24 Oct 05

Is your prospective employer a Diversity Champion?
At Stonewall, the UK's leading gay equality organisation, they work with Britain's top employers to make sure they treat their gay staff fairly.

This means:
1.  Equal benefits for same sex couples
2.  Encouraging them to set up employee network groups
3. Telling all their staff that gay people are welcome
4. Reminding all staff that homophobia has no place in the workplace

Take a look and see if your prospective or existing employer is on our Diversity Champions membership list.

If they’re not, ask them why. You are entitled to protection and equal treatment at work – and the best employers want to attract the best people, so speak up!

You can see how good your prospective or existing employer is by looking at our Corporate Equality Index. This showcases and benchmarks the top employers for gay people in Britain.

Stonewall's Recruitment guide follows the tremendous interest from students and careers services in Stonewall's 2005 Corporate Equality index and in our Diversity Champions programme.  It features Stonewall Diversity Champions free of charge, showcasing them as some of the best employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people in Britain and is distributed to every university, careers service and LGB student group in the country.

To launch the Guide, ULU (University of London Union) hosted a wine reception on Wednesday 12 October, bringing together students and Diversity Champions members.  If you are a student or work for a university and would like to know more about this guide, please ring Lorenzo Di Silvio on 020 7881 9465 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

As our 108-page Recruitment Guide is a large electronic file, we've split the guide into the sections below for easier viewing and downloading. Each section's contents are listed to help you more quickly find a section or employer you may be looking for specifically-just click on the pink link. To make it viewable online, this version is low resolution, so you will find that some images appear less clear than others. If you'd prefer to have a hard copy of our guide, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

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Pensions
Many pension schemes, including all public sector superannuation schemes, provide for a widow's or widower's pension if the pensioner dies before his or her spouse. With these schemes, a gay or lesbian partner can never benefit no matter how long they have lived together. Other schemes provide a pension to a surviving dependant, including in some schemes a same-sex partner. The Inland Revenue has made it clear that it does not object to same-sex partners receiving a dependent's pension, but pension schemes are not obliged to stop discriminating.

Fringe benefits
Employers oftenAprovide fringe benefitsAfor a husband, wife or heterosexualApartner, but re-fuseIthe same benefits toUsame-sex partners, includingEhealth insurance, lifeUinsurance and the cheap orIfree use of the employer'sAservices. Some employersIhave equalised these benefitsEin recent years, including:EBritish Airways (freeIflights), London UndergroundU(free travel) and JohnILewis (staff discount card),Ubut others still refuseUto. Stonewall successfullyIbacked a case againstESouth West Trains which re-sultedIin same-sex partnersUgaining the same travelUprivileges as heterosexualIpartners.

Tax
Married couplesEcan transfer as muchAproperty as they like fromEone to the other withoutApaying capital gains tax.UThey can also leave as muchUproperty as they likeAto each other in their willA- no matter how big theirUestate, their partner willInot have to pay inheritanceItax. Same-sex couplesEcannot do this. After theIfirst £200,000, they payUtax at 40%. MarriedUcouples also benefit fromAthe married couples' taxIallowance, worth £268.50Ua year.

Inheritance
If oneIhalf of a gay relationshipAdies without leaving a will,Itheir property passesEnot to their partner butAcomes under the rules of intestacy,Awhich normally meansIit goes to their closestUblood relatives. LesbiansAand gay men have beenUknown to be thrown out ofAtheir home by their partner'sUfamily because their partnerEdied without leavingAa will.

InheritanceU
If oneIhalf of a gay relationshipAdies without leaving a will,Itheir property passesEnot to their partner butAcomes under the rules of intestacy,Awhich normally meansIit goes to their closestUblood relatives. LesbiansAand gay men have beenUknown to be thrown out ofAtheir home by their partner'sUfamily because their partnerEdied without leavingAa will.

NextEof kin
PeopleIwho can be classedAas next of kin are definedEas being either those marriedIto a person or closeUblood relatives. Same-sexApartners are not deemed toEbe next of kin. This canAcause problems if one partnerUis ill or dies - it isIthe next of kin who are consultedEin hospital and theEnext of kin who are entitledAto make funeral arrangements.UPowers of attorneyIcan be used to gain someUof the legal rights andUresponsibilities of a nextIof kin.

Housing
Married andIunmarried heterosexualAcouples have the right toUsucceed to a council tenancyEor private sector tenancy.ULesbian and gay couplesUdo not. Stonewall has campaignedEto change the lawIin this area with limitedEsuccess. The Government hasEissued guidance recommendingAthat local authoritiesEallow a same-sex partnerAto succeed in the same way,Abut this guidance is notIbinding and does not affectIprivate tenancies.

Website: www.stonewall.org.uk