08 Jan 2021

Diversity Lens - Issue 58

Diversity Lens - Issue 133 Diversity Lens - Issue 132 Diversity Lens - Issue 131

Jan 8

Diversity Lens - Issue 58

Welcome to Diversity Lens

Diversify your news consumption.

IN A RUSH?
In this first issue of 2021, we bring you the most empowering LGBTQ+ moments of 2020 amid all the bad. Reviews from the deaf community come through for new Hollywood film, and major research finds troubling long-term effects of gender stereotyping. We ruminate on the UK's third lockdown, and bring you a fascinating interview with feminist icon Judith Butler. Scroll to the bottom for our job vacancies.

LATEST NEWS

10 empowering LGBTQ+ moments that happened in 2020

It feels all too easy to skip over the positives from 2020 - they happened, I promise. Gay Times highlights 10 of these rays of hope for the LGBTQ+ community, from a year that took a heavy toll on queer people. 2020 was the year we saw a global rallying around the movement Black Trans Lives Matter in a huge display of visibility, resilience and allyship towards the trans community. In less momentous but highly influential news, Drag Race had a legendary year in 2020 when we needed it the most, crowning four queens of colour. Furthermore in Northern Ireland law, same-sex marriage was finally legalised.
Read more... (8 minutes)

Deaf community members see Riz Ahmed's role in Sound of Metal as Hollywood milestone

Rave reviews of new major feature film Sound of Metal are coming in thick and fast. The depiction of deaf characters skilfully manoeuvre away from the traps of Hollywood casting to achieve a feeling of authenticity. Riz Ahmed, who spent six months studying American Sign Language (ASL), stars alongside deaf actor Chelsea Lee who also provided support to his lead portrayal. Lee cites the nuance and authenticity of the film as its winning factors, with the commitment of the non-deaf actors that play deaf roles ultimately winning her over.
Read more... (4 minutes)

Gender stereotyping is harming young people's mental health, finds UK report

Leading gender equality campaigning charity the Fawcett Society have found shocking impacts that stem from early gender stereotyping. There is a mental health crisis emerging in the younger generation which seems to have deep rooted connections to gender expectations thrust upon their development. Specifically, body image issues, male suicide rates, and violence against women and girls are all, to some extend, a product of stereotyping that occurs in parenting, education and advertising. The Fawcett Society dub the effects the "‘princessification’ of girls and the toxification of boys".
Read more... (3 minutes)

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION INSIGHTS

Anti-racism group Kick It Out forms three-year partnership with Sky

Kick It Out is English football’s equality and inclusion organisation, challenging discrimination, encouraging inclusive practices and campaigning for positive change. They have formed a three-year partnership with Sky throughout which they will work on a series of initiatives together including within education, online discrimination and stadium racism. It is brilliant to see Sky making impactful steps to become "a galvanising hub for inclusive change", as Kick Out Chair puts it. Their powerful voice will be on the frontline to progress.Read more... (7 minutes)

Male mental health: Why we need to build a more open culture

What can organisations do in order to address the lack of conversation around men's mental health? Men are three times more likely to take their own life than women, and significantly less likely to access therapy or support. This means that your male employees could well be suffering in silence at work. In order to address this, we need to transform business culture from competitive, rigid and closed off, to flexible, balanced and authentic spaces. Make sure your lines of communication are strong, launch wellbeing programmes, and don't just play lip service to the issue - take time to reflect and progress.Read more... (5 minutes)

EVENTS

How to attract diverse talent — Employer branding 1.01

How do you attract diverse talent to you workplace? Join our COO Luke Davis on Team Tailor's expert panel. Team Tailor lead a 'How to' series to share best practices regarding unbiased recruitment and workplace inclusion. In this episode, on January 14th, panellists discuss how to attract a diverse workforce, setting internal goals and developing a sustainable D&I Employer Branding strategy. Register here to join the conversation.

STORY OF THE WEEK

UK Lockdown: Here we go again...

So here we are going into yet another lockdown. Another undetermined period of time dedicated to isolation and social distancing whilst the nation hopefully takes the last strides towards recovery. Those of us that are lucky enough to remain employed will be distracted with work. Some may even relish this time to reflect on whether their pre-COVID day-to-day gave them much fulfilment and what they might want to change when circumstances allow.

One factor that has become apparent during lockdown is the societal compassion that we've received and emitted in each others absence. Across social media and broadcasts, messages of guidance, empathy and understanding have shown how social we remain in the digital age; and how we long for the intimacy that we once had. Let us all remember this both during and after this difficult time. Check out these 5 simple tips to help you get through the slog, and stay emotionally healthy.

Need some extra support? Check out these resources.

FEATURED VIDEO

Feminist icon Judith Butler on JK Rowling, trans rights, feminism and intersectionality

One of the most famous feminist scholars on earth, Judith Butler talks with Owen Jones.

INSPIRATIONAL PERSON OF THE WEEK

R ussell T Davies

In this truly poignant article in the Guardian, Russell T Davies takes us through the trajectory of his career, pierced by the effects of the Aids Crisis. We see the surrounding turmoil bleed into his writing, but not until now has the epidemic taken centre stage in his work. He channels this pain, secrecy, grief and guilt into new series It's A Sin.
"I looked away. Oh, I went on marches and gave a bit of money and said how sad it was, but really, I couldn’t quite look at it. This impossible thing."
Davies talks about the process he had to go through to be able to stop "looking away" and face his experiences head on; the people he lost, the names he still cannot implicate, funerals he couldn't attend. The series itself is inspired by the tragic story of an old friend who contracted Aids and was exposed to his family in hospital as gay, and dying. "I hope we’ve done him justice. That beautiful boy.", Davies says. It's A Sin airs on Channel 4 later this month.

Read the full article