Kick-off event marks start of LGBTIQA+ group at NWO/NWO-I

* Visit the NWO-I website for information about and registration for the kick-off event ERG LGBTIQA+ on 22 May *

What is an Employee Resource Group (ERG)?

The term immediately raises the question: 'What exactly is an Employee Resource Group?' Léon and Russell understand the confusion and know that this term elicits questions. The NWO-I website describes an ERG as a voluntary, employee-led group that, in consultation with the organisation, seeks to realise a more diverse and inclusive work environment. Léon: "With the ERG LGBTIQA+ we seek to realise an internal platform for the whole of NWO and NWO-I in which everybody can feel accepted, irrespective of their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. Within this platform, we can discuss subjects that are important to us, offer a safe and welcoming environment, and build a genuine community". Russell adds that 'their' ERG is therefore not the only one at NWO/NWO-I. "The organisation is also busy establishing ERGs with the themes Women+ and Neurodiversity and is open to other ERGs where there exists a need for these."

ERG LGBTIQA+

On 8 May 2023, a Pride meeting for all NWO and NWO-I employees was held at SRON. Léon organised this event and, in doing so, met Russell, who assisted during the event and was present on behalf of the local diversity team of his institute, SRON. Later that year, Léon and Russell initiated conversations with, amongst others, Henri Chow (NWO-D, also lead of the ERG LGBTIQA+), about formally establishing an ERG for the LGBTIQA+ community within NWO/NWO-I. "Over the past six months, we have made considerable advances to formalise the ERG LGBTIQA+!", beam Russell and Léon full of pride.

They tell us more about what it is exactly that their ERG group does and why that is important. For example, the group identifies barriers or needs within the community. As a point in case, they mention an important change in the Collective Labour Agreement Research Institutions that NWO/NWO-I is part of. “A major wish of our group has been fulfilled: transition leave (paid leave from the employer to be able to change sex, without the need to report sick, ed.) has been part of our collective labour agreement since 2023. It is thanks to our group that this could be achieved as we put this theme on the agenda.”

The ERG group is not just about solving problems, they say. "Simply the fact that we receive recognition and may exist as a group is already great. And that you can approach us with questions, problems or the exchange of experiences during our bimonthly meetings. These are nice and motivated people who devote their own time and energy to the group." The ERG currently has eleven members from all units of NWO and NWO-I.

Kick-off event on 22 May: official launch ERG LGBTIQA+

The best way to build a community is to meet regularly and organise events. And coming together is a real challenge given the nine institutes spread throughout the Netherlands and the offices in The Hague and Utrecht. For this reason, the ERG LGBTIQA+ has organised its launch via a kick-off on Wednesday 22 May, at a central location in the Netherlands, namely NWO Utrecht. It will be an informal meeting full of interesting lectures, which will be rounded off with drinks.

Léon and Russell: "We would like to emphasise that everybody is welcome! That means everybody who feels part of the LGBTIQA+ community but certainly allies and supporters who support us as 'straight allies' as well". These are people who are not part of the LGBTIQA+ community, but do support it. The help of allies is vital for realising changes. During the event, the main theme is 'ERG for LGBTIQA+', but ERGs in general will also be discussed. Therefore, Léon and Russell hope this event will attract participants from other ERGs because all of these groups are connected in various ways.

* The acronym LGBTIQA+ covers lesbian women, homosexual men, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons and others. The plus in this acronym stands for other sexual identities, including pansexuality and two-spirit.

About Russell Shipman

The American Russell Shipman is an astronomer at NWO Institute SRON, the Dutch expertise institute for space research. In 1998, he came to the Netherlands for five months to work on the satellite ISO (Infrared Space Observatory) of the ESA (European Space Agency). He subsequently worked in the United States for the US Airforce on the space mission 'Mid course Space eXperiment'. In 1999, he once again took the opportunity to work with ISO colleagues, this time at SRON in Groningen. "It was not a tenured position but it felt like a good move. I was fortunate that the position became a tenured job. I worked there on the HERSCHEL mission of ESA on a space instrument with support from the American space organisation NASA. Since 2020, I have worked on the XRISM satellite, a JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) mission supported by NASA and ESA. The satellite was launched in September 2023. I enjoy understanding how instruments work and what is the best way to retrieve data from them. I view myself as a link between the makers of the instruments and the astronomical research served by these instruments."
Emigrating to the Netherlands not only brought Russell new career perspectives. Living in the Netherlands also allowed him to grow in his personal development. Russell: "In the Netherlands, I got the opportunity to be genuinely myself and to really get to know myself without having to wear the straitjacket that I knew from my youth. That wasn’t always easy but at a personal level, it has brought many beautiful things."

About Léon Ouwerkerk

Léon Ouwerkerk is HR manager at NWO Institute CWI, the Dutch research institute for mathematics and computer science. He started to work there in 2010 as an HR advisor. At that time, the head of his department, Angelique Schilder, was also the diversity officer for the all of NWO and NWO-I. "She was the person who proposed requesting attention for the LGBTIQA+ community. And I am still grateful to her for that", says Léon. "An acquaintance told me about the international network Workplace Pride, of which NWO is now a member. This also provided me with the opportunity to have NWO/NWO-I participate in the benchmark test: how well does NWO/NWO-I score with respect to the recognition of LGBTIQA+ rights? It proved, unsurprisingly, that we did not score very well in that field. Large commercial companies invest a lot of money in setting up LGBTIQA+ networks in the organisation and often combine it with 'employer branding'. In our organisation, the approach is different and on a smaller scale. However, you need to start somewhere. In 2018, we therefore set up our first contact group for the LGBTIQA+ community at NWO/NWO-I", recounts Léon who has since then taken on the coordinator role with considerable enthusiasm and commitment. He also acts as a driving force and as LGBTIQA+ figurehead within our organisation.

Information and registration kick-off event ERG LGBTIQA+ on 22 May

See the NWO-I website for more information and registration.

Becoming a member of ERG LGBTIQA+

Everybody at NWO and NWO-I is cordially invited to join the ERG LGBTIQA+! For more information, please see the NWO-I website.

Text: Melissa Vianen

Newsletter Inside NWO-I, April 2024
You can find the archive of the newsletter Inside NWO-I on the NWO-I website.