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:
On the NIHR Hub, select the Directory. Select “Edit” on your Directory profile.
Type your pronouns into the free text description box. You may wish to use the format “Pronouns - She/Her”, with your pronouns substituted.
Click save. Please note that changes take effect and will be visible in your signature the following day when the system updates overnight.
Find out more about pronouns in a blog by Roy Ward, Equality and Inclusion Project Officer in the CRN.
Roy's blog discusses:
what pronouns are
why pronouns are used
how using pronouns can be powerful and validating
why and how you can share pronouns
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.
Film: Pride - based on the true story of a group of gay men and lesbians who raised funds to support a mining village in Wales.
Pose (BBC iPlayer) - award-winning series spotlighting LGBTQ+ subculture in the African-American and Latino communities in 80s and 90s New York.
Find an LGBTQ+ book - LGBTQ reads is a resource dedicated to promoting curated LGBTQ+ literature for all ages.
Pride: The Story of the LGBTQ Equality Movement by Matthew Todd - Pride documents the milestones in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality.
The Log Books - podcast sharing the history of LGBTQ+ life in Britain as noted by volunteers at the helpline Switchboard.
gal-dem - media publication, committed to telling the stories of people of colour from marginalised genders.