A new network for LGBTQ+ professionals working in the advertising, media and marketing industry has been formed with a view to promoting LGBTQ+ within the industry.
Called ADvocates, the aim of the network is to “connect, unite and belong” and it is “on a mission to make Ireland’s media, marketing and ad-land a genuinely inclusive and diverse industry. We believe in the power of our colourful community and strive to create a safe and supportive space, to encourage industry-wide education and to drive understanding and change.”
ADvocates will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, October 11 (Coming Out Day) in Outhouse in Dublin between 6pm and 9pm.
The free to attend event will kickstart the conversation about what it is like to be LGBTQ+ and working in the advertising, media and marketing industry with a panel of professionals who will talk about their own personal journeys and talk about how these experiences have evolved over generations and whether or not the industry has kept pace with recent legislative changes.
According to one of the co-founders, Christine Matthews (She/Her), head of TGI Customer Success, Kantar Media Ireland and co-lead, Global Pride with the research firm: “Coming out in my late 30s, my personal and professional circles were predominantly heterosexual. I yearned for connections with fellow LGBTQ+ individuals within the Irish media, marketing, and advertising industry, only to be disheartened that no such support network existed.
“This served as the catalyst for me to become the driving force behind ADvocates Ireland, joining forces with a group of passionate, talented and like-minded LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in the industry, who share the vision of promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion within our industry,” she says.
“We’re excited to bring the industry together on 11th October – quite serendipitously also National Coming Out Day – in Outhouse Capel St at 6pm for our inaugural event, as we discuss diverse coming out in the workplace journeys and how these have changed over decades. We also want guests to leave feeling empowered, with some LGBTQ+ inclusion best practice advice, they can bring to their workplace.
For more information on ADvocates visit its website HERE
To join the LinkedIn group, click HERE
