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Screenshot of prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) delivering a video testimonial for the LGBTI inclusion guide 

IMS (Inspiring More Sustainability) Luxembourg is the project leader of the Diversity Charter, a pledge to promote diversity through concrete actions that has been signed by more than 200 public and private sector.

On 10 February, the organisation published the first edition of its “LGBTI inclusion in the workplace” best practices guide.

The guide provides suggestion on how companies can proactively create a more inclusive environment, showcasing 21 examples from different countries but also featuring 15 testimonials.

“If we are dealing with this topic, it’s because the situation isn’t yet ideal; there remains things to be done,” said Nancy Thomas, director of IMS Luxembourg. “The companies aren’t doing anything wrong. But sometimes it’s small details that make a member of the LGBTI community feel out of place.”

The guide’s best practices focus on recruitment and staff management, internal communication and actions, and external communication and positioning.

The 15 testimonials included in the guide feature Luxembourg MEP Tilly Metz (déi Gréng), BIL account manager Georgia Frangipane, and Jan Berlo, a nurse at CHNP, among several others.

Prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) in his account recalls how he was advised to declare his partner as his assistant, secretary or adviser when travelling as part of his job as a politician.

Obtaining these 15 testimonials “wasn’t easy,” said Priscilia Talbot, who managed the project at IMS Luxembourg. The organisation sent out a call for contributions to signatories of the Diversity Charter. “Quite a few people wanted to testify, but anonymously. That wasn’t the point,” Talbot said. “It’s symptomatic of a problem. In an ideal world, people wouldn’t have a problem with speaking openly.”

This article first appeared in French on Paperjam.lu and has been translated and edited for Delano.