As part of our celebrations for Pride Month, we hear from Mandy Hill (Managing Director, and EDIB Champion, Academic), Valarie Guagnini (Head of EDIB, Academic), and Ian McIver (Content Team Lead, Academic Books, and Pride Network committee member) as they discuss LGBTQ+ awareness and representation at Cambridge University Press.

How has LGBTQ+ awareness changed at the Press?

Ian McIver: I think awareness has changed a lot since I joined the Press in September 2015. At that time, there was no mention of LGBTQ+ issues on the staff intranet, no dedicated LGBTQ+ staff network (though colleagues could join the University’s network), and no events to mark Pride Month or LGBT History Month. Today, Cambridge University Press & Assessment has a Pride Network for colleagues with a vibrant programme of events and resources available throughout the year.

Change happened gradually, but took on more momentum around 2018, which saw the first event at the Press to mark LGBT History Month; the first time colleagues from the Press and Cambridge Assessment marched together with staff and students from the University of Cambridge at London Pride; and the formation of the Press’s LGBT+ Staff Network. Cambridge Assessment’s LGBT+ staff network was established in 2017 and when the two organisations merged in 2021 a single staff Pride Network was created. Visibility is important and the network has been instrumental in driving forward conversations about LGBTQ+ inclusion, as well as providing a valuable space for colleagues to be themselves at work.

We’ve also learnt more about our history. In 2019, I curated the first exhibition at the Press Museum to explore the queer history of the Press and its publishing, coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. It’s important to recognise that LGBTQ+ staff, authors, and peer-reviewers have played an important part in the long history of the Press (in fact, the first book-length history of the Press was proposed in 1920 by a gay man, Charles Sayle, a librarian at the Cambridge University Library). The Press has also published a wide range of books and articles about LGBTQ+ subjects, from ACT UP to Oscar Wilde, and we showcased some of these titles at the first Cambridge Pride in 2019. I’m proud that we’re sponsoring the second Cambridge Pride in 2022.

What is happening in Academic to improve inclusion?

IM: In 2021, we marked Pride Month with a virtual panel of Press authors reflecting on studying LGBTQ+ lives and experiences. This year, as part of our programme of events to mark Pride season, I’ve organised another panel where we’re turning our focus inwards and reflecting on how the Press can be a more inclusive publisher. It’s important that we work to support inclusion across all the disciplines that we publish.

It’s been great to see the increasing emphasis on equality, inclusion, diversity, and belonging, not least in terms of LGBTQ+ inclusion, which is influencing both how we publish and the culture of the Press itself. I’m encouraged by the conversations we’re starting to have around our publishing, our policies and guidelines, and training. For example, this year the organisation is partnering with We Create Space to deliver peer-to-peer training around LGBTQ+ awareness. There’s still more work to be done however.

Mandy Hill & Valarie Guagnini: It was significant that in the Cultural Survey, 47 colleagues chose not to disclose their sexual orientation. This suggests that they do not currently feel a sense of inclusion or belonging. One key area identified across the whole organisation is the need to improve the process for handling complaints of harassment and discrimination. Cambridge University Press and Assessment’s Speak Up platform for employees is one way we are attempting to improve the ways that our co-workers can share their concerns confidentially. We are also kicking of ‘Conscious Inclusion’ training which we believe should make a tangible difference to self-awareness and improve inclusion for all.

What role does Academic play in ensuring inclusion and acceptance for LGBTQ staff?  

MH&VG: LGBTQ+ colleagues in Academic need to see that we mean what we say. This means in both how inclusive we are as colleagues and in our recruitment and development practices, but also in our publishing.

What are some of the challenges and successes we have seen in Academic around LGBTQ+ inclusion and acceptance?

IM: The Pride Network has done great work in fostering a more inclusive culture across the organisation, including in Academic, as have our other colleague networks. The challenge ahead of us is to embed inclusive practices at all levels of the organisation. We can’t just rely on volunteers to drive this change, so it has been encouraging to see support from senior management and more investment recently in roles and training to support inclusion.

Another challenge is that we’re a global organisation, but progress with LGBTQ+ rights varies around the world. In the Pride Network, we’ve therefore been discussing how best we can support our colleagues beyond Cambridge, for example by encouraging colleagues from different regions to join our network committee, making our events accessible to more time zones, and by using our fundraisers to support LGBTQ+ causes around the world, in addition to charities in Cambridge.

In Academic, we’ve had some real successes in delivering inclusive publishing. Some recent landmarks for me are Jen Manion’s Female Husbands: A Trans History (2020), produced as part of the Press’s trade publishing programme and with the chance to reach a whole new audience as part of our audiobook pilot programme; The Cambridge Companion to Queer Studies (2020), edited by Siobhan Somerville; and most recently Anne Linton’s Unmaking Sex: The Gender Outlaws of Nineteenth-Century France (2022), which explores the neglected history and literature of intersex people. Bringing queer stories to a wider audience is important as often these stories have gone untold. As a publisher, we have the opportunity to reshape the fields we publish in, as well as public understanding. We can amplify our authors’ voices to challenge silences around LGBTQ+ issues, we can advocate for more inclusive frameworks in what we publish, and we can help overturn misinformation with serious scholarship.

MH&VG: A major challenge was identified a couple of years ago when we recognised that a lower percentage of colleagues at the Press are out at work than in the industry more widely. We also recognise that colleagues that are part of the LGBTQ+ community in some of our local offices have challenges with acceptance from their colleagues.  Our challenge is making them aware that they are supported by the wider organisation.

What are the next steps for making the Press truly inclusive?

IM: I hope we are reaching a tipping point where we can convert our ambitions into material change, ensuring we have an environment where people are comfortable to be themselves at work, and where we can build on our reputation as an inclusive publisher. Personally, I’d like to see the Press participate in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index in future so that we can rigorously measure our performance and continue to improve.

MH&VG: There’s so much going on with a real focus on inclusion for all, globally. The new EDIB strategy is in final draft and will be launched over the coming months and will direct our overall efforts to make the Press a more inclusive organisation. We believe in making sure that everyone is well informed and continuing with the dialogue around improving inclusion is critical. We need to get to a place where we can have open conversations even about challenging issues. Our values also need to be reflected in our products and our external partnerships. And finally we need to be proud of our values and approach to inclusion, so that it is clearly visible to everyone both internally and externally.

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