What does your role as LGBT champion involve?

I act as a figurehead for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employee network, which provides a senior voice for the LGBT community in the Ministry of Defence. I do a lot of outreach work and regularly speak at events; my job is to tell people who might want to work as civilians in the ministry that it's a good place to work. I'm the first out gay man to take on the role, which I have been doing for one year alongside my job as chief of staff at defence equipment and support. I hate the phrase role model, but I am open in the workplace and if that gives people an example of someone who is reasonably successful and also out gay, that's great.

Why did you decide to take it on?

When I became senior enough I felt that I ought to volunteer for the role, because you don't get many people at this level who are out gay. Most people prefer to keep their sexuality quiet, which is perfectly reasonable, but I don't like the idea that people would do this because they feel uncomfortable in their workplace. Everyone has the right to be open about their sexuality – and you also don't recruit or retain the best performers if they feel uncomfortable at work.

How do you rate the civil service as an employer for LGBT staff?

When I first took on the role, I told people that if they encountered any problems relating to their sexuality at work my door was always open – one thing I count as a success is that I have not come across any horror stories. I think this shows that the MoD is a reasonable place for LGBT people to work.

What has been the best part of the role so far?

The reaction from my colleagues, which has been really supportive. When my appointment was announced in our staff magazine, several people got in touch to say well done and to thank me for supporting the LGBT community.

What is your biggest challenge?

The big policy changes that were needed to allow LGBT people to be equal as employees have been established for quite some time now, so I think my role is about changing the culture. The MoD is committed to equality for all, but I think people have misconceptions because, in the past, we weren't necessarily the best place to work. For example, until the early 90s you couldn't work with top-secret material if you were gay, as you would be refused a vetting permit. People also felt uncomfortable working in an organisation that had a ban on gay people in the military – overturning this was a really big thing for LGBT civilian staff in the department, as well as their military colleagues who had been subject to the ban, because the ban may have been seen to justify homophobia.

How widespread are LGBT groups within public services?

Most Whitehall departments have an LGBT staff network, and these are also present across uniformed public services and the military. We work closely with the LGBT groups in the navy, army and RAF, and organisations such as the Civil Service Rainbow Alliance. For instance this year, and for the first time, MoD civil servants will be marching in the civil service walking group at the London Community Pride parade. This is a real cross-government effort to celebrate civil service commitment to improving LGBT equality.

What does the MoD's steering group do day by day?

We have a network committee who, on top of their daily work, comment on things like HR policy changes and work with other groups in the organisation – such as those for ethnic minority employees, disabled employees and women – to carry out an action plan for diversity, and then a wider network who subscribe to our newsletter. We also help organise an annual conference together with military colleagues, which is held the day before the London Pride parade so people can march the following day if they would like.

You worked in Baghdad's green zone for six months during the Iraq conflict. What was your experience there?

I very much enjoyed serving my country in Baghdad. Most people are surprised by the number of civilians who serve in non-benign environments, not just MoD but also Foreign Office and DfID. During this time, I can't say my sexuality was much of an issue as our contact with Iraqis was very formal and did not provoke a culture clash. The fact that I was gay wasn't relevant to the work I was doing, and I was so busy, it wasn't at the fore of my thinking. But LGBT staff working on operations and overseas tours does raise issues for some. This is one of the things we will be discussing at our annual conference, so we can ensure staff feel properly supported.

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