This course replaces the old version of Sexual orientation.

At a time where employers increasingly understand the value of individuals bringing their whole selves to work, ensuring that people of all sexual minorities feel comfortable and uninhibited in the workplace is an important part of the success of a team or an organisation, and more importantly can impact the mental well-being of its sexual minority employees. This course will look at how sexual orientation impacts on a person’s experience of the workplace, how to recognise and deal with the different and often nuanced forms of discrimination, the impact they have on an individual’s mental well-being and on their performance, and key strategies to support sexual minorities to create an inclusive and positive working environment where people feel safe to be themselves. 

Sexual orientation can be a key aspect of a person’s identity. It can determine not only who someone might be attracted to and be in a relationship with, but also how they see and engage with the world, and how the world engages with them. Although there have been many changes in the law and in society’s attitude towards sexual minorities, such as legalising same-sex marriage, and the recognition of same-sex parents, there are still many barriers and challenges that sexual minorities face. Acts of homophobia and biphobia are common, and indeed being gay, lesbian or bisexual is still illegal in many parts of the world.

These eight lived experience videos serve as a reminder of the fact that people from sexual minorities are forced to navigate other people’s attitudes to their sexual identity, with all the stereotypes and assumptions that this often entails. The negative reactions they encounter can have a profound impact on their mental well-being, and their relationships with family members, friends and colleagues. The interviews consider what it means to be from a sexual minority from a variety of angles, in order that we can better understand the emotional and social difficulties that they face on a day-to-day basis.

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Awareness days and campaigns run throughout the year, and many of our ALP members have found it helpful to use Skill Boosters resources to support learning around these events. To help with your planning, we have produced this calendar, listing relevant dates for each month. Please note that this is not a definitive list and that some awareness days may fall on different dates depending on who is running the campaign, so it is advisable to check the source before planning.