Lauren Rawlins

I’m Lauren Rawlins and I work in the Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, as BactiVac Network Administrator. When I joined the University (2016), I signed up as a member of the Rainbow Network and I marched in Pride. However, it wasn’t until I joined Birmingham Global (2019) that I wanted to be more involved, so I became a committee member. I’ve really enjoyed it and my line manager has appreciated the professional opportunities it’s brought.

I think LGBTQ+ Staff Profiles show off UoB’s diversity, which is maybe not obvious when you’re new, and it’s great for junior staff to see that being LGBTQ+ won’t stop them having a senior career here. Plus I’ve sometimes seen people I’ve worked with on here and thought “I had no idea!” (Because I have terrible Bi-Fi). I also think it’s an opportunity for straight colleagues to read the answers to questions they might not want to ask in a conversation.

Before UoB, working in financial services, the culture was so heteronormative that I wasn’t out at all. I had a reputation as ‘the person who’ll answer your weird questions’, which I still enjoy, but I didn’t (and don’t) want to explain the facts of bisexuality to people. I find those conversations fraught and exhausting. Some people are happy to be a personal resource but I’d say that there’s a lot of information people could easily google without stressing out their local LGBTQ+ person.

At UoB, being open about being in the Rainbow Network is a blanket policy for me and I let people draw their own conclusions from that (I haven’t found a way to come out as specifically bi which doesn’t feel incredibly ham-handed so I do that more rarely…until now). I have the Rainbow Network merchandise visible around my desk and I wear an LGBTQ+ Rainbow Network lanyard which, when interviewing students, reassures those for whom it’s relevant. Often the students I interview are ‘widening participation’, so they tend to get extra nervous anyway. On one occasion, a student came out to me as bisexual, in a relevant interview answer, which maybe wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t had that lanyard.

I think it’s important for people to come out at work because cisgender heterosexual people do automatically - it’s a double standard to consider being out to be ‘not relevant’. When someone who’s in a position to do so comes out, the ripple effect can be profound; changing the hearts and minds of straight people simply by being an LGBTQ+ person that they know, and then paving the way for other LGBTQ+ people too.

The University of Birmingham is largely an LGBTQ+-friendly employer, but there’s always room for improvement. I’d love to see the Diversity & Inclusion training expanded, particularly regarding gender identities and trans rights. They could use this excellent resource. Plus, Ally Training should be compulsory for all line managers, so that not only the supportive staff attend. We are an educational institution, and I believe that we should continually educate our staff.

Finally, to all new staff or students joining the university, I would say: “Welcome to the University of Birmingham, Join the Rainbow Network, and Support the Bratby!”