Patrick McCann, Director, Learning (London)

On what Pride month means

"Pride means the chance to come together, to acknowledge and celebrate our existences (when others might not be doing that in today’s climate), offer support to each other and wear some fabulous outfits! Pride matters because we matter. " 

Marcus Pollard, Partner (Hong Kong SAR)

On what Pride month means

"Respect and inclusion for our community doesn't just happen by accident. Pride Month is a crucial reminder to our friends, colleagues and clients of the progress we have made - and the challenges that remain. Beyond being a colourful celebration of our differences, it helps our allys build their understanding of how they can join us in building a genuinely diverse workplace and wider society."

Daniel Macaluso, Director, Global Regulatory Compliance (Paris)

On what Pride month means

"For me, Pride Month is a time to remember that moment when I finally pushed through the shame and ‘difference’ (= bad) I felt about myself and started to love myself again, that moment I realized I could have whatever life I wanted (a privilege in itself) and being gay didn’t mean losing out, that moment I felt pride and yes, exhilaration, about that difference that makes me special." 

Thomas McGrath and Angela Ogilvie - Executive LGBTQIA+ Champions

On being an ally

"As the firm's Senior Champions for LGBTQIA+, we are proud to stand in solidarity with the entire LGBTQIA+ community. As well as celebrating the achievements and progress that has been made, it is also important that we use the opportunity this month provides to learn about the challenges and barriers that continue to be faced by LGBTQIA+ people around the world.

This June, we will be creating a platform for our global network to share their feedback directly with us about how we can better champion them in Pride month, and beyond."

Elizabeth Dowd - Partner, Financial Regulation Group

On being an ally

"As a leader and a parent of a trans child, I have seen first-hand the challenges faced by Trans people. I am proud to use my platform within the firm and more widely to raise awareness about the experiences of the Trans community, and to advocate for everyone’s right to be respected and valued regardless of their gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. Now, more than ever, it is important to be a visible and vocal ally." 

Nicola Rabson - Partner, Employment & Incentives

On being an ally

"I have been the senior sponsor for our With Pride Allies network for many years, but I have spent very little time learning about the 'B' until recently. Many of us are probably aware of some of the issues faced by our bi friends and colleagues such as comments about 'it is a phase' or being assumed to be gay or straight by reason of their partner at a given point in time but, I suspect like me, many of us could do with a greater understanding of the issues in order to be proactive and visible ally to the community.

This is particularly the case in a world where more people than ever identify as bi. This exercise has helped me recognised that being an ally requires effort; it is not enough to simply say 'I am an ally' you need to constantly educate yourself and seek to understand what you can do and how you support others." 

Patrick McCann - Director, Knowledge and Learning

On being an ally

"I'm delighted to see more non-binary people visible in society, and within Linklaters; I feel it my (happy) duty as a cisgender gay man to be an ally to non-binary people - to make them feel welcome and included. Some things I do to be an active ally include using my pronouns in your email signature or social media profile (and introducing myself with mine when I remember). I try to use inclusive terms of address like “everyone" rather than “ladies and gentlemen". I use “they" rather than “his/her" as a singular pronoun – this can require some attention, which I am happy to deliver; I actively encourage (with some success) non-binary people to apply to work at Linklaters. "