Lesbian Visibility Day - Tuesday 26 April 2022

There has been a Lesbian Visibility Day since 2008. The day is celebrated annually on 26th April and aims to show solidarity with all LGBTQI woman and non-binary people in the community. Lesbian Visibility Day is all about recognising, celebrating and importantly supporting lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer women and non-binary people across the UK and beyond, to be their true selves at work, at home and socially.

Recent research (Pride Matters survey, conducted by Pride In London 2018) has shown that gay women are almost twice as unlikely to be out in the workplace as gay male colleagues. Furthermore, being out to colleagues is one thing, being out to your employer is another - with 19% of gay men surveyed and 35% of lesbians saying they are not out to their employers.

The University of Huddersfield stands with and celebrates our staff and students who identify with the term Lesbian, along with the rest of the LGBTQI+ community. To mark the occasion, the Rainbow Pride flag will be flown outside St Paul’s Hall on Tuesday 26th April to acknowledge Lesbian Visibility Day.

How can I be an ally to queer women?

The University of Edinburgh have put together a page on Common Sexuality-based Microaggressions. The page provides examples of Microassaults (the hyper-sexualisation of queer women), Microinsults (invasive questions about their sex and sexuality) and Microinvalidations (implications that queerness is a choice, a phase or does not exist).

You can educate yourself further by reading Raphaella’s Role Model Profile below:

Raphaella Ward (she/her)

Voice, Inclusion and Campaigns Manager at Huddersfield Students’ Union

Why is lesbian visibility important?

Growing up, I never saw or heard of anyone that identified as a Lesbian, not even on TV. It wasn’t until I went to University in 2012 and started meeting different people that I began to realise my own sexuality. It was only then that I felt I could start building on who I knew I was but didn’t feel I could be at home or at school. I met people from the LGBTQ+ community within the Students’ Union’s football team and suddenly I felt less alone in every space.

I was able to talk about things that I’d never talked about or had a space to talk about. It helped me to cultivate friendships and build a community around me of people I supported and people that supported me. I learnt so many new things and was taken under the wing of elder queers. After University and into the workplace, a lot of those friends became more like family. They provide me with a community where I feel safe, a space of freedom, a place to ask questions and explore, a fantastic level of self-assurance, and build my own environments where I can challenge and be challenged to learn and grow.

Why do you think it’s important to have LGBTQ+ role models?

I think it’s important for people to have LGBTQ+ role models to inspire people to feel comfortable to be who they are. Whether those roles models are in the public eye, a friend or family member, or a workplace mentor. I have seen the positive impact that LGBTQ+ role models can have in someone’s life, first-hand through friends and mentors at work. They’ve helped me to feel comfortable, and be proud of the person I am, and they have given me wise words and guidance in work and wider life but most of all they inspire me by being exactly who they are.

What was it like coming out at work?

Coming out can be very daunting and is just one of the first difficulties that new LGBTQ+ starters in the workplace experience. Can I share what my partner and I did at the weekend with colleagues? What if my colleagues don’t accept me? What if I’m treated differently?

Even though my experiences of coming out at different workplaces has been great, a lot of individuals don’t quite understand how difficult that can be. If people don’t feel comfortable to come out, it can feel isolating and start to reduce your sense of belonging.

What can Allies do?

Don’t assume people’s sexual orientation
Educate yourself around relevant terminology within queer women’s spaces
Be mindful of sexuality-based microaggressions
Be mindful that some people prefer to use either ‘gay’, or ‘lesbian’

What led you to share your story?

If I can offer the same space, support, and guidance that others have offered me, by sharing a little bit of my story, I hope I can make people feel visible and comfortable to be themselves at work or within even a small part of their lives.

Thank you to Raph for sharing her experiences and helping us to learn more about the importance of lesbian visibility!

If you identify as LGBTQI+ and would like to share your experiences and help increase visibility across the University, please contact l.minto2@hud.ac.uk for more information.

Lesbian Visibility Week Events

Throughout the week of 25th April-1st May, Lesbian Visibility Week is running a series of free events that will be live-streamed through Facebook and YouTube unless otherwise stated.

Highlights from the full list of events are detailed below:

NEURODIVERGENCE AND QUEERNESS - ROUNDTABLE

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

14:00-14:45

ONLINE SESSION streamed through Facebook

INTERSEX AND QUEER

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

15:30-16:15

ONLINE SESSION streamed through Facebook

BEYOND THE RAINBOW: FOR THE LOVE OF WOMEN

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

19:00-20:30