It all began when the current chair of Proud@WMAS encouraged ‘The Pride Network’ (former name) to take part in Birmingham Pride in May 2017. An ambulance along with 20 staff members took part in the parade and the reception was fantastic! Not long after this, The Pride Network held its annual general meeting and Ash Deakins became its chair. Supported by a new vice chair and committee members, Proud@WMAS was born.
With a determination to transform the network, which had previously existed more on paper than in reality, into something our entire workforce could support, the committee began raising the Proud@WMAS profile both internally and externally. Creating an ethos of inclusivity, rather than exclusivity, the committee quickly decided that ‘membership’ would be a thing of the past and all staff, irrespective of their sexuality, gender, race or religion, could come together to create a supportive LGBT staff network.
Creating a brand
In a bid to create an identity for Proud@WMAS, the committee tried to design a new logo but quickly realised that the already established design had resonance with current staff and so it remained. The rainbow star of life, used by the National Ambulance LGBT Network, of which we are a contributing member, was agreed as it was felt that it would achieve uniformity across other ambulance organisations and enable the network to be recognised more easily. The committee sourced some funding to purchase 200 star of life pin badges which were distributed to staff across the Trust—they were so well received that a waiting list for badges had to be drawn! Why was the badge important? It allowed people to identify—not only as allies but also as advocates. When asked about the badge, people can spread the good work of the network.
The network knew that work needed to be done to support not only our workforce, but also the diversity of the population we serve. A key part of this is the transgender community. The team began developing a Trans Awareness Programme for the Trust to increase awareness among operational staff, availability of information, training, and development of internal policy.
It was on the back of this that a member of staff approached their line manager to notify them of their intention to transition from female to male. Their manager immediately contacted the network for support, not only to assist the manager but also to offer direct support to the staff member.
Birmingham Pride 2018
At Birmingham Pride 2018, Proud@WMAS saw its biggest ever turnout of staff. Having joined allegiances with both West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Police, a joint Emergency Service float was commissioned to enter the parade. On the day, over 60 people attended, comprising staff from across organisations, volunteers from local community first responder groups, and representatives from multiple ambulance trusts across the country.
UK Black Pride 2018
On 8 July 2018, members of the network joined leads from West Midlands Fire Service LGBT Network, FireOUT, to represent at UK Black Pride in London. This event is to promote unity and cooperation among all black people of African, Asian, Carribean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent who identify as LGBT, as well as their friends, families and allies. With the West Midlands being the second most ethnically diverse area in the country (National Officer of Statistics, 2011) and a recent report from Stonewall (2018) reporting that half of black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT people have experienced discrimination or poor treatment because of their ethnicity from others in the local LGBT community, we feel that celebrating intersectionality within the LGBT community is an integral part of supporting our diverse workforce and the population we serve.
Attending UK Black Pride tied in nicely as we were also recently able to support our Trust's BAME Network, ‘ONE’, in their launch and were able to impart our experience in setting up Proud@WMAS and our many successes. Our intentions are to work more collaboratively with the ‘ONE’ network to ensure members of their network who identify as LGBT feel comfortable to approach us, confident in the knowledge they will be supported.
Our 2018 nomination
The Trust's Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Pam Brown, recently nominated the network for the National Diversity Awards and while they sadly didn't win, she is incredibly proud:
‘As someone who has spent a lifetime working in the Diversity & Inclusion space across all sectors, I have rarely seen such commitment and passion for building such an inclusive network. The network work tirelessly around their long shifts, their university studies and personal life to communicate to everyone the work of the network whilst helping individuals who are transitioning—not only in practical ways but changing policies and procedures for both staff and patients. They have increased numbers attending Pride events tenfold and supported other ambulance LGBT networks who are just getting off the ground. As an inclusive network, Proud@WMAS, does not have members—‘membership’ having a somewhat exclusive connotation. Anyone can be a part of the network and its approach has meant a burgeoning number of staff are now engaged with activities. I am proud to be an advocate and an ally.’