How M&S empowers its employees to be their authentic selves

In honour of National Coming Out Day, Jonathan Peterkin and Kaden Hogg from Marks & Spencer spoke to myGwork about their personal journeys, and how M&S strives to be an inclusive space for all to live freely in their authentic selves.

Please, tell us your coming out story. Have you had a good/bad experience because of your sexual orientation at home, school or work?

Jonathan: I started transitioning publicly when I was 15. I’m really lucky that my parents and immediate family are so supportive! But a lot of people weren’t.

I think certain people find it harder to deal with because they can’t ignore it. They can learn I’m queer and then put it aside for their own “peace of mind”, but they have to acknowledge my trans identity constantly by virtue of it existing, and because of that they feel like it’s being “shoved in their face”. Which is silly, and either way, I never understood why it was a huge deal! I’m still me. But a lot of people’s allyship kind of ends when they feel like you’re asking something of them. Despite that, it was worth it to feel like myself, and I would never take it back.

Kaden: I think it’s difficult to tell a coming out story because the truth is you never stop coming out. Every new situation you enter - every new job, new friend you meet, new partner - you are always coming out and sharing that part of yourself with someone new.

I wouldn’t say I have ever had a bad experience. Coming out about my sexuality was definitely easier than coming out about my gender (genderqueer) as I think it is something that people misunderstand and find more difficult to get their heads around. I still get misgendered and deadnamed by some of the people closest to me, but I guess it’s about what you are willing to tolerate and how much it impacts you as a person.

How does your organization support and empower its LGBTQ+ employees?

Jonathan: When I joined, I was very happy to see the effort M&S put in to support queer colleagues. They have eight different support networks for the colleagues to join, including the LGBTQ+ network. On my first day, my line manager had an open discussion on how I identify myself and preferred pronouns to use, which instantly made me feel really reassured that I was working for a business that understands the nuances of identity. M&S also offers everyone the opportunity to have their pronouns added to their name badge. There are posters about M&S initiatives and history lining the break room, including a guide to gender identity. Even during my induction, we were presented with hypothetical customer scenarios, one of which was about affirming a trans customer in the store.

Kaden: We have colleague networks that colleagues can get involved with. M&S also hosts lots of Pride events and attends Pride parades across the country.