“The thought of having a network for us sounds amazing”
Jonathan Calvert, Partner at Johnsons Law, on what inspired him to get involved with setting up a new Link chapter in Northern Ireland and how he sees it growing and supporting the LGBTQ+ community
To be honest, I hadn’t thought all that much about setting up a Link Northern Ireland chapter until I saw Mark’s post on LinkedIn about a possible LGBTQ+ network.
I have always felt comfortable being myself in the workplace, but this is quite a small jurisdiction. You can get used to there being very few – or at least very few visible – LGBTQ+ people.
When I saw Mark’s post, I got a buzz of excitement because the thought of having a network for us, where we can all get to know each other and make genuine connections in the industry sounds amazing.
People here respond positively when you are authentically yourself
When you enter the professional environment as an LGBTQ+ person, you sometimes think it won’t be accepting or that you have to hide who you are to progress. However, my experience could not have been any more positive.
I started as a trainee solicitor working in defence insurance litigation when I was 21 years old and have been working with some of the same people in those companies for over 15 years. I can truly say that I have felt nothing but encouragement from them throughout my career. My experience is that people in the industry respond positively when you are authentically yourself.
The importance of community and visibility
As I have grown up, I have realised how important having a community is to me as an LGBTQ+ person. I hope that this new chapter in Northern Ireland will be a safe place for LGBTQ+ people in this industry to come together and create meaningful personal connections and friendships as well as professional ones.
We have a strong sense of community here. Everyone knows someone who knows someone, so I think it will make the networking and connections very meaningful. I think having an official community for the professional workplace will be greatly appreciated when it’s there.
I also hope that it will continue to encourage good DEI practices in the industry generally and strengthen the local insurance market’s reputation as being inclusive and progressive.
I do also feel a sense of responsibility to be visible for the LGBTQ+ community. I have always made sure to be myself around colleagues and clients, even with basic things. I always say “husband” instead of “partner” or gently correct someone if they ask me about my “wife”. I feel proud to represent the LGBTQ+ community in this industry.
I have always tried not to keep this part of myself hidden or even muted, but there have been a few times in my career when I have found great encouragement and a silent sense of allyship. Graeme, one of our other event organisers in NI, doesn’t know this but one of those times was when I found out he had made partner in one of the biggest Belfast defence litigation firms.
It probably didn’t register with me at the time, but I just remember thinking how brilliant it was, and that there was no reason I couldn’t do that too! Looking back now, I realise that is exactly what visibility is all about.
The vision for Link Northern Ireland
I am excited to have our launch event later this month. Short-term, I hope that this goes well and encourages us to keep going.
Longer-term, I would love to see the network grow into something where we can have several events every year with membership growing and growing. I think one of the main things I would like to see is the network truly benefiting people in their careers and businesses. I think that would be amazing.
How to get involved
If you’re interested in joining us – or even In finding out a bit more about us and how that might benefit you, drop me a message on LinkedIn and say hi! That’s how I got involved in this whole thing to begin with.
It truly is so nice to have a sense of community and allyship in the professional world and by joining or supporting the network you get to be a part of it too.
If you’re interested, come along to Link Northern Ireland’s launch event on 26th November
