RCA Supports Racing With Pride
The Racecourse Association is delighted to support Racing With Pride, the sport’s official LGBT+ network.
Racing With Pride has been developed following recent research in the sport which indicated many individuals who identified as a sexual minority did not feel comfortable ‘coming out’ at work, despite largely positive attitudes towards sexual minority individuals throughout the sport.
Given the recent coronavirus pandemic, many people have experienced increased feelings of isolation and loneliness over the past few months, and research shows that these feelings and associated mental health issues are heightened within the LGBT+ community. The sport recognises this additional vulnerability and believe now is the right time to ensure racing’s LGBT+ participants and fans feel included and valued.
The RCA’s commitment to Racing With Pride
As an organisation we are here to serve our diverse members and support our people. We are committed to influencing social change and promoting a diverse and fully inclusive industry, ensuring that racing provides a supportive environment for everyone who identifies as LGBT+ so they feel able to be their true selves without fear of discrimination.
With members of the LGBT+ community three times more likely to be affected by mental health conditions than those who identify as straight, it is vital they feel welcome, able to be themselves and can achieve their potential within British racing. We also acknowledge the business case, being a diverse and inclusive organisation in the long-term will drive better individual, business and industry outcomes.
How to join Racing With Pride
It is free to become a member of the Racing With Pride network. Anyone interested in joining, can search for ‘Racing With Pride’ on Facebook to access the closed group.
To stay up to speed with all activity, you can follow @RacingWithPride on Twitter or email info@racingwithpride.co.uk.
Further work to support LGBT+ in racing
In 2018, David Letts carried out industry-wide research examining the prevalence of sexual minorities within the sport and attitudes relating to the subject. You can view this research here.
Encouragingly, it showed that people throughout the sport were generally positive towards individuals ‘coming out’, yet despite this individuals who identified as a sexual minority did not feel comfortable to do so. It also found that homophobic language was commonly used as ‘banter’ or abuse.
In response, the sport’s Diversity in Racing Steering Group (DiRSG) has been working to drive change for the LGBT+ community, in 2019 supporting Pride on social media and in 2020 launching a free LGBT+ Awareness and Inclusion e-learning. It is hoped the network will act as a platform for shaping future activity, for example racing joining Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces activity in November.
