Margot Slattery
“Queer people make up 10 to 11 percent of society. Our lives do not just happen in one particular month.”
We often hear that queer people are just a minimal part of our society. So why bother advocating for the LGBT*IQ community outside of Pride Month? Simple: because the truth is different. Queer people make up a much larger portion of society than some might think, a full 10 to 11 percent. Due to a lack of representation and visibility, as well as fear of negative consequences, many queer people still do not dare to come out in the workplace. So did the keynote speaker at the fifth DINNER BEYOND BUISNESS, Margot Slattery, for much of her career. In a face-to-face conversation with Albert Kehrer, she shared how her coming out has impacted herself and others, and the importance of leadership engagement for queer employees.
After a two-year break due to the pandemic, the PROUTATWORK Foundation was finally able to organize the DINNER BEYOND BUSINESS again. For the fifth time, more than 35 senior executives from major German and international business companies and institutions met – this time at Google’s headquarters in Hamburg. Among them were representatives from Accenture, BASF, Clifford Chance, Commerzbank AG, Ernst & Young, KPMG, LaSalle, Linde, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sandoz, Sodexo and UniCredit. With a beautiful view and sunny weather, the participants of the information and networking event enjoyed an exclusive dinner in an informal atmosphere. The highlight of the event was the 45-minute talk with keynote speaker Margot Slattery, which focused on the importance of the commitment of companies and their executives to the LGBT*IQ community..
“Visibility of outed leaders is hugely important because it makes the company a safe space for queer people.”
At the beginning of the talk, Margot Slattery gave private insights into her professional career. She described her outing as a personal liberating blow, because for the first half of her professional life she was not yet outed as a lesbian and therefore could not be as free and productive as she was able to be in the second half of her career. However, Margot feels that her coming out was not only a liberating blow for herself, but also a duty, because it allowed her to serve as a role model for colleagues. In this context, the speaker also speaks of the enormous importance of Allys, because it is not enough to “just” tolerate. Queer people need supporters who fight alongside them for an open society. According to Slattery, it is the duty of management to promote diversity in professional life, both internally and externally, for example by supporting NGOs.
“We must not let up, we must continue to show continuous commitment – not only during Pride Month. Because: tolerance, acceptance and freedom don’t happen overnight.”
Finally, Margot Slattery summarizes that a lot has already happened in terms of diversity and inclusion, but warns against resting on our laurels. If we do not continue to fight consistently and loudly, we will come to a standstill or, in the worst case, even regress.
Recording of the talk with Margot Slattery
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