February 2011
Single Equality Scheme|
15 February 2011. The Single Equality Scheme is in the final stage of its development. The Scheme is due to be approved by the Council and will be published by the close of April 2011.
LGBT History Month|
18 February 2011. February is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month. To celebrate the lives and achievements of the LGBT community, SPECTRUM, the School's LGBT Staff Network, has planned a schedule of events. Visit the SPECTRUM| homepage for more information.
Single Equality Scheme Action Plan Consultation|
21 February 2011. The Single Equality Scheme Action Plan is open for consultation from 21 February 2011 to 21 March 2011. Please visit the Single Equality Scheme| web page to access the document and send in your comments and responses.
March 2011
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
21 March 2011. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed every year on the 21st of March. It marks the police brutality on a peaceful demonstration against apatheid 'pass laws' in Sharpeville, South Africa in 1960. Read more about the incident and the significance of the day on the UN website|.
LSE's Single Equality Scheme|
24 March 2011. LSE's first Single Equality Scheme has now been published. It will be launched officially in May during the School's Adult Learners' Week. To access the document, please visit the Single Equality Scheme| webpage.
Launch of EMBRACE
29 March 2011. EMBRACE, the School's black and ethnic minority staff network, is holding an official launch event on Thursday, 31 March at 5:30 pm on the 8th floor of the New Academic Building. The event includes speeches by Professor George Gaskell and the Honourable Mrs Justice Dobbs DBE, followed by a reception. If you would like to attend, please send an email to embrace@lse.ac.uk| ASAP so your name can be added to the guest list.
April 2011
New public sector equality duty comes into force|
5 April 2011. The public sector equality duty, which is a part of the Equality Act 2010, has come into force today. The duty will ensure that public bodies pay due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations across all the protected characteristics. For more information, please visit the EHRC| website.
Equality Act 2010 provisions relating to positive action in recruitment and promotion come into force
6 April 2011. Provisions in the Equality Act 2010 relating to positive action in recruitment and prmotion commenced from 6 April 2011. These provisions are voluntary in nature and cover the use of positive action in employment and recruitment to address disadvantage or underrepresentation within the workforce. For more information on this, please consult the LSE Equality Act 2010| briefing.
Burqa ban in France
11 April 2011. On 14 September 2010, the French Senate approved a ban on wearing burqas in public, with the law becoming effective on 11 April 2011. This makes France the first country in Europe to place a ban on the niqab (full face and body veil). Anyone wearing the niqab or burqa in public in France can now be fined (£132) or be made to take lessons in French citizenship. Read the full news on the Guardian|.
May 2011
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
17 May 2011. The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia is marked on May 17 each year. The IDAHO was launched in 2003 to commemorate WHO's decision on the same day in 1973 to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders.
Read related posts on the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog|
Adult Learners' Week
18 May 2011. Adult Learners' Week celebrates learning and learners in all their diversity, inspiring thousands of people each May to try something new. This year Adult Learners' Week runs from 14th to 20th of May. The initiative promotes the benefits of all kinds of learning, whether it is for fun or leading to a qualification.
Read a related post| on the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog
Mental Health Awareness Week
23 May 2011. 23rd to 30th of May is Mental Health Awareness Week. The week is hosted every year by the Mental Health Foundation to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues. This year the theme of the week is 'sleep'.
LSE Health and Safety have organised a talk on the impact of sleep on mental health to mark this week. Find details about the event| on the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog.
June 2011
Carers' Week
13 June 2011. 13th to 20th of June is Carers' Week in the UK. The week is marked to recognise and celebrate the contribution of UK's 6 million carers who often go unnoticed.
Read a related post on the Equality and Diversity blog|.
Learning Disability Week
20 June 2011. 20th to 26th of June is Learning Disability Week. It is a week long campaign for getting involved in and raising awareness of issues concerning people with learning disabilities.
Read related posts| on the Equality and Diversity blog.
Refugee Week
20 June 2011. 20th to 26th of June is Refugee Week in the UK. Refugee Week is an opportunity to discover and celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK.
Find out more about Refugee Week|.
Specific duties regulations laid before the Parliament
27 June 2011. Draft specific duties regulations have now been laid before the Parliament for approval. The Government Equalities Office suggests they will come into force before the summer recess. The public sector equality duty came into force on the 5th of April 2011.
Find out more on the EHRC website||.
August 2011
Italy approves draft law to ban burqa
3rd August 2011. Italy has become yet another country in Europe to approve the ban on burqa or the veil. Women seen wearing the veil in public places can be fined under this law. The burqa has already been banned by France and Belgium. The sponsor of the law in Italy said this was being done to help Islamic women integrate in Italian society.
Read a report in the Guardian||.
Weekly news on the Equality and Diversity blog||
19 August 2011. The Equality and Diversity blog is now hosting a weekly news section. In the weekly news feature, called 'The week that was...', the blog will bring all the major equality and diversity related news to you every Monday. It is a good way to stay up-to-date with equality and diversity.
Read past 'The week that was...'|| posts.
Case studies on the Equality and Diversity blog||
25 August 2011. Several case studies have been posted on the Equality and Diversity blog to provide practical information and raise awareness regarding equality law and everyday diversity issues/dilemmas that employers and employees may face at their workplace. The repository of case studies can be easily accessed on the blog||.
More case studies will be regularly posted on the blog. To keep up-to-date, please subscribe to email notifications|| by entering your email address on the blog.
Caste discrimination case in the UK
31 August 2011. A first-of-its-kind case alleging caste discrimination is pending a hearing at an employment tribunal in Birmingham. The solicitors couple, Amardeep and Vijay Begraj, are claiming that their employer, Heer Manak Solicitors, discriminated against and harassed them following their inter-caste marriage. To find out more about the case, please read the full article on People Management||.
The case is significant because it is currently unclear as to whether caste discrimination is protected under the Equality Act 2010.
September 2011
UK lifts ban on blood donation by men having sex with men
8 September 2011. UK has decided to lift the lifelong ban that prevented men having sex with men from donating blood. The restrictions were put in places in the 1980s to reduce the risk of HIV contamination.
The ban has been, for some time, now questioned on both medical and equality grounds. Removal of the ben implies that homosexual and bisexual men can now donated blood but only if they haven't had sex in the last 12 months.
Read the report on BBC News||.
Equality Act 2010 Specific Duties Regulations come into force||
12 September 2011. The Equality Act 2010 Specific Duties Regulations 2011 came into force on 10th September, 2011. The Specific Duties provide a framework to public bodies to help them perform the Equality Duty better. They do this by requiring public bodies to be transparent, publish equality information and set equality objectives.
EHRC launches Disability Harassment Inquiry report||
16 September 2011. EHRC has launched the final report of their inquiry into disability-related harassment. The report is entitled 'Hidden in plain sight'. The report uncovers not only that harassment is a commonplace experience for disabled people, but also that a culture of disbelief and systemic institutional failures are preventing it from being tackled effectively.
To read the report, please visit EHRC|
|.
You can also read a
summary of the report| |on the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog.
UK plans to introduce same-sex marriage||
19 September 2011. On Saturday, Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone announced government's plans to legislate same-sex marriage before the next Parliament. The government will begin a formal consultation on how to implement equal civil marriage for same-sex couples in March next year. Civil partnerships for same-sex couples were introduced in the UK in 2005 but the partnerships cannot be legally referred to as marriages.
National Work-Life Week||
26 September 2011. 26th to 30th of September is National Work-Life Week. This week focuses on the vital importance of achieving work-life balance. It calls upon employers to refresh and relaunch their work-life policies and employees to raise understanding and involvement from fellow employees through staff networks and associations.
October 2011
October is Black History Month||
3 October 2011. October is celebrated as Black History Month in the UK. BHM celebrates the history, legacy and contributions of the African diaspora. The month is marked by various events all across the UK. Find out more on the Black History Month website||.
World Mental Health Day||
10 October 2011. World Mental Health Day aims to raise public awareness about mental health issues. The day promotes open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services. This year the theme is "Investing in mental health".
November 2011
Anti-bullying week||
14 November. This week is Anti-bullying week. This year's campaign is focused on verbal bullying and the slogan is 'Stop and think - words can hurt'.
LSE is committed to a working and learning environment where people can achieve their full potential. Read School regulations on harassment and bullying||. Contact Kevin Haynes (k.j.haynes@lse.ac.uk||) for advice.
December 2011
UK Disability History Month||
1 December 2011. Today marks the beginning of Disability History Month in the UK. UKDHM is an annual event that aims to create a platform to focus on the history of disabled people's movement for equality and human rights. The theme for this year is 'Celebrating our struggle for equality'.
New online Equality and Diversity courses||
15 December 2011. Human Resources have launched new online Equality and Diversity courses for staff and students at LSE. These courses provide an accessible and entertaining way to learn about and participate in equality and diversity. To access the courses, go to LSE Short Courses|| and enter your LSE username and password.
January 2012
Martin Luther King Day||
Martin Luther King Day||
16 January 2012. Martin Luther King Day was marked all across the US today. This day has been marked in the US on the third Monday of January since 1986 to commemorate the civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr.
February 2012
LGBT History Month
1 February 2012. Today marks the beginning of LGBT History Month in the UK. This month celebrates LGBT history and LGBT struggle for equal rights. LSE's LGBT staff network, SPECTRUM||, has organised a number of events for this month. You can find details for them in the updated February calendar||.
March 2012
International Women's History Month||
1 March 2012. Today marks the beginning of International Women's History Month. The Month seeks to celebrate achievements of women's movement for equality and considers what still needs to be done.
Updated March calendar||
2 March 2012. We have now published the updated version of the calendar for March. It contains information on relevant events taking place this month. Download your copy today - Calendar for March 2012|| [PDF]
International Women's Day||
8 March 2012. 8 March is marked as International Women's Day every year. The day was first observed in 1910. Today, it is a national holiday in 20 countries. Find out more about International Women's Day on the blog||.
16 January 2012. Martin Luther King Day was marked all across the US today. This day has been marked in the US on the third Monday of January since 1986 to commemorate the civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr.
February 2012
LGBT History Month
1 February 2012. Today marks the beginning of LGBT History Month in the UK. This month celebrates LGBT history and LGBT struggle for equal rights. LSE's LGBT staff network, SPECTRUM||, has organised a number of events for this month. You can find details for them in the updated February calendar||.
March 2012
International Women's History Month||
1 March 2012. Today marks the beginning of International Women's History Month. The Month seeks to celebrate achievements of women's movement for equality and considers what still needs to be done.
Updated March calendar||
2 March 2012. We have now published the updated version of the calendar for March. It contains information on relevant events taking place this month. Download your copy today - Calendar for March 2012|| [PDF]
International Women's Day||
8 March 2012. 8 March is marked as International Women's Day every year. The day was first observed in 1910. Today, it is a national holiday in 20 countries. Find out more about International Women's Day on the blog||.
April 2011
New public sector equality duty comes into force| |
5 April 2011. The public sector equality duty, which is a part of the Equality Act 2010, has come into force today. The duty will ensure that public bodies pay due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations across all the protected characteristics. For more information, please visit the EHRC|| website.
Equality Act 2010 provisions relating to positive action in recruitment and promotion come into force
6 April 2011. Provisions in the Equality Act 2010 relating to positive action in recruitment and prmotion commenced from 6 April 2011. These provisions are voluntary in nature and cover the use of positive action in employment and recruitment to address disadvantage or underrepresentation within the workforce. For more information on this, please consult the LSE Equality Act 2010| |briefing.
Burqa ban in France
11 April 2011. On 14 September 2010, the French Senate approved a ban on wearing burqas in public, with the law becoming effective on 11 April 2011. This makes France the first country in Europe to place a ban on the niqab (full face and body veil). Anyone wearing the niqab or burqa in public in France can now be fined (£132) or be made to take lessons in French citizenship. Read the full news on the Guardian||.
May 2011
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
17 May 2011. The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia is marked on May 17 each year. The IDAHO was launched in 2003 to commemorate WHO's decision on the same day in 1973 to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders.
Read related posts on the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog||
Adult Learners' Week
18 May 2011. Adult Learners' Week celebrates learning and learners in all their diversity, inspiring thousands of people each May to try something new. This year Adult Learners' Week runs from 14th to 20th of May. The initiative promotes the benefits of all kinds of learning, whether it is for fun or leading to a qualification.
Read a related post| |on the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog
Mental Health Awareness Week
23 May 2011. 23rd to 30th of May is Mental Health Awareness Week. The week is hosted every year by the Mental Health Foundation to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues. This year the theme of the week is 'sleep'.
LSE Health and Safety have organised a talk on the impact of sleep on mental health to mark this week. Find details about the event| |on the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog.
June 2011
Carers' Week
13 June 2011. 13th to 20th of June is Carers' Week in the UK. The week is marked to recognise and celebrate the contribution of UK's 6 million carers who often go unnoticed.
Read a related post on the Equality and Diversity blog||.
Learning Disability Week
20 June 2011. 20th to 26th of June is Learning Disability Week. It is a week long campaign for getting involved in and raising awareness of issues concerning people with learning disabilities.
Read related posts| |on the Equality and Diversity blog.
Refugee Week
20 June 2011. 20th to 26th of June is Refugee Week in the UK. Refugee Week is an opportunity to discover and celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK.
Find out more about Refugee Week||
Specific duties regulations laid before the Parliament
27 June 2011. Draft specific duties regulations have now been laid before the Parliament for approval. The Government Equalities Office suggests they will come into force before the summer recess. The public sector equality duty came into force on the 5th of April 2011.
Find out more on the EHRC website||.
August 2011
Italy approves draft law to ban burqa
3rd August 2011. Italy has become yet another country in Europe to approve the ban on burqa or the veil. Women seen wearing the veil in public places can be fined under this law. The burqa has already been banned by France and Belgium. The sponsor of the law in Italy said this was being done to help Islamic women integrate in Italian society.
Read a report in the Guardian||.
Weekly news on the Equality and Diversity blog||
19 August 2011. The Equality and Diversity blog is now hosting a weekly news section. In the weekly news feature, called 'The week that was...', the blog will bring all the major equality and diversity related news to you every Monday. It is a good way to stay up-to-date with equality and diversity.
Read past 'The week that was...'|| posts.
Case studies on the Equality and Diversity blog||
25 August 2011. Several case studies have been posted on the Equality and Diversity blog to provide practical information and raise awareness regarding equality law and everyday diversity issues/dilemmas that employers and employees may face at their workplace. The repository of case studies can be easily accessed on the blog||.
More case studies will be regularly posted on the blog. To keep up-to-date, please subscribe to email notifications|| by entering your email address on the blog.
Caste discrimination case in the UK
31 August 2011. A first-of-its-kind case alleging caste discrimination is pending a hearing at an employment tribunal in Birmingham. The solicitors couple, Amardeep and Vijay Begraj, are claiming that their employer, Heer Manak Solicitors, discriminated against and harassed them following their inter-caste marriage. To find out more about the case, please read the full article on People Management||.
The case is significant because it is currently unclear as to whether caste discrimination is protected under the Equality Act 2010.
September 2011
UK lifts ban on blood donation by men having sex with men
8 September 2011. UK has decided to lift the lifelong ban that prevented men having sex with men from donating blood. The restrictions were put in places in the 1980s to reduce the risk of HIV contamination.
The ban has been, for some time, now questioned on both medical and equality grounds. Removal of the ben implies that homosexual and bisexual men can now donated blood but only if they haven't had sex in the last 12 months.
Read the report on BBC News|.
Equality Act 2010 Specific Duties Regulations come into force|
12 September 2011. The Equality Act 2010 Specific Duties Regulations 2011 came into force on 10th September, 2011. The Specific Duties provide a framework to public bodies to help them perform the Equality Duty better. They do this by requiring public bodies to be transparent, publish equality information and set equality objectives.
EHRC launches Disability Harassment Inquiry report||
16 September 2011. EHRC has launched the final report of their inquiry into disability-related harassment. The report is entitled 'Hidden in plain sight'. The report uncovers not only that harassment is a commonplace experience for disabled people, but also that a culture of disbelief and systemic institutional failures are preventing it from being tackled effectively.
To read the report, please visit EHRC| .
You can also read a summary of the report| on the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog.
UK plans to introduce same-sex marriage|
19 September 2011. On Saturday, Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone announced government's plans to legislate same-sex marriage before the next Parliament. The government will begin a formal consultation on how to implement equal civil marriage for same-sex couples in March next year. Civil partnerships for same-sex couples were introduced in the UK in 2005 but the partnerships cannot be legally referred to as marriages.
National Work-Life Week|
26 September 2011. 26th to 30th of September is National Work-Life Week. This week focuses on the vital importance of achieving work-life balance. It calls upon employers to refresh and relaunch their work-life policies and employees to raise understanding and involvement from fellow employees through staff networks and associations.
October 2011
October is Black History Month|
3 October 2011. October is celebrated as Black History Month in the UK. BHM celebrates the history, legacy and contributions of the African diaspora. The month is marked by various events all across the UK. Find out more on the Black History Month website|.
World Mental Health Day|
10 October 2011. World Mental Health Day aims to raise public awareness about mental health issues. The day promotes open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services. This year the theme is "Investing in mental health".
November 2011
Anti-bullying week|
14 November. This week is Anti-bullying week. This year's campaign is focused on verbal bullying and the slogan is 'Stop and think - words can hurt'.
LSE is committed to a working and learning environment where people can achieve their full potential. Read School regulations on harassment and bullying|. Contact Kevin Haynes (k.j.haynes@lse.ac.uk|) for advice.
December 2011
UK Disability History Month|
1 December 2011. Today marks the beginning of Disability History Month in the UK. UKDHM is an annual event that aims to create a platform to focus on the history of disabled people's movement for equality and human rights. The theme for this year is 'Celebrating our struggle for equality'.
New online Equality and Diversity courses|
15 December 2011. Human Resources have launched new online Equality and Diversity courses for staff and students at LSE. These courses provide an accessible and entertaining way to learn about and participate in equality and diversity. To access the courses, go to LSE Short Courses| and enter your LSE username and password.
January 2012
Martin Luther King Day|
16 January 2012. Martin Luther King Day was marked all across the US today. This day has been marked in the US on the third Monday of January since 1986 to commemorate the civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr.
February 2012
LGBT History Month
1 February 2012. Today marks the beginning of LGBT History Month in the UK. This month celebrates LGBT history and LGBT struggle for equal rights. LSE's LGBT staff network, SPECTRUM|, has organised a number of events for this month. You can find details for them in the updated February calendar|.
March 2012
International Women's History Month|
1 March 2012. Today marks the beginning of International Women's History Month. The Month seeks to celebrate achievements of women's movement for equality and considers what still needs to be done.
Updated March calendar|
2 March 2012. We have now published the updated version of the calendar for March. It contains information on relevant events taking place this month. Download your copy today - Calendar for March 2012| [PDF]
International Women's Day|
8 March 2012. 8 March is marked as International Women's Day every year. The day was first observed in 1910. Today, it is a national holiday in 20 countries. Find out more about International Women's Day on the blog|.
April 2012
Updated April calendar|
17 April 2012. We have now published the updated version of the calendar for April. It contains details of events taking place this month. You can download this as well as a full version of the calendar from our Calendar page|.
May 2012
Updated May calendar|
1 May 2012. The updated version of the calendar for May has now been published. The calendar contains details for all equality and diversity related events taking place this month. The calendar is downloadable from our Calendar page|.