LGBT+
We support customers, clients and colleagues across the broad spectrum of diversity of sexuality and gender identity.
Championing equality, understanding, respect and inclusivity for LGBT+ colleagues, customers and clients is important to us. We recognise that sexual orientation and gender identity are only one part of people’s identity and want them to feel free to express who they are at all times.
Our external partnerships with organisations such as Stonewall in the UK and the Human Rights Campaign in the US ensure we continue to externally benchmark our progress on LGBT+ inclusion and share our own best practice with others.
We want every one of our colleagues to feel comfortable being themselves at work. It’s central to our culture here at Barclays. We nurture it through activities and initiatives, and building networks for colleagues to connect.
Our ongoing relationship with Pride globally is just one of the ways in which we show our commitment to the LGBT+ community.
We publish our LGBT+ representation in our annual Barclays Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report, as well as sharing our own best practice on LGBT+ inclusion.
Read more in Barclays Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report:
Building a diverse and inclusive company is an integral part of our success at Barclays. I am a proud ally for the LGBT+ community. Making everyone comfortable to be themselves at work is central to our culture at Barclays, and we all play a role in championing inclusivity for our LGBT+ colleagues.
Group Chief Operating Officer, Chief Executive of Barclays Execution Services (BX) and Sponsor for the LGBT+ Agenda
Making banking inclusive - our history of championing LGBT+ rights
Barclays has a strong track record in supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) colleagues and customers.
Whether it’s being the first bank to promote a transgender woman to the position of branch manager or the first bank to feature LGBT+ couples in our advertising, we have a strong history of championing LGBT+ rights and being a market leader in this space.
We have also supported marriage equality bills in both the UK and US, and have participated in Pride celebrations across the world.
Our personalised debit card function allows customers to add a range of rainbow, bisexual and trans flag filters and overlays to their debit cards – to add a little more Pride into their everyday payments.
Our current account, debit card and savings customers are able to select an ‘MX’ title on their registered account details.
Working at Barclays
We have provided pronouns guidance to all colleagues, explaining the importance of personal pronouns, and encouraging their use across email signatures, video conferencing display names and in person.
We offer private medical cover for transitioning trans colleagues.
Internships and Apprenticeships
We have delivered a series of diversity-focused recruitment insight events for Apprenticeship hiring in collaboration with Spectrum, to showcase career opportunities and our diversity networks and enrich the diversity of talent we welcome to our Apprenticeship programmes.
Spectrum – our LGBT+ resource group
Our employee resource group (ERG), Spectrum, is dedicated to supporting colleagues and Spectrum allies who are members or supporters of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer inclusive (LGBT+) community and other groups on the spectrums of sexual orientation and gender identity.
As an ally, colleagues commit to staying informed and vocally challenging homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and to educate others on the importance of inclusion, equality, diversity, and respect.
Spectrum is one of our longest-standing ERGs, set up nearly 20 years ago and leads the way in celebrating Pride around the world. Our annual Spectrum fundraising dinners raised over £300,000 in 2023 for LGBT+ charities.
Supporting other businesses
Our business and corporate banking team works with start-ups, SME and corporate banking clients to advise them on how to foster inclusive working environments, and support their LGBT+ colleagues through a number of life experiences.
Our partnerships
We’re a Stonewall Top 100 Employer - a list is compiled from the Workplace Equality Index, the UK’s leading benchmarking tool for LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace.
We’re a member of TeamPride, supporting Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign to champion LGBT+ inclusion in sport. As part of our campaign for Rainbow Laces in 2023, we partnered with Soho FC. Soho FC is a club that exists to give members of the LGBT+ community and allies a safe place to play football. As recipients of the Barclays Community Football Fund, groups like this can access grants which help them to keep offering inclusive football.
Through fundraising and colleague volunteering we support the Terrence Higgins Trust Work Positive Programme, which supports those living with HIV back into work.
We are a founding partner of LGBT Foundation’s of Pride in Ageing in the North West, which supports over 50-year olds with access to housing, health, mental wellbeing counselling, and access to group support for coping with isolation. LGBT Foundation are the beneficiary of our Manchester fundraising dinner. Click here to see some personal stories of the impact of Pride in Ageing.
Through fundraising and volunteering, we have a long standing partnership with Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) who have been our charity partner for our London fundraising dinner for over five years. See more about THT’s time’s up! campaign.