Being LGBTQ+ in the Workplace - Alistair Semple
(3 min read)
Alistair is a level 3 business administration apprentice at Microsoft.
Hi! Firstly, can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself and what you currently do?
Hi! My name is Alistair and I’m on the Business Admin L3 course here at Multiverse. I work for Microsoft as the Schools Skills Portfolio Manager, which is a fancy way of saying I connect schools with opportunities and programmes to help bridge the UK skills gap and improve the educational experience for all.
What have your experiences been like being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in a work environment?
Very mixed! My previous job was in retail and pretty terrible. I was misgendered constantly by colleagues and customers alike, despite wearing a badge displaying my pronouns. I remember one of the security officers coming up and informing me that she and her friend had been trying to guess if I was male or female based on seeing me on the CCTV. Needless to say, I did not stick around.
My new workplace, however, is a total 180 from that. The team I work in has been so welcoming and my manager is a great advocate. I feel comfortable being open about my identity and giving feedback based on my experiences as part of the community—plus, we have a fantastic LGBTQI+ employee resource group. It’s really been a breath of fresh air!
How have you found being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in your general life?
It’s been an… interesting journey. I was fortunate enough not to suffer any bullying at school due to my gender identity or sexuality, as I didn’t come out until my late teens (most of the negative attention I got early in life was racist in nature). I’m also privileged to have a very accepting family and support network. Probably the biggest challenge has been aligning my LGBTQ identity with being a person of colour.
I was at a webinar recently where someone used the phrase “too gay for the BAME community; too black for the LGBT community” and that has been my experience too. It’s strange entering a space that should be safe, only to face further prejudice from people who know how it feels to be oppressed. It also feels ironic, given the historical intersection of the two communities and the struggles they share.
There’s no easy fix, but I’m working on finding more spaces that are welcoming to BIPOC and actively challenging ignorance inside the communities I’m already part of.
What has been your experience with regards to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion when choosing your career path? Have you been encouraged or discouraged to join an organisation due to press, policies, etc?
DEI has always been front of mind for me when deciding on a career. When looking at apprenticeships, I discounted several organisations due to their policies, values, and general lack of effort in showing up as an inclusive place to work. It’s also something I asked about during interviews and discussed with team members, shortly after starting in my role.
No company is going to be perfect, but I wouldn’t stick around if there was no evidence of the organisation trying to make meaningful improvements from a DEI perspective—both internally and externally.
The theme of this year's Pride History Month is “The Arc is Long '' inspired by a Martin Luther King Jr. quote: 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. Do you feel this is reflective of the LGBTQ+ community’s journey thus far?
I think the quote is reflective of the journey thus far—and I think it’s even more poignant, given they are the words of Dr. King. It serves as a reminder of the intersectionality we should have in the LGBTQ+ community. Sure, we’ve come a long way, but there’s a lot of work left to do in confronting our prejudices, both on a collective and an individual level.
The arc won’t bend freely, it will take effort, and that’s why it’s so important to pull together. The more we have on board, the easier it will bow.
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