Overview

• Lou Beardsmore says she was told she did not share the company's 'family values' two days after bringing her girlfriend to a Christmas party, and she was escorted off the premises.
• She says the dismissal was legal at the time and no action was taken against the employer, leaving long-term effects on her mental health and career.
• Beardsmore and her wife, Ellis, later founded Proud Futures to provide leadership and wellbeing support for LGBTQ+ people.
• The couple report recent homophobic vandalism and verbal abuse, and say a Police Scotland LGBTQ+ liaison officer was supportive when incidents were reported.
• Proud Futures is staging the 'Leading With Pride' conference in Glasgow this November with speakers including Zander Murray and Jack and Jas, as coverage cites Scottish data showing sexual-orientation hate crimes nearly doubling over a decade and Scotland’s drop to 22nd on the Rainbow Map.