Blogs

Every year since the 1969 Stonewall Riots, Pride has been marked in June and is frequently accompanied by parades, marches and celebrations. The theme for this year’s World Pride is “#YouAreIncluded”, a statement that Pride is for everyone who wants to be part of it.

At QinetiQ, we’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone is included and can openly be their authentic self. We celebrate the differences alongside the similarities of our people because inclusion generates more discussions and more innovation, so individually and collectively we thrive.

Our LGBTQ+ employee network, JustLike-Q, exists to support this, as do our growing network of allies.

To mark Pride Month this year, we invited Charlie Martin (she/her) to be our speaker at our Pride Month Event. Charlie is a British racing driver who is on her way to becoming the first transgender driver to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, (an endurance race).  

Charlie said “Everyone here today has amazing opportunity to make a difference in QinetiQ, by helping create a culture of equality that unlocks human potential…where everyone feels able to advance and thrive in their career - people feel free to be truly authentic - pretty inspiring thought!”

Attendees from the session said it was “brilliant, just brilliant”; “inspirational” and “enthralling” as Charlie eloquently described her experiences and gave us her top tips to be good allies, including:

• Educate yourself
• Share what you learn
• Don’t be afraid to engage
• Be proud to be an ally

Our JustLike-Q executive sponsor, Amanda Nelson, will feature on the panel of the Virtual Pride Event “LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Defence and STEM: Understanding and overcoming barriers” on 29th June. This internal event was organised and will be hosted by BMT and Prism on behalf of Pride in Defence (the LGBTQ+ network of networks from across the defence industry and the Armed Forces, which evolved from the celebration event that QinetiQ hosted in 2020).

As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and adjust to new ways of working, we believe that building connections is important now more than ever across the whole of the QinetiQ. During Pride month, we are taking the opportunity to show support for the LGBTQ+ community by attending events, promoting our allies framework, adding pronouns to email signatures and using our Just Like Q backdrops for virtual meetings.

Happy Pride Month everyone!