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Native Hawaiians The culture and heritage Native Hawaiians encompasses social behaviours, institutions, and norms practised by the original residents of the Hawaiian islands, including their knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits. Humans are estimated to have first inhabited the archipelago between 124 and 1120 AD when it was settled by Polynesians who voyaged to and settled there. (See: Polynesian and Pacific Islanders) < Back to Glossary

Abuse Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a person, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other types of aggression. Historically marginalised groups are disproportionately impacted by the effects of abuse. < Back to Glossary

Sapphic Refers to women who are attracted to other women aligned individuals. < Back to Glossary

Identity The term identity itself was coined in the 1960’s and it was originally described as 'relating to the self'. Identity is often described as a construct. What that eludes to is that it’s made of different elements, characteristics, affiliations, and social roles. Elements or characteristics of identity would include race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, political affiliations, religious beliefs, profession, and so on. Some of these aspects we are born into, some we have learnt (behavioural), some we’ve chosen, and some even change over time. It's important to remember that identities are self-determined, and always intersectional. One identity does not exist on its own, but continuously overlaps with others. We are not single-identity beings, but multi-hyphenate individuals. It's also worth recognising that we’re not portraying the same identities in every situation. As members of a minority group, sometimes in public this is for safety and security. We can also choose to apply varying levels of importance on each of our identities in different environments. For example certain aspects might play out more with family Vs with friends Vs at work. See: Intersectionality. < Back to Glossary

Spectrum A term used to cover a variety of identities that have a root commonality or shared experience. In the queer community, everyone exists on a spectrum - despite the prevalence of archetypes, no one person is the same. This applies even more so for Queer people who possess intersectional identities. For example, if they are neurodivergent - something else that exists on a spectrum. See Intersectionality, Neurodiversity and Archetypes < Back to Glossary

Outed Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. See: Consent. < Back to Glossary

Vulnerability 1. The quality of being easily hurt or attacked. 2. The feeling we get during times of uncertainty, risk, or emotional exposure. “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness.” - Brene Brown See: Courage and Queer Leadership. < Back to Glossary

(she/her) Xesca Xesca has over 15 years of leadership in tech, and brings warmth and expertise as both a CTO and passionate mentor. As a proud trans woman, she founded Chiatech Career Institute where she's helped diverse professionals successfully transition into tech with her unique "CTO as Career Advisor" approach. Xesca's journey spans fintech, media streaming, and blockchain innovation, including leading MotoGP's global platform and Spain's first Pay-DTT broadcast channel. Her multidisciplinary background in space engineering and financial technology fuels her mission to make tech careers accessible to everyone, regardless of their starting point or identity. Xesca Alabart Lopez Looking for a Guest Speake r ? Get in touch Our Recent Articles... Beyond Calendar Moments: How Organisations Turn Belonging Into a Movement. Community Building 101 | Wellbeing with Panteres Grogues. Our Community Impact: 2025 Year in Review. Create Space for Change. We work with 100+ Businesses, ERGs and Change-Leaders providing bespoke DEI solutions. Through consultancy we design shared learning experiences, produce insights and craft content that support individuals with strengthening their roles as change-agents within their communities and organisations. Discover our bespoke corporate solutions... Work with us

(she/her) Judith Judith is completing a PhD on gender and sexual diversity in sport at INEFC. Since 2021, she has been a lecturer at EU Business School Barcelona, teaching international students. As an LGBTIQA+ sport consultant, she delivers DEI workshops to public and private organisations at the local and international level. She serves on the Women’s and Diversity Committee of Panteres Grogues, the board of Agrupación Deportiva Ibérica, and as an officer-at-large for the Federation of Gay Games. Previously, she worked over a decade in sport-for-all, competitive sport, and sport-for-development sectors across Europe and Africa. Judith Solanas Sánchez Looking for a Guest Speake r ? Get in touch Our Recent Articles... Beyond Calendar Moments: How Organisations Turn Belonging Into a Movement. Community Building 101 | Wellbeing with Panteres Grogues. Our Community Impact: 2025 Year in Review. Create Space for Change. We work with 100+ Businesses, ERGs and Change-Leaders providing bespoke DEI solutions. Through consultancy we design shared learning experiences, produce insights and craft content that support individuals with strengthening their roles as change-agents within their communities and organisations. Discover our bespoke corporate solutions... Work with us

(she/they) Paula Paula is a biracial queer Spaniard-Ghanaian, who is passionate about her working in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She is interested in understanding how our differences and similitudes play a vital role in shaping our lives. By interrogating her own blackness and race, Paula has embarked on a journey of activism, joining different communities and groups to connect with others. Paula Soli Looking for a Guest Speake r ? Get in touch Our Recent Articles... Beyond Calendar Moments: How Organisations Turn Belonging Into a Movement. Community Building 101 | Wellbeing with Panteres Grogues. Our Community Impact: 2025 Year in Review. Create Space for Change. We work with 100+ Businesses, ERGs and Change-Leaders providing bespoke DEI solutions. Through consultancy we design shared learning experiences, produce insights and craft content that support individuals with strengthening their roles as change-agents within their communities and organisations. Discover our bespoke corporate solutions... Work with us

White Privilege White privilege, or white skin privilege, is the societal privilege that benefits white people over non-white people in some societies, particularly if they are otherwise under the same social, political, or economic circumstances. < Back to Glossary

Gender Attribution The act of assigning (or guessing) someone's gender, often by simply looking at them. Gender attribution is problematic because it can lead to misgendering people unintentionally because one can never know a person's gender identity by simply evaluating external factors. < Back to Glossary

Trauma Informed In health care, education and the workplace, being “trauma-informed” has become a popular aspiration. To be "trauma-informed" is to recognize the pervasiveness of trauma in the world and seek to be responsive to this unfortunate reality. It means becoming aware of trauma's many personal and societal consequences, anticipating how trauma survivors may respond to our words and actions, and doing our part to create a world that does not cause further harm. Even more, being trauma-informed means helping to create a world that can foster growth, resiliency, and healing as well. See: Trauma, Post-Traumatic Growth and Triggers. < Back to Glossary

East Asian East Asian culture and heritage is typically associated with the region made up of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. < Back to Glossary

(he/him) Darren Darren is a native Mancunian and is currently a director. producer, and choreographer. Darren has 23 years’ experience in fashion, theatre, TV and performing arts. He is the founder of Ghetto Fabulous , a QTIPOC dance collective that aims to excite, entertain, and have fun with the projects it embarks on, inspired by fashion, music, film, photography, and the ever-changing world. Darren is not afraid to explore the political and the personal. It let him to create Black Pride MCR , a yearly event for the QTBIPOC community that is fierce, flamboyant, and fabulous. Darren is also the Co-Artistic Director at Black Gold Arts , the UK’s only Queer People of Colour outside festival. One of the main objectives of Darren’s work is the economic advancement of the QTBIPOC community, and the other is to spread Joy. Darren Pritchard Looking for a Guest Speake r ? Get in touch Our Recent Articles... Beyond Calendar Moments: How Organisations Turn Belonging Into a Movement. Community Building 101 | Wellbeing with Panteres Grogues. Our Community Impact: 2025 Year in Review. Create Space for Change. We work with 100+ Businesses, ERGs and Change-Leaders providing bespoke DEI solutions. Through consultancy we design shared learning experiences, produce insights and craft content that support individuals with strengthening their roles as change-agents within their communities and organisations. Discover our bespoke corporate solutions... Work with us

(he/him) Anthoniy Anthoniy is a gay transgender male working as a director, currently in Bulgaria. After living in the UK for 6 years and graduating his BA course in Film Production, he moved back to Bulgaria and graduated an MA degree in Directing for film and television. He then started his professional career in Bulgaria. Anthoniy works on LGBTQ+ projects in Bulgaria, creating visibility for trans people and connecting with LGBTQ+ organisations and foundations across Bulgaria. Anthoniy Hristov Looking for a Guest Speake r ? Get in touch Our Recent Articles... Beyond Calendar Moments: How Organisations Turn Belonging Into a Movement. Community Building 101 | Wellbeing with Panteres Grogues. Our Community Impact: 2025 Year in Review. Create Space for Change. We work with 100+ Businesses, ERGs and Change-Leaders providing bespoke DEI solutions. Through consultancy we design shared learning experiences, produce insights and craft content that support individuals with strengthening their roles as change-agents within their communities and organisations. Discover our bespoke corporate solutions... Work with us

(he/him) Mark Mark is an award-winning creative entrepreneur , writer, dancer, choreographer and speaker as well as the CEO and Founder of The Professional Storyteller, where he embraces the power of story to create a more inclusive world. As an independent disabled choreographer, Mark is determined to build a bridge between the main dance field and disability dance. As a speaker, he has addressed audiences at various institutions of higher learning, including Harvard, MIT, Rutgers, and NYU. As a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant and facilitator, he has spoken to corporate audiences virtually in the UK, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Israel, China, and India, just to name a few. Photo courtesy of Daniel D. Edwards | Clear Pathworks, LLC. Mark Travis Rivera Looking for a Guest Speake r ? Get in touch Our Recent Articles... Beyond Calendar Moments: How Organisations Turn Belonging Into a Movement. Community Building 101 | Wellbeing with Panteres Grogues. Our Community Impact: 2025 Year in Review. Create Space for Change. We work with 100+ Businesses, ERGs and Change-Leaders providing bespoke DEI solutions. Through consultancy we design shared learning experiences, produce insights and craft content that support individuals with strengthening their roles as change-agents within their communities and organisations. Discover our bespoke corporate solutions... Work with us

AAVE AAVE is a way of speaking typically seen in African American and Black Canadian Communities. AAVE may be considered a dialect, ethnolect or sociolect. While it is clear that there is a strong historical relationship between AAVE and earlier Southern U.S. dialects, the origins of AAVE are still a matter of debate. (See: Black and Blaq/Blaqueer) < Back to Glossary

Energy "1. The power required to do tasks, whether it be physical, mental or emotional. Our energy levels vary day to day and certain tasks may be more or less taxing for you than they are for other people. People with disabilities often have to strategise about where they will distribute their energy. (See: Disability & Spoons Theory & Accessibility) 2. The energy or vibe we bring to a situation can often be felt by those around us. Be aware of this and always treat people with the respect and kindness you would like to be treated with." < Back to Glossary

Debate Debate is a really good way in which we can formally express our views on certain subjects, as well as hear from others with different views on these subjects. The result of debate for most people is either a reinforcement of our existing perceptions, or an adding of validation to alternative arguments, which can then in turn cause us to question our own stance. It is important to challenge our views to ensure that we are on the right path, and to make sure our perspectives are multi-dimensional. If we perform well in debate, and eloquently put our views across, we can even change the minds of others. There is great power in this, and we can use this to our advantage as members of marginalised communities. See Belief, Confidence, Courageous Communication & Echochamber. < Back to Glossary