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Stonewall Workplace Equality Index 2016: MI5 Named Best LGBT Employer In Britain

Spy Agency Is Britain's Most Gay-Friendly Employer
George Bowden
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MI5 has been named Britain's most gay-friendly employer by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans charity Stonewall.

The Security Service - one of the most secretive in the world - ranks best amongst a list of 100 employers, all rated by staff for their culture, diversity and inclusion in one of the UK's largest annual employment surveys. The service's foreign counterpart, MI6, is ranked 36 on the list.

Other entries in the Workplace Equality Index include six banking firms, including Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, and 14 local authorities, including the London Boroughs of Islington, and Tower Hamlets.

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The Security Service, MI5, is ranked best in Stonewall's 2016's list

The Royal Navy, the Army, and six police forces also feature, while the National Assembly of Wales came third with the Welsh Government ranked joint 17th.

The index has now entered its 12th year. Stonewall received 400 entries from individual organisations, and surveyed over 60,000 staff.

Andrew Parker, Director-General, MI5, said that the recognition reflects the desire to hire those with required skills, regardless of sexuality.

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Lloyds Banking Group came second in the list

The chief spook said: "Diversity is vital for MI5, not just because it’s right that we represent the communities we serve, but because we rely on the skills of the most talented people whoever they are, and wherever they may be.

"This accolade from Stonewall is a great acknowledgment of the continued progress we have made over recent years in ensuring we draw on the widest possible pool of talent in our vital work."

Ruth Hunt, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: "MI5 have made fantastic strides in creating an inclusive workplace, and have now appeared on the Stonewall Top 100 Employers list since 2012. This is an amazing achievement and demonstrates just how seriously diversity and inclusion is taken.

"I’d also like to thank all of those organisations that took part in Stonewall’s 2016 Workplace Equality Index, and congratulate our Top 100 and award winners. We’re thrilled to see such a commitment to lesbian, gay, bi and trans colleagues, but we also know that there is still lots to do."

Top 100 Employers List 2016

1MI5

2Lloyds Banking Group

3National Assembly for Wales

4B3Living

5Pinsent Masons

5Tower Hamlets Homes

7Leicestershire County Council

8Metropolitan

9Clifford Chance

10Royal Navy

11Baker & McKenzie

11PwC

13Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service

13Victim Support

15Newcastle City Council

15Suffolk Constabulary

17Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

17Leicestershire Police

17Welsh Government

20Cardiff University

20Creative Skillset

22Circle Housing Group

22Norton Rose Fulbright

22Sussex Police

25Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service

25Herbert Smith Freehills

25Northumberland County Council

28Birmingham City Council

29Golden Jubilee Foundation

30Essex Community Rehabilitation Company

30London Borough of Tower Hamlets

32Norfolk Constabulary

32Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

32Royal Bank of Scotland Group

32The Army

36MI6

36Office for National Statistics

36Swansea University

36Your Homes Newcastle

40Financial Conduct Authority

41J.P. Morgan

41Sheffield City Council

43BP

44KPMG

44Teesside University

46Aviva

46Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

46London Ambulance Service NHS Trust

46North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

50Cardiff & Vale University Health Board

50Touchstone

50University of Birmingham

53University of Essex

53University of Manchester

55Core Assets Group

56DWF

57Hogan Lovells

58De Montfort University

58St Andrew's Healthcare

60Bury Council

61Land Registry

61University of Sheffield

61York St John University

64L&Q

64Leeds Beckett University

64Nottinghamshire County Council

64Nottinghamshire Police

68EDF Energy

69The Riverside Group

70HSBC Bank

71West Midlands Police

72Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

72Environment Agency

72Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

72Reed Smith

72St Mungo's

72The Co-operative Group

78Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

78Suffolk County Council

80CMS Cameron McKenna

80University of Greenwich

82Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

83ASDA

83Police Scotland

85Carmarthenshire County Council

86Barnardo's

86Eversheds

86Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

89Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service

90Bank of America Merrill Lynch

91National Crime Agency

92London South Bank University

93Macquarie

93Medway Council

93Vision West Nottinghamshire College

96London Borough of Islington

97Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

97Dentons

97Nottingham City Council

100Citi

100Fujitsu

33 Great Moments In Cultural History That Wouldn't Have Happened Without LGBT People
'The Negro Speaks Of Rivers,' By Langston Hughes (1902-1967)(01 of07)
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A leader of the Harlem Renaissance, poet, writer and playwright Langston Hughes is one of the most prominent historical black cultural figures. Hughes shed light on the lives of African-Americans in his work, drawing both support and criticism from the community. Many of his poems also had homosexual allusions and advocated for gay rights.Photo Courtesy of Hyperion Book CH (credit:Photo Courtesy of Hyperion Book CH)
'The Glass House,' By Philip C. Johnson (1906-2005)(02 of07)
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American architect Philip C. Johnson designed many buildings throughout the U.S., including the Seagram Building and Lincoln Center in NYC and the One Detroit Center in Michigan. But The Glass House he designed and finished in 1949 in New Canaan, Conn. became a National Trust Historic Site. Johnson died at 98 in 2005, leaving behind his partner, David Whitney, of 45 years.Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons / Staib (credit:Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons / Staib)
Various Uses Of The Peanut By George Washington Carver (1864-1943)(03 of07)
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Born into slavery, black and LGBT history icon George Washington Carver overcame his misfortune by becoming a successful scientist and inventor. Carver’s crop research, especially of the humble peanut, led to his inventions of plastics, paints, dyes and even a type of gasoline.Photo courtesy of Flickr user Vinni123 (credit:Photo courtesy of Flickr user Vinni123)
'Campbell's Soup Cans,' By Andy Warhol (1928-1987)(04 of07)
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Deemed the godfather of the '60s Pop Art movement, Andy Warhol, originally from Pittsburgh, moved to NYC in 1949 to pursue his career as a commercial artist. Warhol, who was openly gay, was most famous for his whimsical paintings of Campbell’s soup cans, using unconventional (consumer) products as subjects, and fun, colorful portraits of celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Elvis and changed the face of modern art. (credit:Alamy)
'Leaves Of Grass,' By Walt Whitman (1819-1892)(05 of07)
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The revered and influential poet Walt Whitman was best known for his collection of poems “Leaves of Grass." Whitman was a pioneer for equal rights and treatment of all people, often showing his views in his poetry, as well as his homosexuality, writing suggestive poems such as “We Two Boys Together Clinging.” Photo Courtesy of Penguin Classics (credit:Photo Courtesy of Penguin Classics)
'Three Lives,' By Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)(06 of07)
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Gertrude Stein, who was born in Pennsylvania, was a patron of the arts, opening a famous literary and artistic salon with her brother in Paris. The venue hosted writers from all over the world such as T.S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The French capital is also where Stein met her lifelong companion and lover, Alice B. Toklas. Stein was a writer herself, publishing titles such as “Three Lives” (1909) and “Tender Buttons: Objects, Food, Rooms” (1914).Courtesy of Penguin Classics (credit:Courtesy of Penguin Classics)
'Notes Of A Native Son,' By James Baldwin (1924-1987)(07 of07)
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James Baldwin was a renowned author who wrote about race and sexuality in the middle of the 20th century. One of his many notable works, “Nobody Knows My Name,” was a best seller, and sold more than a million copies. Baldwin was openly gay and appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in 1963. Photo Courtesy of Beacon Press (credit:Photo Courtesy of Beacon Press)

SEE ALSO:

Six Reasons Why 2015 Wasn't The Year For LGBT Rights

Teacher Has Best Response To Homophobic Parents After Pupils Pulled Out Of Class Because He's Gay

Britain's First Care Home For Elderly LGBT People On The Cards

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