I'd love to see a poster of just men and women in [personal protective equipment], construction gear on site, the real stuff and everyone looks the same, but they're all different people … That’s what I'm trying to get across, you can't actually tell [their differences], if everyone’s dressed the same you can't tell. And you know it’ll be some sort of tag line you know “We all recognise as being LGBTI” you know very simple …There's no flags, there's no ribbons, there's no nothing. Gay, male 40s A discrete rainbow sticker on a supervisor’s folder or desk could communicate to employees that they are receptive and approachable to discuss LGBTQ+ concerns. While updating workplace forms to enable people to identify as LGBTQ+ was seen as validating for individuals who wanted to more accurately report their identity, it was also described as a way of ‘normalising’ gender and sexual diversity more generally. Giving this option on documentation also communicated to everyone that it was not necessary to conform to one specific social identity and gave people more “freedom to explore a lot more about themselves then they might have otherwise” (Gay, male, 40s). I think these days in a lot of situations we're starting to find a lot more allies within the construction industry. So, I'm really passionate about driving this as well for gay men who are in the industry and they must feel really horrible. And I think that's part of the reason that we have such a high rate of suicide in the industry as well is because there's people that can't be themselves and constantly worrying that they'll be outed. Non-binary, 20s
13. LGBTQ+ NETWORKS AND ASSOCIATIONS The existence of LGBTQ+ networks or employee resource groups were important indicators of LGBTQ+ inclusion and contributed to employees feeling safe to come out. I would feel safe coming out when there is a Diversity and Inclusion committee in a company, otherwise I wouldn't feel safe to come out. Gay, male, 30s.
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