Spotlight on: ALLOUT
01 Feb 2022
February is LGBT+ History Month, so it’s timely to learn more about ALLOUT, our LGBT+ Staff Network Group
ALLOUT has close to 250 members from all over campus and has a vibrant programme of events throughout the year. Aside from raising awareness through activities such as IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia) and Manchester Pride, the group also drives our University’s application to the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, ensuring we consistently remain amongst the most LGBT+ inclusive organisations in the UK.
The group ensures that LGBT+ staff have a voice on various EDI committees around our University and have been able to influence change in a number of areas over the years. ALLOUT also offers a full range of support to its members; be it peer support, bullying and harassment, career development or external support, they ensure all members have access to these and other resources.
The group is always keen to welcome new members and would especially like to learn how they can support LGBT+ people of faith, colour, LGBT+ disabled staff and all other communities. Throughout 2021 they did a number of significant pieces of work including campaigns to encourage people to display their pronouns on signatures and video call screen. 2022 holds many challenges for the group and they’ll be aiming to raise awareness of non-binary identities, bi-erasure and the continued barriers faced by trans members of staff, students and our community.
If you don’t identify as LGBT+, you can still become an ALLOUT ally and help the group raise awareness of barriers to participation that LGBT+ staff still encounter in the workplace.
More information:
“Inclusion is absolutely critical to individual wellbeing, engagement and performance, and one of my objectives as Director of People & Organisational Development is to create a culture at Manchester in which we all feel included and treated with respect and dignity. ALLOUT is a fabulous network and has an important voice in our focus on equity of opportunity and inclusion. The Network has my full support in taking forward initiatives in assuring equality of LGBT+ staff and developing an inclusive environment for all. We will be focusing on further developing and embedding our ally scheme within the Directorate and beyond during 2022. Watch this space.” - Adèle MacKinlay (She/Her), Director of People and Organisational Development