“Pride Is a Celebration and a Safe Space for Me”: An Interview With Christopher Dalgleish-Maricic

Christopher Dalgleish-Maricic, Relationship Manager at Scottish Widows spoke to myGwork about Pride, what it means to him and how organizations can celebrate it by including all LGBTQ+ people.

Hi Christopher, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi, I’m Christopher Dalgleish-Maricic and I’m a Relationship Manager at Scottish Widows- I manage a panel of employers and their pension schemes. In addition to this, I am the site champion for Rainbow our LGBTQ+ Diversity Network.

What does Pride mean to you?

Pride is a celebration and a safe space for me. It’s a celebration of how far we’ve come but also a chance to reflect on the struggles of our community that came before us. It’s also a platform to raise awareness of the work that still needs to be done.

Why do you think Pride is important? – For me Pride is important for many reasons; it shows the presence of the LGBTQ+ community and allows others to have a safe space to be authentically themselves. It also raises awareness of the continuing fight for equality and freedoms. I think a lot of people think the LGBTQ+ community have “the same freedoms as everyone else” but that’s not true worldwide so it starts good, meaningful conversations too.

This year, we have seen the majority of physical Pride events cancelled, do you think it is still important to mark the day in other ways? Will you be attending any digital Pride events?  - It’s been a tough year, so it is sad to see so many Pride events cancelled. I know there is so much work that goes on in the background to make them a success. It’s absolutely vital that we still mark this- for many COVID has stopped them from being able to be their authentic selves due to circumstances of lockdown (being forced to isolate with family members who don’t accept them etc) so we need an outlet to let people know they’re still part of a community that cares. Given the recent lockdown restrictions being relaxed I am actually hopeful to attend a Pride event in person this year and have my Manchester Pride tickets booked!

Do you have a favourite Pride memory?

This is a hard one as I have had so many- I think it was probably meeting Alexis Stone at Manchester Pride a few years back. They were so lovely, and I had a little bit of a fanboy moment!

What was the first Pride you attended?

So I need to be honest here, I have only been attending Pride for the last 5 years. Prior to this, I had some very selfish points of view on Pride and what it represented. I didn’t believe we needed Pride to be accepted and that by attending it was segregating ourselves further from society. I am ashamed to admit that but it’s true. Thankfully I have educated myself on what Pride actually means, I have met some really amazing people that have helped me look at things from a different perspective and I’m so grateful for them. So, what’s changed since then is my opinion on Pride and the impact it has. Also, I feel it is definitely more accepted in mainstream culture.

What have been the most important accomplishments for the LGBTQ+ community this year?

Trying not to be biased as a Scottish person however in July 2020 Scotland became the first country in the world to add LGBTQ+ history to its education curriculum which I think is a massive step in the right direction. This will educate children on acceptance, our history and will allow any LGBTQ+ child to feel accepted and learn about our community and the work it has done throughout the years.

What do you hope is accomplished by this time next year?

I want to see the government follow through on their promise to ban conversion therapy. The fact that this is still a thing in 2021 and needs to be agreed upon by parliament is ridiculous. I also want to see improvements on Trans rights and the ability to self-identify. No one should need to submit paperwork to a faceless panel that then decides if you can identify as the gender you feel aligned to.

What advice would you give to someone attending Pride for the first time?

Enjoy it, have fun, make friends, be kind to EVERYONE we’re a community and no one is excluded. Also, be proud, you have the right to be.

What can we all do to make sure Pride is inclusive for all LGBTQ+ people?

Fundamentally we need to be kind. I love being part of the LGBTQ+ community but it would be wrong to say its accepting all the time. We’ve seen groups such as the LBG Alliance emerge- personally I don’t believe this is what Pride or the LGBTQ+ community stands for. Everyone is welcome regardless of where we fall in the acronym. Be open to others and learn from each other; we all have something to contribute.

How has your organisation decided to mark Pride this year?

Lloyds Banking Group mark Pride every year. Pre-covid all of our head offices received Pride balloon walls, we hosted events and attended most of the larger Pride events and recently smaller more local Pride events. Last year we did this digitally and I have a feeling we will do the same again this year. All of our branches however come in support of Pride- most memorably our “GayTM’s”.

Do you think it’s important for businesses to celebrate Pride?

Absolutely. It’s important for organisations to create a safe and inclusive working environment for everyone. This is not just for colleagues but for the customers, they represent too.

What tips would you give to an organisation celebrating Pride for the first time?

Create a focus group/diversity network for LGBTQ+ staff and allies and ask for their input. It’s important that whatever you do for Pride is authentic and represents the community- listen and take on board feedback. It’s okay to ask questions on areas you may not understand it’s only by having open conversations in a safe environment that we call all learn and grow. Also, don’t just pay lip service- make sure you’re really giving back to the community- it’s fine to slap a rainbow on some branding but what is the true impact you’re having?