inclusion in our research, culture and processes. To do this effectively we need to champion inclusion within our own workforce and promote a culture where everyone can be themselves in the workplace. We know we are not as inclusive as we want to be and we want to change that 


We are seeking to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) inclusion in relation to health and care research around the world and how we can all play a part in creating an inclusive NIHR that supports everyone irrespective of sexuality or gender identity.  Our webinars will also provide the opportunity for attendees to share actions we can take to make NIHR a more inclusive place for people who are LGBTQ+. 


We hope you join us as we continue to build an inclusive workplace that recognises and appreciates the diversity and inclusion of everyone across NIHR.


Esther Mukuka (she/her), NIHR Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Learn more about LGBTQ+ identities and key terminology 

As part of NIHR’s first ever Pride Month celebration, this interactive webinar leads you through the key terminology and concepts relating to LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) identities.

Delivered by Roy Ward and Meera Sen Burgess, Equality and Inclusion Project Officers in the CRN, it explains the history of Pride and discuss LGBTQ+ inclusion in relation to health and care research around the world.  

Please find a list of questions and answers from the webinar on this FAQ document.

Let's talk about pronouns - update your email signature

NIHR would welcome people sharing their pronouns in their email signatures if they feel comfortable doing so. This is to help normalise sharing pronouns and make it easier for trans or non-binary people to share theirs too without feeling singled out.

Here's a short guide how you can add them:

Find out more about pronouns in a blog by Roy Ward, Equality and Inclusion Project Officer in the CRN.

Roy's blog discusses:

Hear from NIHR colleagues who support using pronouns

We spoke to colleagues across NIHR to find out what they thought about using pronouns. 

You can read their comments in full or see a selected snippet underneath their photo. 

We're also keen to hear more staff views which you can share by emailing edi@nihr.ac.uk

Useful links and resources shared by the NIHR EDI Team

Book: How to Survive a Plague: The Story of How Activists and Scientists Tamed AIDS by David France

Film: PrEP 17 - The coming of age of PrEP. Documentary about the England trial for an HIV prevention strategy.

TV: It’s A Sin (All4, Netflix, Disney Plus). A chronicle of four friends who lived during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the UK.

Podcast: Out with Suzi Ruffell. This podcast is about the inspiring lives of LGBTQ+ people.

Webinar: Responding to LGBTQ+ inequalities during COVID-19 and beyond.

LGBT Health and Wellbeing resources: Find information about LGBTQ+ communities and a range of health and wellbeing topics.