Equality and inclusion. An issue close to our hearts.
The original article, ‘Equality and inclusion. An issue close to our hearts.’ was published (and kindly shared with us) by Future Directors, an international community and learning platform for diverse people who work to improve boards.
The Future Directors Institute is committed to accelerating diversity and inclusion in the boardroom. Why? Because we fundamentally believe it supports our mission to “build, empower and support a diverse global community of board directors steering meaningful social, environmental and economic change.”
We wish to see people thrive, regardless of their age, culture, gender or sexuality. Whether it is in the boardroom, the workplace or through the communities we live in, diversity and inclusion is something to always strive towards and celebrate.
Marriage equality is about the equal treatment of humans. It is about compassion, respect and inclusion. But, it is also about whether it is ok or not to subject LGBTIQ to injustice and discrimination. Human history is full of lessons that we continue to ignore.
Therefore, the Future Directors Institute joins the many proud businesses and organisations that say it is not ok to discriminate and we can, and should, be better than this. These businesses and organisations would not exist without all people and the cultural or mental health of any workplace is the responsibility of its leaders.
We, as the leaders of this business and our community, will be voting ‘Yes’ in the forthcoming postal vote. We are sure that some within our community will not vote the same way and whilst we disagree, we understand that there will be differences of opinion. That is diversity.
Within our team and community we have people from, and allies of, the LGBTIQ community. We believe that the standard you walk past is the one you accept. While we work to set high standards, we believe we can all do better and be better allies, for the LGBTIQ community, and all that face inequality and discrimination.
At this time, one thing we can do is say to LGBTIQ people and their families that we support you. Better still, we will continue to advocate for diversity and inclusion to achieve a better outcome for us all … for boards and their diverse stakeholders, businesses and the communities that they serve.
