Happy Pride Month 2025!
June is Pride Month, which is a vibrant, global celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, honouring their ongoing fight for equality and inclusion.
It began in 1970, commemorating the Stonewall Riots of June 1969, a turning point in LGBTQ+ history which sparked the first Pride march in 1970.
Pride Month is more than a celebration. It is a call to action for organisations to support diversity, equity, and belonging in the workplace.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 3.8% of UK adults aged 16 and over identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual in 2023, which is up from 2.2% in 2018.
Among those aged 16-24, that figure rises to at least 10%.
These individuals are your colleagues, friends and family. Ensuring they feel safe, respected, and valued should always be a priority.
Pride in the workplace
Many LGBTQ+ employees still feel they can't be open about their identity at work:
- 26% are not out to any co-worker;
- 50% are not out to their manager.
Clearly, there is still progress to be made in building inclusive workplaces:
- one in five workplaces have no LGBTQ+ support policies at all;
- LGBTQ+ employees face a 16% pay gap, earning on average £6,703 less annually than their peers.
A more inclusive culture begins with strong, visible policies and leadership support.
Celebrate Pride Month
There are many ways your business can support and take part in Pride Month in meaningful ways:
- raise money for an LGBTQ+ charity - supporting a relevant charity raises awareness and unites your team behind a shared goal;
- invite someone from an LGBTQ+ organisation to speak to your team - this not only educates but also helps build a deeper connection to the cause;
- challenge exclusion and review your workplace policies - review your equality and anti-discrimination policies, address pay equity, and ensure inclusive language is used in your communications and HR documents;
- recommend pride-focused webinars - webinars are a simple, time-efficient way to educate your team and highlight LGBTQ+ workplace issues;
- celebrate with inclusive office decorations - decorating your workspace for Pride can be a fun and meaningful way to spark conversations and raise visibility;
- share your support on social media - promote your Pride Month activities on social media to highlight your organisation's commitment to inclusion;
- share stories and realities - invite colleagues to share their Pride month stories in meetings, webinars and events if they are comfortable doing so.
For more information on this subject, see:
