Campaign against homophobia in construction launched

A new campaign that addresses issues faced by the LGBT+ community within the construction industry has been launched by LGBT+ network, Building Equality.

To coincide with International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (#IDAHOBIT) on 17 May, Building Equality has released a toolbox talk alongside a hard-hitting poster campaign.

The posters challenge misconceptions, such as people only getting their jobs because they tick the diversity box, and highlight examples of inappropriate language.

Building Equality is an alliance of over 30 organisations nationally, with over 20 in the Greater Manchester region. There is representation from across the construction industry including consultants, engineers, developers, contractors and institutions.

Ryan Cornick, Greater Manchester Building Equality representative and bid coordinator at Willmott Dixon said: “This is true cross-industry collaboration, where the sector has come together to help affect positive change through the development of free educational resources. If one person looks at these posters and either contemplates their own actions or feels empowered to call out the actions of others, then we have done our job.”

Luke Ives, Greater Manchester Building Equality chair and bid manager at Civic Engineers added: “LGBT+ rights and inclusion has progressed enormously in recent years but despite this, many LGBT+ individuals still face continued and widespread discrimination and abuse. We believe education is the key to addressing this discrimination and empowering the LGBT+ community and its allies in the workplace, to call out inappropriate behaviour and help to build a wholly inclusive industry. Cross-industry collaboration is central to enacting positive change and it is through this collaboration of 20+ Greater Manchester Building Equality members that these resources have been brought to life. By working together, addressing the real issues and incorporating the whole supply chain, we can hopefully improve the practice, culture and image of the building industry.”