Hi, I'm Sam. I'm the HR Advisor here at KD. Inclusion is incredibly important to me and one of the main reasons I joined KD last year.
For me, part of inclusion is being aware of my own personal privilege as a white gay man and giving space to the voices of others. Being inclusive is vital to our aim in designing a better world and helps to foster a collaborative and supportive work culture. This article celebrates the successes and highlights the contributions of people throughout the LGBTQ+ community, as told by colleagues at KD. It also gives a wonderful insight into how queer people continue to provide inspiration for us all.
As I sifted through the responses it reminded me just how varied the LGBTQ+ community is. I certainly found new sources of inspiration, I hope you do too.
I want to make a start by making a reference to my personal queer idols: James Baldwin and Billie Jean King:
Author of such novels as ‘Giovanni’s Room’ (which was one of the very first gay texts I read) James Baldwin was closely associated with the civil rights movement and the gay liberation movement. I’d recommend the documentary ‘I Am Not Your Negro’, which is based on an unfinished manuscript of his if you want to learn more.
Billie Jean King is a tireless champion of equality and in the 1970s (as a result of differences in prize money with the male players) along with eight other women was a founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, which has provided countless female tennis players a platform for their voices and place to have just as lucrative career as their male counterparts.
Now, enough about me, this what our team had to say.
Alice Coey in our Insight & Innovation team on Lady Phyll:
Lady Phyll (AKA Phyllis Opoku-Gyimah) is a “strong, black, queer, warrior woman”. She is a fierce advocate and activist working to increase visibility and rights of Queer, Trans and Intersex people of colour. She co-founded and is director of Black Pride which celebrates “LGBTQ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent… to promote and advocate for the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual health and wellbeing”. She is passionate about inclusive, intersectional education as a way to make sure that the next generation of queer children have the tools and language to navigate the world.
She is bold, and stands up for what is right, she is not afraid to challenge those in power. She fights past the stereotypical tropes of being an ‘angry black woman’ to make a real impact to marginalised and overlooked communities across the UK and beyond.
Sophie Usborne in our Insight & Innovation team on Dylan Mulvaney:
Dylan Mulvaney is a wonderful human being and I wish I knew them in person so I could take them out for a glass of wine and borrow their wardrobe. They’re an incredible advocate for the Trans community and I highly recommend following along on Instagram to their ‘Days of Girlhood’ series. The warmth and kindness that emanates from Dylan’s videos is radiating and you can’t help but smile along with their transition journey! I love the way Dylan is just being themselves and sharing thoughtful and practical advice to inspire not only other people to explore their gender identity, but inspire absolutely everyone to lead life with kindness, vulnerability and authenticity.
Chris Jones & Jordan Doling in our Electronics & Software team on Alan Turing:
Alan Turing was born in London in 1912 and is considered the father of computing. Turing’s most notable work was at the Government Code and Cypher School as he was responsible for leading the charge in deciphering encrypted Nazi messages during World War 2.
Automating the process initially with electromechanical computers (Turing-Welchman Bombe), and then later the first digital computer Colossus, at Bletchley Park. The Americans claim the fame to producing the first digital computer, ENIAC in 1947, but Colossus had been developed secretly years prior, and has only recently been declassified. Colossus depended on the statistical theory that Turing had developed for breaking the naval Enigma. Not only that but Turing wrote papers on artificial intelligence before and during the war, including the Turing Test for artificial intelligence.
In 1952 Turing was prosecuted for being a homosexual and was chemically castrated, instead of being sent to prison. In 2013, he was posthumously pardoned under the Alan Turing law which was used to overturn historical convictions of homosexuality.
Jordan Doling in our Electronics & Software team on Laverne Cox:
Laverne Cox is a record setting trans actress most recognisable from the series “Orange is the New Black”. She was the first transgender person to be nominated for, and win, an Emmy and has been recognised as a trailblazer by her LGBT+ peers for her activism off-screen. She has been awarded an honorary doctorate for her work in gender equality and has even been made into the first trans Barbie.
Chris Althorpe in our Design team on David Hockney:
I’ve decorated my home office with several David Hockney landscapes – great to look at when I need off-screen time – much better than the boring view out of the window. Great inspiration demonstrating exceptional quality at the forefront of fine art for over 60 years. I first became aware of David Hockney in 1988 during a degree course trip to London. His retrospective exhibition was nearly cancelled when he threatened to remove his paintings in protest of proposed anti-homosexual legislation by Margret Thatcher’s government. Thankfully, he didn`t and has continued to inspire me with amazing work ever since. Makes me look like a young designer too, in comparison!
Finally, proving that inspiration can come from everyday relationships, Tina Medeiros in our Human Factors team on a very special person:
My queer idol is my transdaughter. It’s a privilege to be her mum – she inspires me every day to be braver, kinder and care more about the things that really matter in life.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this piece. I hope that this Pride Month, by sharing our sources of inspiration, we in turn inspire others to explore the work of the LGBT+ community.
Explore more
