I am Dr Jack López (he/him), Associate Dean EDI at University of Bradford and current Chair of the LGBT+ Staff Network and advocate to the LGBT+ Student Society.
I am a single dad to 4 children which takes up most of my time and a public speaker and educator for Queer Family Life and a Trans+ advocate and activist outside of work. I also train as a boxer, climb the hills of Calderdale, and can often be found swimming in rivers or dancing at festivals.
It is really important for me to find community in the workplace and be a visible, positive role model for staff and students. Coming together as the Bradford District and Craven Collaborative is very exciting; many of our students go on to work in the various public services represented in the collaborative. There’s a lot of strength in our togetherness as queer employees of the region and for our students – your future professionals – to see that.
I would really love to get to a place where all our members feel safe, secure, and supported enough (by employers as well as networks) to be visible in the workplace. I would love for the collaborative to obtain funding so we can plan a large event together to define our joint purpose and share experiences and good practice.