#BuildingEquality march in London

#BuildingEquality increases presence at Pride in London and calls on industry to do more to tackle homophobia.

Over 350 people representing #BuildingEquality will march in this year’s Pride in London, double the number participating in 2015. The group has called for sectors leaders to be more willing to talk about homophobia and the value of diversity and inclusivity within the built environment sector.

The LGBT+ Construction Working Group, known as #BuildingEquality, was  the idea of HR professional Gary Coetzee who saw the need for the industry to come together to tackle homophobia and encourage more LBGT+ people to consider working in the industry. Established in 2015 #BuildingEquality has increased its reach, with 14 more companies joining original founders Arup, Balfour Beatty and Lendlease. The group recently participated in National Student Pride, the largest LGBT+ careers fair in the UK, to encourage students to consider opportunities in the sector.

An industry survey has revealed that half of all LGBT+ construction employees have heard homophobic or transphobic insults in the workplace in the last 12 months. For LGBT engineers this figure increased to 60 per cent.*

Gary Coetzee, Chair of #BuildingEquality: 'Our industry has made progress, but still too many people feel unable to be themselves in the workplace. We need leaders to accept that homophobia remains a problem for employees and to speak out against it. Being here at Pride in London gives us an important opportunity to talk about what we have achieved but, most importantly, what is still needed.'

Zach Wilcox, Arup Connect Out Chair: 'A diverse and inclusive workforce in the construction and engineering industry is important to create buildings and plan places for people from all walks of life who use them. #BuildingEquality is working to make sure that LGBT+ people can share their unique perspectives at work as well, so we are designing buildings and creating cities that reflect our diversity.'