We believe that more diverse teams create better workplaces, and better products.
Much more needs to be done to recognise and celebrate the role that LGBTQ+ people play in the tech scene and beyond. We need to make sure that we introduce structures and checks into our teams to make them truly diverse. We are also living in a time when technology is starting to embody social bias. What can we do to counteract this?
This event will showcase inspiring projects that advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition. Short talks from our speakers will be followed by an opportunity to network with drinks.
Our speakers include:
- Emma Green is the Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. She oversees D&I work across HR and public policy, and has a particular interest in the role of business in social justice. She’ll be talking about external D&I impact in the context of organisational culture and development, with some tips for making change locally and nationally.
- Bisi Alimi is an “Angelic Troublemaker Incarnate”- PASSIONATE and
ENERGETIC public speaker, storyteller, television pundit, campaigner,
actor and Vloggers. His expertise on Social Justice ranges from Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity to Race and Race Relations, Feminism, Education and Poverty Alleviation. He has done a lot of work around “Intersexuality” and currently on a global Intersectionality tour. Bisi will talk about LGBT rights in Nigeria. He will share his story and insights into how tech can make a difference.
- Jac Bastian is Head of Education at Diversity Role Models, a charity that actively seeks to embed inclusion and empathy in the next generation. Through working with young people and the adults around them, Diversity Role Models aim to create an inclusive education system where all students feel accepted, supported and encouraged to be themselves and thrive.
Jac will introduce how Diversity Role Models use positive LGBT+ and ally role models to empower young people. Jac will explore how DRM use the power of storytelling to prevent homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying and how we can work together with teachers, governors, parents and carers to ensure schools are more LGBT+ inclusive.
- Dr J, Harbinger of Change at ThoughtWorks, brings queer theory (with a slice of humour) into the tech space, building on Thoughtworks’ dedication to inclusivity and intersectionality. Dr J takes a strategic view of cultural change in Technology through a few lenses, notably queer theory.
Dr J will be presenting on 'The fine art of not fitting in; Being Genderqueer in a corporate world'.
It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that diverse teams produce better outcomes. But how do we make a diverse team inclusive? How do we make space for differences in thinking, and understanding on our teams.
Through personal stories of an adult life in technology, queer theory, and practical examples that cost nothing to implement (they don’t even need policies!) this talk shows how you can make space in your team for difference.
