A huge congratulations to all of our finalists & winners. The work that has been delivered is absolutely amazing! The winners were announced by community representatives via social media channels, @HartGables, during the virtual awards event on the 26th March 2021. Check out the results in the videos below or see our YouTube channel.
Congratulations to all our finalists and winners – you all very much deserve to be recognised for the fantastic work being delivered in the Teesside area.
The LGBT Alliance Awards was established in 2020 to celebrate the work and achievements of local services and individuals, the aim of the tonight’s event was to bring communities together and recognise those who are making a difference.
When a person’s sexuality or gender identity is validated with kindness and acceptance by someone else, it can be the reason someone goes home from school or work with a smile on their face. Imagine what could happen if LGBT+ inclusion was normalised into more work spaces. A bit of understanding can go a long way in combating many things, including poor mental health, that sadly today, we see too much of.
The finalists, winners and applicants have gone above and beyond to encourage and implement an inclusive and accessible environment for LGBT+ people whatever their setting. From schools and universities, to local authorities and larger corporations, we really should be proud of our area and the work that’s been delivered to create progressive, understanding, and inclusive environments.
Nationally, we see that almost one in five LGBT+ people have been the target of negative comments or conduct from work colleagues in the last year because they’re LGBT+ and according to a recent YouGov poll rolled out in 2019, ‘LGBT bullying is the most prevalent type of bullying in UK schools’ today.
At a local level, we too see these challenges and that is essentially why our service exists, but what tonight has demonstrated, is that in our area we are trying to combat these issues and change the statistics by promoting inclusion and challenging bullying and discrimination. Everyone in Teesside matters and it’s brilliant to see local services getting behind that.
We hope that this years LGBT Alliance Awards was the first of many, and that next year, the event will be in person, allowing us to celebrate all your achievements together.
I would like to thank Christopher, Ronnie, Josie and Auntie Blanche for doing a fantastic job of the presentation videos, a big shout out to staff for their kind words about finalists and of course a thank you to our wonderful service users for taking part in the closing video.
Goodnight everyone, awards and certificates will be with you soon.
Sarah – Service Lead
Results of the 2021 LGBT Alliance Awards
‘Continuous commitment to tackling hate crime’
This award is presented to an individual or organisation who has shown a continuous commitment to tackling hate crime through events, training and service delivery.
‘Creating LGBT inclusion and accessibility in the workplace’
This award is presented to an individual or organisation who has, through their personal example, innovation or policy, contributed to greater diversity and equality in sexual orientation and gender identity within their workplace.
‘Providing a safer learning environment for LGBT students and staff’
This award is presented to an individual or organisation within the education sector who has been proactive in creating a safer learning environment for LGBT+ communities.
‘Positive impact on LGBT health’
This award is presented to an individual or organisation who has worked diligently to promote health and wellbeing within LGBT+ communities, with a focus on mental health, physical health and/or, sexual health.
‘Positive impact on underrepresented people within LGBT communities’
This award is presented to an individual or organisation who has worked tirelessly to ensure marginalised groups of LGBT+ communities are not excluded from society. For example, those underrepresented groups could include; people seeking asylum or people living with a disability.
‘Local authority commitment to LGBT communities’
This award celebrates the best example of a local authority who has shown dedication to LGBT+ communities in their borough through partnership work, LGBT+ inclusion within their workforce and a meticulous commitment to tackling key issues LGBT+ communities’ face.
