As part of our Pride Month celebrations, we sat down (via Microsoft Teams, of course) with England Lacrosse Marketing Manager, Caroline Royle, and spoke to her about what it is like identifying as LGBTQ+ in daily life, the sporting world, and at England Lacrosse.
As a gay woman, Caroline stresses the importance for organisations, including England Lacrosse, to have diversity from grassroots right up to the boardroom.
“To really place inclusivity at the heart of an organisation, it has to be a thread-through business strategy. But if everyone who is developing that strategy looks the same and experiences and interacts with society in a similar way, then their thoughts and opinions are going to be fairly close to one another.
“I think any organisation is strengthened by their direction being influenced by many perspectives. You need that diversity of experience to really shape an inclusive strategy otherwise the organisation won’t be able to reflect society as a whole”.
Caroline, who has been out since the age of 15 and joined England Lacrosse 14 years ago, says the only time she’s had to hide her sexuality was when she graduated from university and got a full-time job.
“That need to conform to a corporate ideal, or at least my idea of a corporate ideal, didn't really sit well with who I was.
“I’ve always played sport so I’ve got a muscular body and I don’t feel comfortable in corporate clothes. That added to my feeling of not really fitting in.
“For me, I think a lot was tied into how I look; I’ve received more hostility towards my physique than my sexuality. Whether those things are connected in the mind of the person discriminating, I don’t know.
“I haven’t often experienced overt homophobia; it’s more the feeling of being on the outside. Not joining in conversations because it’s all about, “do you have a husband, boyfriend?”, “do you have kids?”; it’s not overt homophobia, it’s more to do with not joining in conversations because they’re all about an agreed societal way of being which you are not a part of.
“You have to be quite calculated in your conversations and how you are until you decide you’re going to come out. But even then you don’t just come out once, you have to come out every time someone says, “do you have a husband? Or similar”.
“Maybe because I’ve been out for so long and I’m so happy in my personal life, I’m always quite confident in demanding that acceptance and if someone isn’t accepting, I see it as their problem not mine”.
Caroline feels England Lacrosse has made significant strides throughout the years she has worked here to improve its record on inclusivity and diversity, but that the job is most certainly not done, with the need now for concrete action beyond just policies and platitudes.
“It helps to have inclusivity, diversity, and equality as part of our value set as an organisation but that can’t be enough to ensure people feel comfortable. It’s certainly not enough to ensure someone who is LGBTQ+ wouldn't be worried about going for a job at England Lacrosse and being out.
“The little disclaimer at the bottom of a job advert saying we don’t discriminate is not enough and we need to do everything we can to make sure we are doing enough.
“I honestly believe everyone who works at England Lacrosse, everyone on the leadership team, and everyone on the board, has a genuine desire to be inclusive and welcoming to whoever works for us and from my point of view I’ve always felt that but obviously there is much more to do.
“I think as an organisation we can educate and offer people opportunities to learn more about different groups and different minorities to ensure people are guarded against all forms of discrimination and we act appropriately when it happens”.
As a senior member of staff at England Lacrosse who grew up through the 90s, Caroline has also seen a real societal change in people's and organisations' attitudes towards LGBTQ+ representation.
“Undoubtedly, people’s and organisation’s attitudes have really changed. There’s so much content now that has gay people in it and not just your stereotypical gay male best friend or the lesbian in a lumberjack shirt.
“You can find content on TV and films etc. which show gay people and they don’t make their sexuality the pivotal point of the storyline, it just happens to be something and that’s so much different.
“I mean I’m old enough to remember the first lesbian kiss on Brookside and the uproar that that caused which is crazy, isn’t it? I remember it because when you’re younger and you’re gay you try to see role models and you latch onto whoever you can find.
“In a sporting context, the tennis player, Martina Navratilova, was ground-breaking, when you realise she was out and playing sport in the 1980s. Back then, she was a really good role model and she paved the way for the huge amount of women LGBTQ+ sporting role models we have today.
“So, yes, it has changed a lot. You’re not searching out role models anymore, they’re there to see, from a female perspective certainly”.
Caroline, who has earned post-graduate qualifications in Digital Marketing and Sponsorship in her time at England Lacrosse, doesn’t think the fight for equality, inclusivity, and diversity can be fought without the help of allies who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I think people just need to be proactive in calling people out when they make homophobic comments, whether it’s casual or overt.
“People should also educate themselves about the LGBTQ+ community, their struggles, and their history and ensure that when there is discrimination they stand up to it.
“It’s about having uncomfortable conversations. If someone uses a homophobic slur but doesn’t realise it’s offensive, which happens all the time, people should be able to say to them, “that’s offensive to me”, and have a conversation about why.
“Specifically within a workplace environment, it’s about ensuring the appropriate processes are in place and that we are always taking steps to ensure we are more diverse.
“Every person within England Lacrosse has a part to play to ensure we are doing the right things and that everything we do includes an inclusion or a diversity consideration”.