The LGBTQ+ International Travel for Work Policy Development Tool won the Research Impact category at this year’s Research Awards. In this blog, the tool’s creators, Frances Hamilton and Tahlia-Rose Virdee in the School of Law, provide an update on what’s happened since and how the tool is being adopted by organisations across the UK.
Staff who engage in globalisation benefit from increased career progression, but LGBTQ+ individuals often face challenges to their welfare and safety due to varying legal and cultural landscapes when travelling. Only 17% of universities have policies expressly addressing LGBTQ+ welfare in international travel (Hamilton and Giles 2021).
To fill this crucial void in safeguarding, we created the freely available and accessible LGBTQ+ International Travel Tool. Launched on 12th September 2023, the tool allows businesses and universities to develop their policy concerning LGBTQ+ international travel. It also allows individuals to check their employer’s policy regarding LGBTQ+ travel. We were delighted to receive the University of Reading 2024 Research Award in the Research Impact category for producing this tool.
About the tool
The purpose of the tool is to address a gap in policy concerning LGBTQ+ travel. As part of globalisation strategies many businesses and universities have established offices or campuses abroad. This has economic business benefits and also advantages staff who engage with developing these opportunities. Research demonstrates connections between engagement in globalisation, employability and staff career progression. However LGBTQ+ staff face challenges to their welfare when crossing international boundaries. This is because of the diversity of legal, social and cultural treatment of LGBTQ+ persons worldwide. Sixty-six countries globally retain criminal sanctions concerning sex between men, others criminalise lesbianism, do not protect LGBTQ+ persons against discrimination, or recognise same-sex marriage, civil partnership or child custody rights. Or target transgender people through laws prohibiting ‘cross-dressing’ and ‘disguise’ offences.
Yet whilst globalisation strategies may aim to address safety and flexibility, there is often no discussion of LGBTQ+ student and staff safety. At the individual university level only 27 universities (17%) have explicit policy in this area expressly considering LGBTQ+ welfare concerns when travelling worldwide (see research published by Frances Hamilton and Cameron Giles 2021, following sending Freedom of Information letters nationwide presence of safeguarding policies for internationally mobile LGBTQ+ students and staff). The creation of the LGBTQ+ travel tool allows businesses and universities to develop their policy and for individuals to check their employer’s policy regarding international travel for LGBTQ+ persons.
Our pilot level study (funded by the University of Reading Impact fund) interviewing 15 LGBTQ+ academics and their experience of international academic mobility, demonstrates why the LGBTQ+ travel tool is needed in practice. Interviewees expounded a palpable fear of travelling to certain jurisdictions, yet eleven felt international travel was beneficial for their career. This affected the interviewees’ abilities to carry out their work.
Impact to date
Since the launch of the tool we have received positive responses and recognition from the Department for Education, our Vice Chancellor has shared the tool with 11 other universities, and over 30 education institutions and over 100 individuals are using the tool for policy development and individual safeguarding. The tool is also listed as a resource on the Pride in STEM webpages, University of Reading webpages, and the University of Strathclyde Travel Guidance.
We have also been invited to deliver a series of talks and media appearances regarding the LGBTQ+ International Travel Tool to a variety of audiences including: the University of Reading’s Annual Wolfenden Seminar, the Society for Research into Higher Education, the DiversiUnity Podcast, the University and Colleges Union, the Universities Health and Safety Committee, Advance HE and the International Trade Centre (joint agent to the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations). In June 2024, Frances presented the tool at the Law and Society Global Annual Conference, which took place in Denver, USA. Additionally, invited blog posts have been authored for the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), the University of Reading’s #Diverse blog, and the Society of Legal Scholars.
Next steps
To further develop impact, Frances has achieved University of Reading impact funding to employ a PGR researcher (Eleanor Benford) to design a questionnaire in order to maintain contact with the existing 100+ users of the LGBTQ+ travel tool and to evaluate and improve the tool itself. This will identify key partners who Frances can approach for testimonials and further evidencing of impact.
Frances has also secured further funding from the Society of Legal Scholars, which is being used to employ new Research Assistant, Radhika Goel, to conduct 45 further interviews with LGBTQ+ persons, with consideration of intersectionality factors. This will create a robust evidence base identifying the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ persons engaged in international travel, and then provide a springboard for universities and companies to prepare relevant policy to address these issues.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to everyone who has supported the development of this work. This includes the funders, the reviewers of the published output, the reviewers of the funding applications, the interviewees, the respondents to the questionnaire, the LGBTQIA+ Staff Network, the testers of the LGBTQ+ travel tool and everyone who has engaged with the project by attending presentations, reading blogs and using the tool.
Frances Hamilton is Associate Professor, and Tahlia-Rose Virdee is a PhD candidate in the School of Law and has also acted as Research Assistant for this project.