Chair's Eye View - February 2025
Please see this months chair's eye view
LGBT+ History Month was founded in 2005 by Schools Out, following the repeal of section 28. This February, its 20 years since we first started celebrating LGBT+ History Month. It is an opportunity to celebrate and highlight all the incredible things LGBT+ people, in all our diversity, have achieved throughout history in all areas of life.
The theme this year is Activism and Social Change. Throughout history, LGBT+ people have been activists and helped shape and create societal change, advancing society for everyone using many different approaches to activism.
Throughout LGBT+ History Month, there are a variety of events that colleagues can attend, from lunch and learns, coffee mornings, allyship workshops, and walking tours across the UK. You can catch up with all our latest events on the events section of our website.
It’s important we continue to ensure our network thrives. We’re really focusing on making sure there are CS LGBT+ spaces across all parts of the UK. There is currently a focus on North Wales, where a small focus group of colleagues from various departments discuss and plan how we can bring and plan for a Civil Service LGBT+ presence in North Wales. To get involved with our North Wales project, or you would like to know more information, please contact NorthWales@civilservice.lgbt. Other target areas include East of England, Scottish Highlands and Islands. If you want to get involved, please reach out to Chairs@civilservice.lgbt.
If you haven’t already caught our news article regarding Pride 2025, it has been confirmed that we will again be attending Pride parades across the United Kingdom, to celebrate the Civil Service as an inclusive employer for LGBT+ people. If you think you may be able to support Ross and the network of Local Organisers that pull pride off every year, please reach out using Pride2025@civilservice.lgbt.
Our network continues to grow, and changes happen. Due to work commitments, Claire and Anna have stood down from their roles as Vice Chairs. Claire played a vital role in progressing inclusion within the network for our LGBT+ ethnic minority siblings but also held discussions around career progression for all LGBT+ Civil Servants. Anna will continue within the network but will focus on walking groups and virtual coffee mornings, for LGBT+ women.
Faz will be taking over as Vice Chair continuing to focus on inclusion for our LGBT+ siblings from ethnic minority groups, and faith backgrounds. To get in touch with Faz, please use Vice-Chair-Ethnic-Minority-Inclusion@civilservice.lgbt.
Are you a parent, carer or guardian to LGBT+ young people? Are you the partner of a trans person but don’t identify as an LGBT+ person yourself, we have the perfect space for you. Led by parents/guardians of LGBT+ young people and partners of trans people. This isn’t to be confused with an Allies space, we value all our Allies, but this group will work closely with Ellie to progress both this space and our Allies space in a positive collaborative way. To contact either group, please use Allies@civilservice.lgbt for Ellie, or Parents-Carers-Partners@civilservice.lgbt to contact Lynda, Tracey, Elsa and Stephen “Leggy”.
I hope you all enjoy the rest of LGBT+ History Month and manage to take part in some of the events or socials. All our most up to date information is published on the events section of our website, and don’t forget to register for the Pride parades you’d like to march in!
Final updates from us, Civil Service LGBT+ Mentoring will be back for 2025, although we’re working with a launch date later in the year currently.
Any questions for Saorsa or I, please direct to Chairs@civilservice.lgbt
Jefferson Welsby