What IDAHOBLIT Means to Me

By Liz Jarrold, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Enterprise

I was born in 1990, so one of the reasons why IDAHOBLIT is such an important day to me, is I find it really quite hard to think that only during my lifetime, has homosexuality not been deemed a mental disorder by the World Health Organization. It puts into perspective how far we have come in support of the diversity within our communities, yet how incredibly far we still have to go.

I have two young girls turning five this year and I want them to grow up in a world where equality doesn’t mean tolerating, it doesn’t mean allowing, it means celebrating every individual’s differences for what they are. I want to encourage my children to be their authentic selves and not live in worry that they can’t be who they were born to be!

Whilst this is something we openly discuss and draw attention to in home life, it’s so prominent in my professional life too. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of a company that advocates for change and supports inclusivity in so many different ways. Especially in my job, hiring future talent to keep driving our business forward, it’s so necessary that candidates feel comfortable enough to open up to me about themselves. But that just doesn’t stop with me, they need to feel that the company they are choosing to commit to, commits to them too by matching their values and actively celebrating all diversities.

This year on IDAHOBLIT, I co-led a training session with other Talent Acquisition Specialists to help educate and create a conversation around the importance of 17th May. 17th May is a reminder to not only celebrate but to draw attention to the action that is essential to keep taking, to ensure that ourselves and our future generations can thrive to be who they are meant to be.