Last year during Pride Month, we shared a blog post on our work to support those with endometriosis from LGBTQIA+ communities (read here), we share with you what we are doing and our ongoing plans to support those in our community who are LGBTQIA+.
How can we ensure diversity, equality and inclusion is at the heart of every aspect of our organisation?
Since our last update:
We have launched our first ever Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Forum. We recruited a group of volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds and communities to act as our critical friend. The EDI forum will meet four times a year and will advise and comment on upcoming projects or work plans to ensure we are inclusive in our activities.
We have recruited a Community Engagement Officer to lead on our engagement work. This role is identifying and building relationships with LGBQTIA+ charities, community and grassroots who we can collaborate with and co-produce resources to support their activities.
Endometriosis UK is attending Pride. This year we have signed up to five Pride events. We have attended Grampian Pride in May and will be at Cymru Pride, London Pride, Bristol Pride, and Doncaster Pride – this year’s host for UK Pride. Our aim for these events is to raise awareness of endometriosis among attendees and to reach those with endometriosis who may need support, or those who are experiencing symptoms but do not yet have a diagnosis. We hope to expand our presence at Pride events in future years and welcome community feedback on where we should go next. If you're around, we'd love to see you. Pop down to our stalls and say hello!
We have delivered EDI training to our volunteers. Our volunteers offer support services whether face to face, online, or over the phone. To ensure everyone gets the best support possible, we have dedicated time to deliver EDI training to all volunteers on an annual basis, as well as regular update training throughout the year.
Endometriosis UK have run an internal review of our information materials to ensure we are using inclusive language. Part of this work led us to see that our ‘Endometriosis and couples’ information was hetero-normative and we have edited this piece to ensure it now reads as an inclusive piece that supports all couples regardless of gender or sexuality.
What's next?
We will work with our EDI Forum to ensure the work we do is inclusive for all.
We are working with external providers to deliver EDI training for all new and existing staff in the late summer.
We will be delivering tailored endometriosis information for trans men, non-binary people, and lesbian and bisexual women.
We will be delivering webinars aimed to support trans men navigate the endometriosis diagnosis and treatment journey.
Wishing our community a happy Pride Month from everyone at Endometriosis UK.
