PinkNews has announced the nominees of the Third Sector Equality Award, sponsored by Amazon, at the PinkNews summer reception in Edinburgh, which is supported by Virgin Money and DLA Piper.
The nominees are Amnesty International, National Trust, St Mungo’s and Victim support, all of which have shown significant support for the LGBT+ community. The winner will be announced at PinkNews’ annual awards night in London on 17th October.
Victim Support has been a Stonewall Top 100 Employer since 2010, and this year was named a top trans-inclusive employer, working on LGBT+ domestic abuse preventions, as well as supporting their own LGBT+ employees.
The National Trust’s Prejudice and Pride programme highlighted LGBT+ heritage stories for the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality, something it continues to do through its Challenging Histories initiative. They also participated in 17 Pride events last year and are now a Stonewall Diversity Champion.
Amnesty International UK has been tirelessly campaigning for the LGBT+ community, including raising awareness of the struggle of those in Chechnya, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. They are also members of the coalition pushing for equal marriage in Northern Ireland.
St Mungo’s have been actively promoting LGBT+ role models through poster campaigns, as well as changing internal practices to ensure they are a trans-inclusive organisation. They are one of few supported housing providers to provide LGBT-specific housing.
The PinkNews reception comes as the Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards) Bill passed in Scotland this month. The event saw a cross-party group of Scottish politicians – including Ruth Davison MSP, Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, and Angela Constance MSP, Minister for Communities, Social Security and Equality – gather to celebrate LGBT+ progress in Scotland on the evening of Wednesday 20th June.
Michael Roberts, Software Developer Manager, Amazon and Chair of glamazon Scotland, the company’s LGBT+ employee affinity network, said: “Congratulations to all the outstanding charities shortlisted for the PinkNews Third Sector Equality Award this year. These organisations work tirelessly all year round to ensure the LGBT+ community feels safe, supported, accepted and well-recognised. They are an inspiration to us all.”
Natasha Bloomfield-Reid, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Victim Support, said: “Victim Support is delighted to be shortlisted for the Pink News Third Sector Award. We work hard to embrace LGBT+ inclusion within our organisation to ensure that victims, volunteers and staff members are supported to be their authentic selves. While we are proud of our achievements, we endeavour to continually improve our processes and understanding so that our people are equipped with the right knowledge, skills and support, our LGBT+ network is well resourced, and that LGBT+ victims are effectively supported.”
Rachael Lennon, Programmer Curator at National Trust, said: “This is an important recognition of the hundreds of staff and volunteers who supported the delivery of the Prejudice and Pride programme and the creation of our new LGBTQ+ staff and volunteer network. It recognises our commitment to legacy and ensuring that the National Trust is an inclusive place to work, to volunteer and to visit. It is particularly exciting to be recognised and celebrated in awards led by the LGBTQ community. We’re keeping our fingers crossed!”
Amy White, Head of Client Involvement at St Mungo’s, said: “We are delighted to be nominated for the Third Sector Equality Award. At St Mungo’s we work hard to ensure all of our staff and clients feel valued, included and able to be their best selves no matter what their sexual orientation or gender identify. We are proud of everything we have achieved this year and would like to say thank you to our fantastic LGBTQ+ network and all of our committed and passionate staff who work hard to promote LGBTQ inclusion every day. We wish everyone luck in the award ceremony and look forward to hearing the results.”
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