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Pride

Pride

Stand with Pride

Supporting our LGBTQ+ community

We’re standing together for inclusivity and progress, not just for Pride month but all year round.

Our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community

We’re standing together for inclusivity and progress with everyone who banks with us, works with us and the wider LGBTQ+ community.

Part of this is championing true diversity and inclusion. We do this by actively embracing and advocating for the rights and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals, and promoting acceptance, respect, and equality for all. And it’s not just for Pride month, but all the time.

Pride in Ageing

LGBTQ+ people of all ages have stories to share. Pride in Ageing supports people in the community who have seen decades of change.

Mindy, Norman and Pauline share their experiences and how the LGBT foundation has supported them.

Could you sort of give me a little bit more information around what Pride in Ageing entails, and how it's helped you or others in the community?

One of the goals of Pride in Ageing as a group is to put together programmes which will help older people as we age and move forward with our lives to make it easier for us to understand that if any of us suffer homophobic or transphobic hate, that we're not alone.

So, when you came out in 1981, how did that feel?

Absolutely terrifying, and it felt like I'd got my handbag full of all my stuff, everything was in it and it was like it had just got tipped onto the floor and I hadn't a clue which things I would want to salvage from that to take forward with me.

I know over 100 people who've died of AIDS, and I think I've got a lot of unresolved grief there, things I haven't dealt with.

Things have improved so much, I think there is still stigma yeah, but not the same as it was, because it was an unknown thing.

People wouldn't share a mug, or use the same toilets and things like this, you know.

I think it's great that we're seeing everybody of different ages having these conversations as well.

I came out as bisexual three and a half years ago.

It was a tremendous relief because since then I've had quite an incredible journey.

I take part in Pride in Ageing within The Foundation, so I've met lots of new people.

Now I am 73, my aim in life now is to help other people.

I'm really proud of you, Dad, he said.

You've used all your experience and your knowledge and you've added this wonderful new Pauline twist.

And.

I realised when I read it that his love for me was the same as mine for him.

See, my current thinking is: binary is great for computers, but binary is not enough to express the diversity of people.

You know, and I just think it's fantastic that things like this are happening.

A major international institution and a local centre of, you know, charitable work, campaigns and everything, are coming together.

Making a difference through partnerships

We’re working with several partners that help support the LGBTQ+ community. Through these collaborations, we aim to make a meaningful and lasting impact in the communities it serves and beyond.

We’re a founding partner of LGBTQ+ Foundation with Pride in Ageing in north-west England. This helps people over 50 get access to housing, health services, mental wellbeing counselling, and group support to help them cope with isolation.

Through fundraising and volunteering, we support the Terrence Higgins Trust’s ‘Work Positive Programme’. This helps those living with HIV get back into work.

We’re helping to make sports accessible and inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community.

The Barclays Community Football Fund (BCFF) will support 5,500 community groups across the UK with 25% of the grassroots funding going to community groups engaging with young people from the LGBTQ+ community. This helps to make sure that football is an inclusive space for the community all. The fund also provides access to equality, diversity and inclusion training and resources.

We’re a member of TeamPride, supporting Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign to champion LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.

Every year, our Spectrum LGBTQ+ employee resource group’s fundraising dinners raise over £200,000 for LGBTQ+ charities – going to THT Live Well (£112,000) & the LGBT Foundation’s Pride in Aging (£72,000).

We’re proud to be a partner of Open For Business, a coalition of global companies making the case that inclusive, diverse societies are better for business and economic growth. Our work with them includes helping SMEs and start-ups build an inclusive work environment.

Making us truly inclusive

Select
  • Partner with Pride
    • We’re proud to be a partner of Open For Business, a coalition of global companies making the case that inclusive, diverse societies are better for business and economic growth
    • We’re a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. The list is compiled by the Workplace Equality Index, the UK’s leading benchmarking tool for LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace
    • We’re a member of TeamPride, supporting Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign to champion LGBT+ inclusion in sport
    • Every year, our Spectrum LGBT+ employee resource group’s fundraising dinners raise over £200,000 for LGBT+ charities
    • Through fundraising and colleague volunteering we support the Terrence Higgins Trust’s Work Positive Programme, which helps those living with HIV get back into work
    • We’re a founding partner of LGBQ+ foundations with Pride in Ageing in north-west England, which helps people over 50 get access to housing, health services, mental wellbeing counselling and group support to help them cope with isolation
  • Hire with Pride
    • We’re committed to creating an inclusive and diverse work environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered
    • Our inclusive and supportive culture helps us better understand everyone’s needs, while creating a sense of belonging and value. This includes private medical cover for transitioning trans colleagues
    • We promote diversity in our recruitment and hiring processes. We provide equal opportunities for individuals from various backgrounds, including gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability. We actively seek to attract diverse talent and foster a culture that values different perspectives and experiences
    • We provide comprehensive diversity and inclusion training, to create awareness about unconscious biases, promote cultural competence, and encourage inclusive behaviour. This helps us to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing their authentic selves
    • In collaboration with our Spectrum LGBT+ employee resource group, we’ve delivered a series of diversity-focused recruitment events for apprenticeship hiring. These showcased career opportunities and our diversity networks
  • Support with Pride
    • Our business and corporate banking teams work with start-ups, SMEs and clients to advise them on how to foster inclusive working environments and support their LGBT+ colleagues through a number of life experiences. These include coming out, transitioning or being a parent to a LGBT+ child
    • Our Spectrum Allies initiative includes employees from around the world, all pledging to support LGBT+ employees and challenge homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. Allies commit to challenging and staying informed about homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and educate others on the importance of inclusion, equality, diversity, and respect
    • We are proud to come together as one community to make sure no one in the LGBTQ+ community feels alone. We attend Pride events around the world, and celebrate through virtual events throughout the year
    • In collaboration with Spectrum, we’ve delivered a series of diversity-focused recruitment events for apprenticeship hiring. These showcased career opportunities and our diversity networks.
  • Bank with Pride
    • Our personalised debit card lets you add a range of rainbow, bisexual and trans flag images to your card1
    • With our current account, debit card and savings account, you can select an ‘MX’ title on your registered account details1