Macquarie’s Ally Network pictured during Sydney WorldPride 2023 on campus .
Pride Month (1–30 June) honours the June 1969 Stonewall Riots, a series of violent confrontations between police and gay rights activists. The activists were protesting against police harassment and social discrimination suffered by sexual minorities in the 1960s. Today, Pride Month serves as a reminder that everyone should be treated equally and with respect whatever their sexuality or gender identity.
Sophia Halpin, Co-Chair of Macquarie’s Ally Network, says there is no better time to become an Ally.
“We want everyone in our community to feel respected, valued, safe and supported, and above all, to feel that they belong here and can be their genuine selves,” she says.
“Everyone at the University has a role to play in making our community inclusive, and one of the many ways to show your support is by joining the Ally Network.”
Set up in 2009, the Ally Network has more than 650 members who provide support and help foster an inclusive campus for the LGBTQIA+ community. Ally training at Macquarie is open to all staff at the University who are interested in creating an inclusive culture.
Anyone interested in attending Ally Training is asked to first complete Pride in Diversity’s LGBTQ Awareness Online Training. On completion of the online training and face–to–face Ally training sessions, you will be eligible to join the Macquarie Ally Network.
Both LGBTQ awareness online training and Ally training can be accessed on the staff development webpage. Macquarie staff are also encouraged to complete Pride in Diversity’s Foundations of LGBTQ Inclusion module, which provides foundational knowledge about LGBTQ awareness and inclusion. This self-paced eLearning module takes about 20 minutes to complete. If you completed Ally training some time ago, this module is a good way to refresh your learning.
INTRODUCING PRONOUNS ON PROFILE CARDS
All staff can now update their profile information in Teams and Outlook. This includes being able to record and display pronouns, which will filter through Microsoft Teams and Outlook web version.
Instructions
1. Open your profile card in Teams or Outlook on the web (Outlook: https://outlook.office365.com/mail/ and Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/). To open your profile card in Teams, select your profile picture in the upper right corner. To open your profile card in Outlook on the web, select your name or profile picture in Outlook Mail.
2. On your profile card, select + Pronouns or the pronouns listed below your name.
3. To add or change your pronouns, select from the examples (only available in English), or enter your own. To delete, remove your pronouns.
4. Select Save and then Got it. Changes are updated immediately.
Updating your pronouns in either Teams or Outlook on the web will reflect the change across both platforms, as they both pull from the same Microsoft 365 profile information.
Pronouns should never be assigned on someone else’s behalf. It is up to individuals to decide when, where and which pronouns they use. A person’s pronouns do not always equate to their gender identity. Choosing to use the pronouns feature is optional.
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