A new LGBTQ+ movement formed of members working within the automotive industry and backed by some of the world’s biggest OEMs is on a mission to make the industry more inclusive.
Named Driving Pride, it provides a safe and supportive space for all LGBTQ+ people within the sector, as well as helping members promote diversity and “shift inclusion forward” within their respective companies.
Backers include major car makers such as Ford and JLR, with more pushing to get involved.
“We’re needed now more than ever,” founder Ed Rogers told invitees at the group’s launch event in London this week. More in-person events, spread across the UK, are in the pipeline.
The group comprises around 40 members, all working across a wide variety of roles within the industry, from sales and marketing to product and camera facing.
They meet weekly, swapping ideas, progress and stories – both good and, sadly, bad.
“I still hear about instances of homophobia, and even sometimes aggression, towards LGBTQ+ employees at work,” one member, who did not wish to be named, told Autocar. “We just want people to be able to be themselves at work, and not feel like they have to be someone else, just to fit it.”
This aligns with what the group aims to do next: it wants to go directly to, and work with, firms across the industry to help create more inclusive environments.
To do this, secretary Jon Cuthbertson explained, the group will – as well as working with company leaders – put together packs that contain best practice, resources, and even experiences of LGBTQ+ people working within the sector to show, first-hand, the difficulties being faced.
However, these won’t just be sent to OEMs, but also to dealers and traders. The plan is to tackle the problem across all parts of the sector.
“The industry is very slow to come around to the idea. We are only just seeing sexism levelling out,” said Cuthbertson. “But if we can change people’s mindsets [and habits], even just a bit, to make the workplace a better place for [LGBTQ+] workers, then we’ll take that. Then we’ll move forward from there."
