Meet Our Co-Chair

Laith Jaafar (he/him) works as a Case Manager within our Legal & Life Planning business and joined Respect late last year as one of our lovely Co-Chairs. Along with Marc Kurucz, their role is to steer the network, so that we’ re successful in achieving our vision of creating a safer workplace for colleagues regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or trans status. We caught up with Laith to learn more about who he is and why he joined Respect…

Laith Jaafar

So Laith, tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a very enthusiastic and optimistic and I love to look on the brighter side of life. Those I’ ve worked with know that I get really excited about collaboration, community action, and above all making a difference in people’s lives. Despite the adversity I’ve experienced myself, I’ve realised how important it is to be grateful for the life I have and to dedicate it to helping others. Whether it’ s cooking for my family, having a heart-to-heart, or helping others build confidence and realise their potential, if it makes others smile that’s what motivates me to keep going.

What makes you laugh the most?

I think that minions are absolutely hilarious. They are the best characters that have ever been created. Send me a GIF of a minion and it’ll make my day.

How do you spend your free time?

When I have free time, I love creating restaurantlike experiences at home for my family. I put my heart and soul into planning it. I read cooking and baking books, to help develop my skills. I’ve also completed a few long-distance runs and have three more 10K runs coming up, so please wish me luck.

By Lindsay Robinson

What’s your coming out story? How did your family and friends react?

My story was unfortunate and difficult, but I still think it’s important to share to raise awareness. After years of dealing with the fear of accepting who I am whilst being raised in an Islamic household, I finally told my mother that I was gay. Well, I didn’t really tell her. I asked if I were to confess something to her what would be the worst thing be, which just so happened to be that.

When my father was told, he told me I was no longer his son, and I was given an hour to leave. I packed my belongings, handed in my house key, and went straight to my best friend’s house across the street. I dropped all my bags and burst into tears on her doorstep. I didn’t need to say anything, as she knew exactly what happened. Her family supported me until I went to university in Sheffield.

It was a new beginning for me, so I made the most of it. I found friends for life and met my incredible partner who I’m living happily with now. Since processing what happened, I’ ve found forgiveness for what my parents did. I’ m living how I want, so there’s no need to hold any resentment. Recently, my mother attended my graduation and even met my partner. It was the best day of my life!

What is something interesting about you that people would never guess just by looking at you?

Who’s the most important person in your life and why?

People are often surprised that I can speak Arabic or that my name in Arabic means lion cub. My partner, Sean. He’s the kindest, most patient and compassionate person I know. He’s taught me how important it is to look after my wellbeing and has supported me through the not so good times. He’s also extremely driven and passionate about his work which fuels my passion for continuing to make a difference. I’ll always be grateful for his calm, measured, and warm approach to life.

What are you most passionate about?

At university I learnt about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. It fuelled my passion for tackling social injustice as I felt that people weren’t being treated fairly. If we were born free and equal in dignity and rights, surely the LGBTQ+ community wouldn’t have to struggle. The reality is we live in a heteronormative world, which is improving, but there’s still a long way to go. All we want is to live without fear of discrimination, love who we want, and to access the same rights as heterosexual people.

What does being the Respect Co-chair mean to you? What are you going to bring to the role?

It means being a champion of LGBTQ+ voices. I'm a big believer in using your voice to promote equality and to shed light on the stories of people that are often brushed aside. It’s my firm belief that this role is responsible for ensuring that colleague representation is at the forefront of our agenda, that we spread awareness of LGBTQ+ issues, and that our colleagues receive the support they need.

Whilst we are all great colleagues at the Co-op, it’s still important to encourage more inclusivity and continue tohold those accountable for lack of progress in certain areas. As a Co-Chair, I’ll be fair and measured in my actions to ensure that all parties are equally represented. It’s my firm belief that everyone has a right to use their voice and be heard. I’ll ensure that the network maintains an open dialogue to steer the strategic direction of our agenda. Finally, we do our best work when we ’re having fun. I’d love to continue the incredible momentum the network has created in bringing us together.

What challenges or goals do you aim to achieve whilst working for the network?

Firstly, I hope to increase our reach and representation. I think it’s important that as a colleague network, we represent all our community. I want to increase our membership and the representation of different business areas in both Co-op and Nisa. Secondly, I’d like to continue building our brand and communication strategy with the incredible talent we already have within the steering committee. They’ve achieved so much already and I’m excited to bring new ideas to build our social media presence. Finally, it’d be great to host more in-person events and meet our LGBTQ+ colleagues.

What advice would you give someone who may be struggling to come to terms with who they are?

Coming to terms with who you are can be a difficult and mentally draining. First, I’d say find ways to relax your mind. Discover what brings you joy and focus on that. The more you learn about yourself and what makes you happy, the easier it’ll be to come to terms with yourself. Secondly, do your research. Thankfully, information about sexuality and identity is more available now. Researching might help you understand how you identify. Finally, when you’re ready to speak to someone, do it. I’ve learnt that bottling your thoughts and feelings can cause you to struggle because you deal with them alone. As soon as you let someone in that you trust, it’ll take the weight off. One thing to bear in mind is never be influenced by others, develop your self-esteem and be confident and proud of how you feel. Only thenwill you know what’s right foryou.

Thank you Laith and welcome! We’re all looking forward to getting to work with you and seeing what you achieve with us.