Pride Month at Mindshare

In June of each year, this month is known as Pride month. The celebration of Pride can be dated back to 28^th June 1969, when the Stonewall Riots began.

The Stonewall Inn (Often shorted to Stonewall) in New York City is an LGBTQI+ bar and recreation tavern which is located in Greenwich Village. On the evening of 28^th June 1969, it was raided by the police, three nights of unrest then followed, with LGBTQI+ people, long frustrated by police brutality, finally fighting back. Lesbian and trans women of colour were some of the key people involved in the act of resistance, including Stormé DeLarverie, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson.

That night in 1969 changed everything for LGBTQI+ people and is too important to be left as a historical footnote.

At Mindshare UK we have a big dream, to become the most inclusive place to work in the country! This will take time but the whole agency is passionate about making it a reality. To support this, we currently have 8 Employee Resource Groups (ERG’S) available for our people to join and be a part of including, Roots, Mindshare Pride, Women in Business, Enable, Declassify, 0Borders, ADAM and Working Parents. These groups hold the agency to account for making progress and, along with our Mental Health Allies, design and lead events and initiatives that help us create a welcoming environment for all and a place where everyone can be their most confident self.

Mindshare Pride aims to make Mindshare UK more diverse and inclusive by supporting LGBTQI+ employees and raising awareness of LGBTQI+ issues, building a safe and inclusive workplace and contributing to wider Pride initiatives within WPP and GroupM.

Mindshare Pride is broken down into the following work streams:

People & Culture: Responsible and accountable for the implementation of policies, training and development initiatives within Mindshare and the wider group. Coordinating with the communications leads ensures policies and training are effectively communicated. ​​

Commercial: Advocate a diverse media planning approach across Mindshare teams and clients by leveraging our internal tools and network expertise to collaborate and bring D&I to the centre of the work we do as a media agency. ​​

Communications: Responsible for all the network communications including comms for events, marketing and social media. Working closely with all work streams to support recruitment strategy to bring more people onboard. ​​

Events: To put together a varied and interesting programme of events which are designed to further the aims of the network, and to engage and inform our LGBTQI+ community and allies. Working closely with the communications team to ensure all events are promoted.​​ The group currently has 24 employees taking part in regular group meetings to discuss how we can drive the key priorities of our yearly agenda for Mindshare Pride.

Some significant dates in LGBTQI+ history:

1946 - The first LGBT Organization, the Netherlands “Center for Culture,” is established. 

27^th July 1967 - The Sexual Offences Act decriminalised homosexual acts between two men, both over the age of 21.

28^th June 1969 - The Stonewall Uprising.   

1^st July 1972 - The first UK Pride was held in London & the first gay newspaper was launched.

12^th January 2000 - UK Government lifts the ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual people serving in the armed forces.

21^st June 2000 - Scottish Government abolishes Section 28 of the Local Government Act.

November 2002 - Equal rights for adoption to same-sex couples.

18^th November 2003 - The English and Welsh governments repeal Section 28.

5^th December 2005 - The Civil Partnership Act came into effect in the UK

29^th March 2014 - Same-sex marriage was legalised in England & Wales, the Act became law in Scotland on the 31^st December 2015

30^th September 2019 - Alan Turing receives posthumous royal pardon

Pride events across the UK:

Glasgow Pride: 25th June 2022

London Pride: 2^nd July 2022

Newcastle Pride (Northern Pride): 22^nd-23^rd July 2022

Manchester Pride: 26^th- 29^th August 2022

Cardiff Pride: 27^th & 28^th August 2022

Belfast Pride: 30^th July 2022

How we’re celebrating Pride at Mindshare, GroupM and WPP:

23^rd June 2022: 12:00 - 13:00  (VMLY&R) Made with Pride: In Conversation with Remi Sade

23^rd June 2022: 18:00 - 23:00 (Mindshare) Drag Bingo Night with Crayola the Queen & DJ

27^th June 2022: (VMLY&R) Made with Pride: Why Identity is Key to Creativity

28^th June 2022: 15:30 - 16:30 (Essence) Stand-up Comedy Afternoon with Mark Brittlestone and Special Guests

30^th June 2022: 13:00- 14:00 (Essence) Drag King Performances with Dandy Issues  

7^th July 2022: 16:00 -19:00 (GroupM UK) Pride Party

While LGBTQI+ rights have made great strides in parts of the world, homosexuality remains illegal in an estimated 70 countries, and in 11 countries, it carries the potential for the death penalty. Currently, only 29 countries recognise same-sex marriage. At Mindshare, we’re proud to support the LGBTQI+ community, inclusivity, and freedom, so all of our employees can be themselves at all times!