Building Equality is a volunteer-led alliance of construction, engineering and built-environment organisations across the UK. Founded in 2015 when three organisations were connected by Stonewall, our continued ethos of collaboration over competition has seen the expansion of our network to 60+ organisations in nine regions across the UK. Membership is open to any company within the industry which:
• has an established LGBTQ+ network or is working towards creating and developing one
• is willing to be actively involved and collaborate in the objectives of the wider alliance.
Our aim is to reach and benefit our entire industry by sharing best practices, skills, expertise, and initiatives that educate, empower, and open discussions on inclusion. Our Terms of Reference includes our objectives:
• To enable cross-organisation collaboration, to drive initiatives to build a more LGBTQ+ inclusive industry
• To support other organisations within the industry in setting up and maintaining their LGBTQ+ employee networks
• To promote the industry to university/college students and early career professionals as an LGBTQ+ inclusive place to work
• To make LGBTQ+ inclusion a boardroom topic, encouraging visible LGBTQ+ and Ally role models from the top down
• To encourage, influence and enable the supply chain to create more LGBTQ+ inclusive working environments on sites and in all workspaces.
In our industry, issues affecting LGBTQ+ and intersectionality are still often overlooked, and many people are unsure how to approach the subject. We set out to develop resources that would educate and support individuals and organisations on allyship—to promote and maintain LGBTQ+ inclusion beyond Pride Month. Our innovative and industry-leading educational resources are aimed at promoting inclusion in our sector and participating in joint initiatives.
Over the last five years, we have developed these resources:
• LGBTQ+ Allies Toolbox Talk: A short educational presentation aimed at promoting and informing our workforce on LGBTQ+ topics to create greater allyship with the community.
• Tackling Microaggressions Poster Campaign: A suite of posters designed to help tackle hateful language and behaviours in our workplaces – whether on-site or in the office.
• Setting up your LGBTQ+ Network – Guidance Pack: This guide is for any organisation in the first steps of its journey to forming an LGBTQ+ employee network and includes top tips from member organisations on how to establish and maintain a network.
• LGBTQ+ History Month Infographic: This infographic shows the change in UK laws since homosexuality was decriminalised in 1967 and showcases why we continue to fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
Our latest learning resource was developed in 2023 and launched during Trans Awareness Week in November. It was delivered to 100+ individuals and shared widely across social media and internally through our participant organisations:
• Trans+ Allyship Toolbox Talk: This presentation can help people become stronger allies to the trans+ community. It highlights trans+ inclusive language, history, headlines in the media, the importance of sharing lived experience, and common myths and misconceptions. It also celebrates the joy of our trans friends, families, and colleagues.
Our approach to education, awareness, and shared learning underpins its success. The resources are free and publicly available on our website to ensure the greatest reach and dissemination of our message—reaching 3000+ downloads across the suite. Our success is reaching as many people as possible with our message of creating a wholly welcoming, inclusive, and supportive industry for professionals from minority communities. All our events, whether online or in-person are advertised on our website and LinkedIn enabling anyone to register.
Our Toolbox Talks have national exposure and have reached a wide spectrum of our industry, having been delivered internally at member organisations and virtually to 120+ other organisations, including Tier 1 contractors, professional institutions, small and medium enterprises, and client organisations, including Auto Trader, BAM, BDP, CBRE, CIOB, ICE NW, Lancaster University, Natural England, NHBC, SCS Railway, Speedy Hire, and Stockport Homes. We have also reached beyond our industry, with local government, education, insurance, and third-sector organisations attending our Toolbox Talk webinars.
We participate in a varied selection of small and large Pride events around the UK each year to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ inclusion and the challenges facing our community. We decorate our hard hats in rainbow stickers and sparkling gems, wear a rainbow of hi-vis colours, wave flags that celebrate all the identities in the LGBTQ+ community, and march behind the Flannery Plant rainbow JCB. We want to change the perception of the industry, illustrate the inclusion journey, and encourage a wider demographic of people to consider a career in construction.
