The importance of Pride and allyship – Sam’s story

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month - a time to come together and to celebrate our differences, raise awareness of issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, and work towards a more inclusive and just society. We’re sharing a blog from Sam Jones, a Location Manager at Anchor on the importance of Pride and allyship. 

I’m Sam Jones and I’ve been a Location Manager at Hythe in Hampshire for almost three years and part of Anchor’s Inclusive Ambassadors colleague network since October 2022.

I joined Inclusive Ambassadors to reach out and find support from colleagues that either have or were going through the same sort of thing as me. I was struggling at the time as my daughter had told me she didn’t feel like herself.

To cut it down, Mac transitioned into being my son and I was able to support him with the help and support of the Inclusive Ambassadors. They gave me somewhere to freely ask questions without fear of judgement. A safe place to be.

Through this, I managed to have one to one talks with some members of the team who offered me invaluable advice that helped me to help Mac navigate through the transition and eased my anxieties around some “mum” questions I had.

I’m an ally and have always been, but only over the last couple of years am I finding it easier to find my voice. It’s important that I can show this to my children, to their friends, to their bullies, to my residents, and to my colleagues.

It’s important because I want people to feel safe in society. I want my son to walk down the street and to be happy and for people to not have any judgement.

I know it will take a lot for this to happen, but step by step change can take place. I don’t want people to feel judged for who they are. I just want people to live in their skin and be able to without fear of violence.

I have been to Pride a few times before to watch the parade. This year I jumped at the chance to actually get involved with the Pride parade as an ally. One reason is it’s great fun and it’s always a wonderful event.

It’s also important for me that all of the people I’ve already mentioned know that they have my unwavering support and a safe place to go in a world that can be very daunting. As an ally I want to show people that anyone has the strength to offer support and they can do this in the smallest of ways.

By walking in the parade, by sharing a post on social media, by wearing a pronouns badge, or displaying an LGBTQ+ sign at work, or by having an awkward conversation that they may have avoided. That is what allyship means for me. It means learning from others' experiences and what they’ve been through and supporting them.

I think to be a better ally, you must first listen and remember that everyone is different. We all have different backgrounds, upbringings, experiences, feelings, and ways of dealing with things. 

Everyone has the right to live without fear and this is really important to me.

Sam Jones is a Location Manager at Anchor

Diversity and inclusion at Anchor

At Anchor we ensure that dignity and respect are central to the way we work, and that the unique contributions of our colleagues and residents are valued and celebrated. Find out more about our approach to Diversity and Inclusion here.