LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace is most effective when it recognises that employees do not experience identity in neat, separate categories. In a powerful session from the Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace Conference, now available to watch On Demand, Hugh O’Keeffe, Inclusion Lead at Onvero, explored what happens when LGBTQ+ and disabled identities intersect, and what employers often overlook when building inclusive cultures.
Speaking from both personal and professional experience, Hugh shared how his identity as a gay man and as someone with a progressive muscle-wasting condition has shaped his understanding of inclusion. His central message was clear: workplaces can no longer afford to treat disability inclusion and LGBTQ+ inclusion as separate conversations.
You can watch the full session as part of the Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace Conference On Demand.
Why Intersectionality Matters for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace
Hugh began by highlighting the overlap between Pride Month in June and Disability Pride Month in July, describing it as a timely opportunity to bring both conversations together. This framing matters because many employees are not just LGBTQ+ or disabled; they may be both, alongside many other aspects of identity.
In the session, Hugh explained that while he came out as gay many years ago, talking about his disability is an ongoing process. Because his condition is currently non-visible and progressive, he often has to explain what it means, what support he may need and how it affects him in different settings. By contrast, he rarely has to justify or explain being gay in the same way.
This distinction reveals an important point for employers: different identities are treated differently in the workplace. Some may be understood socially but not structurally supported. Others may require ongoing conversations about adjustments, access and assumptions. When identities overlap, the barriers can become compounded.
What Workplaces Often Get Wrong
A key theme of Hugh’s talk was that exclusion is not always deliberate. In many cases, organisations simply forget that people with intersecting identities exist.
For example, disability-focused spaces may fail to consider LGBTQ+ experiences. Similarly, Pride events may be physically inaccessible, overstimulating or unsuitable for some disabled and neurodivergent people. The same pattern can appear at work: an LGBTQ+ staff event held in an inaccessible venue, or a disability awareness campaign that never mentions sexual orientation or gender identity.
As Hugh put it, being forgotten is its own form of exclusion. If an employee sits at the intersection of multiple identities and neither space fully considers them, they may feel that no part of the organisation truly belongs to them.
Siloed Inclusion Strategies Create Gaps
Many equality, diversity and inclusion strategies are still organised around individual protected characteristics. There may be a disability workstream, an LGBTQ+ workstream and a gender equality workstream, but little attention to how those experiences interact.
This can lead to policies, training and events that look inclusive on paper but miss the reality of people’s lives. Hugh argued that training leaders on disability alone, or sexual orientation alone, is not enough. Managers need to understand how identities compound, how disclosure differs across experiences and how assumptions can create additional barriers.
Recruitment, Retention and the Question Employers Should Ask
Hugh encouraged organisations to examine the employee lifecycle through an intersectional lens, starting with recruitment. Are interviews accessible? Are assessments flexible? Do application forms assume binary gender? Can candidates choose a title that reflects their identity? Does onboarding language only refer to “husband” or “wife”?
These details matter because they signal who has been considered and who has not. Inclusive recruitment is not just about removing one form of bias; it is about looking for multiple barriers that may affect the same candidate.
For retention, Hugh offered one simple but powerful question: “What do you need to thrive?”
This question avoids forcing employees to disclose personal information before support is offered. It also recognises that disabled people are not a single group with identical needs. As Hugh noted, employers do not need to be experts in every condition or identity. Instead, they should create safe conditions where employees can explain what helps them work well.
This approach is especially important for people with non-visible disabilities, and for LGBTQ+ employees who may not feel comfortable sharing aspects of their identity at work. Asking the question genuinely can build more trust than a policy document alone.
For further discussions on LGBTQ+ in the workplace, we’re hosting The LGBTQ+ in the Workplace Conference 2026 this November. Did you know that 85% of LGBTQ+ employees report experiencing significant career barriers linked to their identity? This needs to change and it goes beyond simple tick-box exercises for EDI purposes. It’s all about creating environments where acceptance and awareness are embedded in company culture. The conference will examine key career barriers including limited LGBTQ+ role-model representation, failures in policy implementation, and inconsistent senior-level support, providing practical strategies to deliver measurable and sustained workplace inclusion.
Employee Networks Should Work Together, Not Apart
Another practical recommendation from the session was to bridge employee networks. LGBTQ+ staff networks and disability employee resource groups should not operate in complete isolation. Joint events, shared learning and collaborative mentoring can help organisations better support colleagues with intersecting identities.
Hugh highlighted that employees with multiple marginalised identities may be among the most isolated and least likely to see leaders who reflect their experiences. This makes mentorship and sponsorship particularly important. Representation matters, but intersectional representation at senior levels remains a challenge for many organisations.
Building a Culture That Sees the Whole Person
Culture was the final major focus of the session. Hugh was direct: most workplace cultures are not necessarily hostile to LGBTQ+ disabled people; they simply do not remember to include them.
Changing this requires organisations to make intersectionality a normal part of workplace conversations. It should appear in management training, policy reviews, event planning and data analysis. If workforce data is only reviewed one characteristic at a time, employers may miss the people who are falling through the gaps.
Four Practical Actions for Employers
Hugh closed the session with four actions that organisations can take forward:
1. Train for intersectionality
Move beyond single-issue diversity training. Help leaders understand how different identities interact and how exclusion can compound.
2. Audit processes for multiple forms of bias
Review recruitment, onboarding, promotion, flexible working, family leave and adjustments processes through more than one inclusion lens.
3. Bridge employee networks
Encourage LGBTQ+ networks, disability networks and other employee groups to collaborate, share learning and co-create inclusive initiatives.
4. Ask what people need to thrive
Do not wait for employees to disclose a diagnosis or identity before offering support. Ask the question early, record adjustments appropriately and treat employees as experts in their own experience.
Conclusion: Making LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace Truly Inclusive
LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace must go beyond Pride campaigns, policy statements and standalone training. Hugh O’Keeffe’s session is a reminder that employees bring their whole selves to work, including identities and experiences that overlap in complex ways.
For employers, the next step is practical: review your policies, audit your processes, connect your staff networks and ask employees what they need to thrive. Inclusion is not neutral. Every event, form, policy and conversation either helps someone feel seen, or risks leaving them out. To explore these themes in more depth, watch Hugh O’Keeffe’s full session through the Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace Conference On Demand.
Don’t forget to check out our upcoming The LGBTQ+ in the Workplace Conference 2026, bringing together inspiring professionals and industry experts to collaborate towards strengthening LGBTQ+ support at work.