February is LGBT History Month, a time to focus on the rich contribution and often turbulent history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the UK. This is also a time to look forward and collaborate to drive true inclusion.
This year is especially pertinent as it marks 50 years since the decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales.
To celebrate the occasion, Mott MacDonald worked in partnership with LGBT networking group InterEngineering and the Royal Academy of Engineering to produce a series of videos profiling LGBT engineers.
In these videos, 20 LGBT role models from across the sector talk openly about their experiences of working in the profession. Their personal stories highlight that the profession can be exciting and diverse but also show that there is still a perception that the industry is not welcoming to people from minority backgrounds. While it is fundamental to recognise and tackle these challenges it is also important to show that being LGBT+ is not a barrier to a happy and fulfilling career as an engineer.
Watch this video for a snapshot of some of the voices and stories brought together in the video series:
Please view the rest of the videos to hear further first-hand accounts of being LGBT in engineering:
•Amanda McKay, a nuclear quality director and a bisexual trans woman
•Charlotte Robinson, co-chair InterEngineering Midlands and a straight, trans woman
•Christina Riley, a senior planning engineer and a trans woman
•David Turner, a transport modeller and a gay man
•Diego Padilla Philipps, a structural engineer and a gay man
•Emma Baldry, an LGBT charity worker and a lesbian woman
•Emma and Ann, who got engaged at Liverpool Pride 2016!
•Gyandeep Saikia, a senior systems engineer and a gay man
•Kimberly Bartlett, a lighting engineer and a married lesbian woman
•Mark McBride-Wright, chair and co-founder of InterEngineering and a gay man
•Paul Laughlin-Hyde, a senior risk engineer and a gay man
•Paul Robins, head of railway assurance and a gay man
•Peter Gracey, a rail safety engineer, secretary of InterEngineering and a gay man
•Richard Chapman-Harris, an equality, diversity and inclusion manager and a gay man
•Rob Ridley, a lead design engineer and a gay man
•Roger Juer, a civil engineer and a gay man
•Ryan Hallett, a mechanical engineer and a gay man
•Simon Clennell-Jones, an environmental consultant and a gay man
•Thomas Sheridan, a geotechnical engineer and a gay man
•Timothy Crump, an engineering doctoral student and a gay man