Sue Ryder celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride month

Pride month is an opportunity for Sue Ryder to show our unwavering support for LGBTQ+ people who work, volunteer with us, or use our services. We're using this time to show the LGBTQ+ community that Sue Ryder is a place where they will be welcomed and can be their whole selves.

At Sue Ryder, our work on equity, diversity and inclusion has been building over the last few years, as have our activities during Pride month. Each year we have been able to demonstrate more of our work in this area to support our staff, volunteers and people who use our services who identify as LGBTQ+.

Projects such as the Rainbow Badge scheme and the development of policies to support and protect LGBTQ+ people takes place all year round - not just during Pride.

Our Rainbow Badge initiative creates a safe space for people in the LGBTQ+ community to discuss their identities with Sue Ryder team members in our care centres, charity shops and offices. If you see a staff member or volunteer wearing the badge, you can feel confident talking about your identity with them.

We have an LGBTQ+ category on our Online Bereavement Community and some bereavement advice which covers certain challenges which someone who identifies as LGBTQ+ might face when coming to terms with their bereavement.

While we don’t have many specific services, all of our end-of-life care and bereavement support services are places where we hope the LGBTQ+ community feel they are able to be their whole selves and can talk openly with our staff and volunteers without fear of discrimination.

This year, Sue Ryder staff and volunteers will be attending Pride marches up and down the country. By attending marches, we aim to show solidarity with our LGBTQ+ colleagues and give them a chance to come together and celebrate with the local LGBTQ+ community.

We want to promote inclusivity within our organisation and demonstrate that we are an equitable, diverse, and inclusive place to work and volunteer. We hope that by having a visible presence in the community, we’ll feel like somewhere that LGBTQ+ people can come to us for support and care.

This year we wanted to take the extra step and change our logo during Pride month to make an even stronger show of support for the LGBTQ+ community to people who interact with Sue Ryder online via our websites, services and social media channels.