GMIT will launch its LGBTQ+ and Allies Staff Network next Monday with a livestreamed launch event featuring a array of guest speakers.
The launch will be a simulcast with a gathering of a small group in GMIT’s Galway (Dublin Road campus) whilst being broadcast live to all staff and invited guests on MS Teams.
The event will commence with an address from GMIT President Dr Orla Flynn, followed by talks from rights activists Rory O’Neill and Nuala Ward.
GMIT staff member and poet Anne Donnelly will read a poem she has written to mark the launch.
The event will conclude with a video showing the raising of the Pride flag at each of GMIT’s five campus in recent weeks.
The network is motivated by the values of Equality and Fairness, Voice and Visibility, Diversity and Inclusion.
Its goal is to create a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ+ staff within GMIT and to bring a LGBTQ+ equality perspective into organisational policy, systems, and culture within GMIT.
It will promote the network, and its values and goals within GMIT through public-facing events and initiatives.
Dr Orla Flynn, President of the Institute of Technology, says: “I’m really pleased to see this network established in GMIT.”
“It’s so important that all our staff can come to work feeling confident and comfortable in their own skin.”
“If we can ensure such an environment for our staff, this will translate into a similarly welcoming environment for our students.”
Rory O’Neill, Gay Rights Activist, writer and performer, says that this network shows that GMIT is proud of its LGBTQ+ staff, and wants to create a “positive and inclusive” culture at work.
Humans rights activist Nuala Ward said it is a “positive example for other education providers, ensuring inclusion and a safe space for staff and students alike and I am delighted to be associated with the organisation”.
