LGBTQ+ Staff Forum

  • At Oxford Brookes University, we are committed to ensuring the very best staff experience where our whole community can flourish in a culture of respect and support, where we celebrate difference and thrive on each other’s success. As part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion we have set up a LGBTQ+ Staff Forum.

    The Forum organises social activities, hosts workshops, and provides a programme of events for LGBTQ+ History Month in February every year. If you would like to join the Forum or have any questions or queries, please contact Jayne Stuart: jstuart@brookes.ac.uk or lgbtqplus@brookes.ac.uk

    To help promote the diversity of our community at Oxford Brookes, members of the Forum have provided personal experiences of working at the university. Read some of our LGBTQ+ staff profiles »

    Within the Forum we have defined roles, providing points of contact and responsibility for specific areas. See below for the full list.

    • Chair - Jayne Stuart
    • Secretary - Sarah Madden-Queralt
    • Senior staff representative and lead for Stonewall Workplace Equality Index - Roger Dalrymple
    • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion liaison and Wheatley representative - Jane Butcher
    • Human Resources liaison - Elaine Dagnall
    • Student liaison - Hellen Barton
    • Academic and inclusive curriculum liaison - Yue Ang
    • Bi/pan representative - Steph Atherton
    • Training officer - Kate Harford
    • Website coordinator - Megan Roberts
    • Networking coordinator and Swindon representative - Aaron Worsley
    • Harcourt Hill representative - EmJ Scott

  • Terms of Reference

    The LGBTQ+ Staff Forum has been established to support members of staff in their working lives and to promote awareness of issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity within the workplace. The term LGBTQ+ refers to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning plus all other sexual orientations and non-conforming gender identities and is a term we use to make the Staff Forum as inclusive as possible.

    The broad aims of the Forum are to:

    • Represent the views of LGBTQ+ staff and support all members of staff across the University with issues relating to LGBTQ+.
    • Provide a gateway of support and assistance to LGBTQ+ staff.
    • Enable LGBTQ+ staff to contribute to policy development and review or propose matters for consideration
    • Provide a consultation forum for the University to gather views on particular developments or new initiatives.

    Members usually meet over lunch on a regular basis and it is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ staff to get to know colleagues from across the University.

    A small steering group (consisting of Forum members), with the assistance of the HR Business Partnership Manager (EDI), will determine key issues that require discussion and action. Meetings will be arranged as necessary and the Forum will organise at least one event each year eg during LGBTQ+ History Month.

    The Forum may also assist in prioritising issues and actions relevant to LGBTQ+ staff in liaison with the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group.

    The University is a Stonewall Diversity Champion and occasionally our Stonewall Account Manager will attend meetings to provide support and guidance as necessary.

    Please note that the identity of Forum members will, so far as is reasonably practicable, be kept confidential.


    January 2019