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Burberry shows its support for Pride

Lauretta Roberts
16 June 2020

Burberry has reaffirmed its commitment for Pride by supporting three charities UK Black Pride, Stonewall and its long-standing charity partner the Albert Kennedy Trust.

The British luxury house was one of the earliest adopters of the UN Standards of Conduct for Business, designed to eliminate LGBTI discrimination in the workplace and beyond.

Its donation to UK Black Pride will help to increase the organisation’s capacity to provide resources, events and outreach in the black LGBTQ and QTIPOC (Queer, Transgender and Intersex People of Colour) communities. This is the start of an ongoing partnership that will see both organisations working together on increased advocacy and inclusion initiatives at Burberry and more widely.

The company has also joined Stonewall’s Global Diversity Champions programme, becoming the first organisation in the luxury fashion industry to participate. This will allow Burberry access to Stonewall’s expertise and resources to make workplaces more inclusive for LGBT staff and customers.

It is also continuing its long-standing support of the Albert Kennedy Trust, the UK’s national LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity. Burberry has partnered with akt for over three years, with this latest donation going towards the charity’s COVID-19 relief fund.

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, Co-founder and Executive Director of UK Black Pride, said: "We are thrilled to accept Burberry’s donation to UK Black Pride. We are a grassroots movement led by a team of hard-working and passionate volunteers, and Burberry’s donation is a wonderful recognition of the work we do to provide safe and brave spaces for the communities we represent.

‘"This also marks the beginning of a long-term partnership between UK Black Pride and Burberry that enables both organisations to work hand-in-hand to ensure the inclusion and representation of black LGBTQ and QTIPOC communities at Burberry and beyond."

Kate Williams, Head of Private Sector Memberships at Stonewall, added: "This year, the Black Lives Matter movement in the US and around the globe is an important reminder that Pride was, and still is, a protest to fight for our fundamental rights. There can’t be true LGBT equality without equality for black communities.

"We’re delighted to welcome Burberry to our Global Diversity Champions programme. We’ll be supporting them to make changes which will positively impact their employees and clients and work with them to embed LGBT inclusivity across their organisation. We know that people perform better at work when they can be themselves, and that organisations like Burberry can be an important ally in the fight for equality for everyone.

Lucy Bowyer, akt Director of Services, said: "Our Covid-19 relief fund has enabled us to respond quickly and flexibly to the needs of young LGBTQ+ people who are facing increased hardship during the pandemic. Burberry’s amazing help has meant that we can keep young people connected to our online support by providing them with data top-ups, so they feel less isolated from their communities. It has helped us to help young people fleeing hostile homophobic, biphobic and transphobic living situations and move safely into alternative accommodation. We are so grateful to Burberry for their continued generosity so we can find practical solutions to help LGBTQ+ young people navigate through this crisis."

 

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