Member Article

Former rugby star speaks at Midlands’ LGBT event

Former England Rugby player and LGBT activist Ben Cohen was the guest speaker at a meeting of OpenLand, the Midlands’ network for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans professionals.

He was welcomed by Paul Barker, co-chair of OpenLand and a partner at Higgs & Sons solicitors.

Ben addressed almost 100 LGBT professionals, all representatives from the property, real estate and construction sector, telling them about his work with the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation.

Paul Barker, of Higgs, said: “OpenLand has gone from strength to strength in just over the six months since we formed.

“We have had three very successful events so far and more planned for later this year. We were thrilled that Ben agreed to speak at our first event of 2017 as he is a very visible and recognisable straight ally, championing a cause which helps tackle homophobic bullying.

“Representing a sector which lags behind others in terms of promoting inclusivity and celebrating the diversity of our employees, Ben reinforced our core message that being yourself in everything you do is something we should all strive for and makes for a happy, successful and supportive society.”

Ben said: “I was really pleased to come and speak to OpenLand members and supporters, and it was great to see a new organisation like this with so much momentum, purpose and desire to make a difference. I lost my own father to violence when he stood up for an employee who was being attacked and I’ve heard from my wonderful friends in the LGBT community about the hard roads too many have travelled.

“The work of the Foundation is centred on standing up, irrespective of gender, orientation or background in order to tackle bullying and overcome prejudice and fear. It was fantastic to share my perspectives and hear other people’s stories. I look forward to seeing how OpenLand will develop in the future as it continues to grow.”

The event was hosted at KPMG Birmingham with support from OpenLand founding organisations St. Modwen Properties and Court Collaboration.

Free to join, OpenLand provides an inclusive and welcoming environment for LGBT professionals from the sector and region to meet regularly and share experiences and perspectives.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Taylor .