The message from the East meets West Co-founders
With entering the year 2025, we are writing our usual "Message from the Co-founders". This time perhaps few more lines and more personal writing of Ludo and by Pavel that reflects the past year. Ludo writes about the changing world around us, Pavel on rainbow families.
Ludo on the changing world around us
Looking back at 2024, it was for me, Ludo, one of the 2 East meets West Founders, a strange year. It was a year when I realised fully that no longer living on site in Vienna and not often meeting our people from the CEE region had become a challenge. I know that in the digital era, the distance is no longer an issue but still… But after the same time I realised that it also offered a big, new opportunity. Time and distance allowed me to have a more high level view of what was happening in the LGBTIQ community. The masses of articles and reports gave me after a while a clearer insight on from where the new a wind is blowing andit was not good news. East meets West had been used to work in a positive and open environment with mutual respect but now we saw that insulting language, when talking about our community had become fashionable and was considered ok. This change finds its origin in the increased number of right wing populistic parties that attack our community with false information and lies. Frightening, no?
Another question popped up regularly: how stable are the past accomplishments of the LGBTIQ community in the different countries and regions. Have they really reached their goals? When a country signs an international convention, aimed at the ending LGBTIQ legal discriminations, are these engagements also really lived in the daily life or are these just letters on paper? Can all citizens of these countries enforce their rights in court? This could be a valid topic to follow up for East meets West.
And then recently I saw more and more large US corporates decreasing their support for DEI initiatives. The official justification seems to be an U.S. Supreme Court decision from July 2023 that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions. But it also makes clear that for more and more people businesses should only focus on business goals and a company has in fact no reason to have DEI values in their DNA. Not necessary to say also this can have in our region a large impact.
So you see, we were not hibernating in 2024 but East meets West defined possible new focus points to bring the East closer to the West and vice versa!
Pavel on rainbow families
The wide public knows East meets West for the many years of LGBTIQ advocacy in Central & Eastern Europe, and this mainly in the business environment. This focus broadened back in 2020 and started to include running after the challenges faced by rainbow families, the year that one of EmW's co-founders became a father. Might not be too hard to guess it is me, Pavel... and who also writes this second part of the personal Message from the Co-founders.
Our adoption process turned into a three-year legal battle but early 2024 came the breakthrough. The Austrian court finally recognised us as the fathers of our daughter who is with us from her third day of life. The feelings when the new birth certificate arrived, with both our names in, are hard to describe. But the most emotional moment was back in 2020 when we received a first call from the social workers, when we met our very precious girl for the very first time in the hospital and when we all three the next day arrived to our home.
This time, the feeling was about a relief after a three-year legal battle escalating up to the Austrian Constitutional Court that did cost us unimaginable amount of energy and patience. This grueling process, however, has resulted not only in a personal victory - it was a victory for all rainbow families in Austria. It became a precedent case and same-sex residents in Austria can now adopt in the country, even without holding the Austrian citizenship (eg. in our case Czech and Slovak).
To make the story complete, it took us another few months to get our daughter a valid citizenship. The Slovak government, to real sadness of my husband Laco, turned their back on us. Reading a refusal that defined our request as "against morals", brought the feeling of being second class citizen very very close. The Austrian Federal Ministry of Interior not offered helping hand either, trying to evade the possibility of issuing a foreign passport. An acceptable solution came from the Czech Republic where I was at least recognised at least as a single father. Finally after four years of growing up in our family, our girl is getting an identity document and passport.
There is a point worth putting forward after what we have been through. Is there a real equality among its citizens in Europe, more precisely in the European Union? Our story clearly shows a different reality from what many can perceive on the streets in summer months. People have lives and their challenges that go way beyond the single day of rainbow explosion in the streets. It is important, in my opinion, to share personal stories and to make them heard. And it is still about role-models. With the right impulse, every person can become one!
To celebrate our achievement, I reserved last year six months solely for my family. We packed our bags, and as a family of four we travelled across 12 countries in Europe and that all in a very intimate manner. We became nomads and in space of 12 sq.m. (VW Cali) enjoyed a dream that many cannot ever live through. I am about to write a blog to pass such memories on and give inspiration to anyone close to make a similar great decision (stay tuned).
The East meets West Pages
We know you might miss our East meets West Pages, the unique overview of what went on in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) LGBTIQ universe in the past year, or in other words, our yearly newsletter. Instead, we offer you something even better, a global picture on what happened around LGBTIQ D&I. It is the quality Fabrice Houdart's weekly Newsletter on LGBTIQ+ Equality. And next to the Global (including the CEE region), Fabrice also looks at what is happening with the LGBTIQ representation in the Boardrooms of the Corporate players - he shares news on the gay business world and even ads a semi-cultural desk – every time you read Fabrice's Newsletter, you are up to date! And guess what, he keeps all the weekly digests online, all under https://fabricehoudart.substack.com.
2023 Pages
When preparing this Newsletter editorial, we looked at the previous numbers, starting in 2016 and we passed the review of numerous activities and even more meetings with our community. In the beginning we could just mention a few happenings in our CEE region but gradually our Pages became an extensive window on the LGBTIQ life in our micro cosmos. The number and size of LGBTIQ activist groups increased and their professionalism grew.
But we cannot ignore that the winds have shifted, also in our region. The existing goodwill towards our community changed gradually into reluctance and even hostility. But when reading these Pages, you will see that we still move forward with our activism, we still have remarkable successes. We see that in many countries the courts form a democratic wall against repressive political decisions that violate constitutional rules. We must be vigilant in our strategies, but we have seen time and time again that no populistic political nor any other parties will stop our work because our demands are just and an integrated part of Human Rights! We just entered our 11th year of advocacy work and are ready for the next 11 years.
Supplier Diversity & Inclusion - Institutional visit EP/EC
As the founding member of EGLCC - The European LGBTIQ Chamber of Commerce, East meets West joined the institutional visit to Brussels yesterday. Pavel Subrt brought with him the attention to one effective contribution towards increasing social acceptance of LGBTIQ people in business environments: inclusive procurement (also referred to as Supplier diversity & inclusion).
2023-11-29
East meets West, as the founding member of EGLCC - The European LGBTIQ Chamber of Commerce, joined the institutional visit to Brussels and met with representatives of European Parliament and European Comission. Pavel Subrt brought with him the attention to one effective contribution towards increasing social acceptance of LGBTIQ people in business environments: inclusive procurement (also referred to as Supplier diversity & inclusion).
(Vera Jourova - Vice-president of the EC, East meets West, EPBN, EDGE, Pride Business Forum, Network, L’Autre, BGLBC)
Though relatively new in Europe, inclusive procurement (also referred to as Supplier diversity & inclusion) provides an effective contribution towards increasing social acceptance of LGBTIQ people in business environments.
Supplier diversity & inclusion programs activate growth opportunities by connecting LGBTIQ businesses with private and public sector organisations who value stronger inclusiveness and diversity in their supply chain and have a high potential for improving the business environment conditions of SMEs owned or operated by LGBTIQ people.
Benefits of diverse & inclusive supply chains include: increased competition and innovation, reduced socio-economic inequality, economic prosperity and job growth, stronger and more sustainable communities.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of Europe's economy. They represent 99% of all businesses in the EU. They employ around 100 million people, account for more than half of Europe’s GDP and play a key role in adding value in every sector of the economy.
EGLCC, The European LGBTIQ Chamber of Commerce, estimates there are around 1,5 mio LGBTIQ owned SMEs across the EU.
LGBTIQ entrepreneurs tend to struggle with huge disadvantages: discrimination, disconnection from mainstream business networks and disproportionate levels of doubt. Research shows that in the EU, the average 26% of LGBTIQ hide their sexual orientation or gender identity at work (with some countries reaching 50%).
While large (global) corporates are increasingly embracing inclusive procurement and run Supplier diversity & inclusion programs, the EU can also help:
In order for the EU to further promote equality, encourage integration, boost economic growth and help achieve broader EU objectives such as shifting to a net-zero-emissions economy, the EU should foster inclusive procurement in inclusive entrepreneurship policies and recognise minority entrepreneurship in the EU institutional structure.
Inclusive procurement should also extend the agenda of the EU Platform of Diversity Charters, which coordinates the activities of Diversity Charters at Member State level.
Extend research work around LGBTIQ to include important and currently missing data as well as validate current assumptions and insights from business networks on LGBTIQ owned businesses
Next to the EU’s motto “United in Diversity”, which links well to the aims of inclusive procurement, promoting equality, encouraging integration, boosting economic growth are among EU priorities.
While the EU has long promoted inclusive entrepreneurship policies, one gap that needs filling is the lack of initiatives to encourage inclusive procurement: positive action to help SMEs owned by people from disadvantaged and under-represented groups – such as LGBTIQ, women and ethnic minorities, overcome the obstacles they face in winning contracts to supply EU institutions, other public bodies and large corporates, and thus achieve greater equality of treatment.
Inclusive procurement will enable buyers and the EU economy as a whole to tap on the benefits of more diverse, resilient, innovative and cost-competitive supply chains.
The institutional visit was a joint effort of EGLCC (European LGBTIQ Chamber of Commerce) and EPBN (European Pride business Network).
Value the great welcome and attention of all our meeting partners and hosts: Vera Jourova (Vice President EC), Marc Angel (Vice President EP and co-chair of LGBTI Intergroup at the European Parliament), Irene Tinagli (MEP) and Francesco Schmidt (DG Employment). Thank you for hosting us 🙏.
About EGLCC, The European LGBTIQ Chamber of Commerce
EGLCC is the European advocacy group for LGBTIQ-owned businesses. Building on outreach of its local and regional chambers, EGLCC activates opportunities for growth by connecting the LGBTIQ businesses with corporations who value stronger inclusiveness and diversity in their supply chain.
Founded in 2019, its local and regional business chambers now include (status 11/2023): Germany (GGLBC), BeNeLux (BGLBC), France (L’Autre), Italy (EDGE), Spain (REDI), Scandinavia (SGLCC) and Central & Eastern Europe (East meets West).
The Economic Case for LGBTIQ Inclusion in Slovakia
East meets West as proud contributor and supporter of the latest research by leading Global coalition Open for Business.
What does Slovakia miss as an LGBTIQ non-inclusive country? How much does it cost Slovakia and what are the main drivers behind the economic costs of exclusion?
East meets West is one of the proud supporters and contributors to the recent Open for Business research which spotlights The Economic Case for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Slovakia. What we like about Open for Business work is the structure? The 27 clear propositions grouped in Economic, Business and Individual performance, which makes it easy for anyone to follow a clear business case for LGBTIQ inclusion.
This research was published at a press conference hosted by Henkel Slovakia. We were proud and glad that both Dominic Arnall, the Chief Executive Officer at Open For Business (OfB), together with Liz Jacobs who leads at OfB Global Programs made the trip to Bratislava and joined in person the many journalists and business professionals from over 30 companies operating in Slovakia. Watch recordings: (1) (2).
The Economic Case for LGBTIQ Inclusion in Slovakia: Key Insights
From an economic and business perspective, Slovakia is in a relatively stable position, yet there are worrying trends that the country will not meet its ambitious growth goals for this decade (to reach 92% of EU average per capita GDP). The current situation LGBTIQ people in the country are facing is extremely challenging.
This level of anti-LGBTIQ activity comes at a cost. It affects the health outcomes and the wages and employment of LGBTIQ people, foreign investment, tourism, and Slovakia’s long-term issue with brain drain. This presents an opportunity for Slovakia.
Just a 10% increase in LGBTIQ rights in Slovakia would lead to an approximate €3,000 per capita GDP increase. This could happen by passing legislation allowing for same- sex partnerships, putting Slovakia on equal ground with the majority of European Union nations.
Bratislava trails the other Visegrad Group capitals in overall openness. Data from the Open For Business 2022 Cities Ratings report finds that Bratislava trails its neighbours on key economic metrics as well as LGBTQ+ acceptance metrics.
Skilled Slovak workers are leaving to work in more open societies. An impressive 62% of university students intend to leave Slovakia! Data also shows that more Slovak workers in “jobs of the future” are leaving the country while Western European countries are gaining these workers.
LGBTIQ spending power is a significant contributor to economies. A review of third-party analyses shows that both global LGBTIQ spending power and local Slovak LGBTIQ spending power is significant and worth attracting. Estimated to 4,2 billion EUR in 2021, this represent ± 5 % HDP of Slovakia that given year.
More economically successful countries have better records on LGBTIQ rights. Analyses demonstrate high correlation between LGBTQ+ rights and: Gross Domestic Product (GDP), The World Economic Forum’s Competitive Index, The Global Innovation Index (GII) from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
LGBTIQ friendly companies outperform their rivals. Local and global data concur that companies that do more to openly welcome LGBTQ+ workers are more successful financially.
Our appeal one year ago
Some of you might recall our important "asks" to the Slovak Business community.
One year ago, we all stood still and could not believe the terrible news from Bratislava, but referring to the theme of our 2022 Bratislava conference, we thought it was time to pick-up the thread, again. We tagged in our LinkedIn post 13 businesses and their CEOs: Vacuumlabs, U. S. Steel Košice, Volkswagen Slovakia, Slovnaft, IKEA Slovakia, VÚB banka, Tatra banka, Accenture Slovakia, IBM, ESET, Slovak Telekom and Orange. That time only 3 had the courage to respond. Our “ask” was and still is simple and comes down to 3+1 positive actions:
Guarantee for all your LGBTIQ employees that your company is for them a safe space where they do not have to look over their shoulders but feel free of discrimination and any form of violence.
Move the LGBTIQ topics out of the “coffee corners” into the standard conversations in your company and by doing this, really consider it as business as usual. There is an economic cost of not doing so.
Use your economic importance in Slovakia through your public affairs. Add the LGBTIQ Diversity & Inclusion as key topic when working with key policy makers.
+ you want to go the extra mile? Launch a Supplier Diversity & Inclusion program and make your corporate spend more inclusive. Use Supplier Diversity as a tool to become a relevant social influencer.
Now success
Within weeks after the attack, over 30,000 citizens signed a petition calling for equal rights, demanding more supportive policies for LGBTQ+ people across the nation.
At the same time handful of business professionals got together and discussed how best to use the economic importance of businesses in Slovakia towards the needed social change. We from East meets West had the privilege to be part of it and advise in its early days a group, which grew to a strong coalition of companies operating in Slovakia.
The first public appearance of this coalition was back in May 2023. At the occasion of the IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia) the first 25 companies stood out and signed a business appeal "Firemna Vyzva" (www.firemnavyzva.sk).
Now, one year later, this appeal and the demands towards Slovak country leadership was signed by almost 60 companies operating in Slovakia. According to our estimates, these companies together employ in Slovakia over 36.000 people! Impressive!... though many of important Slovak business players still did not stand up.
A word of praise: Most people who are active in Diversity & Inclusion are very passionate about this topic, regardless of the fact of their personal or professional activities. Some work for an NGO, others are activists or work in a business environment. To find and keep their motivation going is not always easy but without their passion we would not see all the great ideas and initiatives they drive. We have to mention here someone whom we met and who very soon convinced us with an endless amount of motivation and drive to mobilise others to take action. And this all as a “side job” next to the main work in international corporate environment and next to the family life (a rainbow family life). This amazing success would not be possible without Martina (Tina) Bednar, who devoted her last twelve months to this business appeal.
More on Slovakia
Our good friend, German economist and writer Jens Schadendorf recently published a Slovak edition of the GaYmeChanger - the book on how the LGBTIQ community and their allies are changing the global economy now reached also Central and Eastern Europe. It is the very first CEE edition!
It includes a new, exclusive and long chapter on the challenging situation of LGBTIQ people and their allies in Slovakia's communities, public arena and companies, unfortunately with a lot of hate-speech by politicians and the church, and even horrific events such as the murder of tow young queer people in Bratislava in October 2022.
The new chapter also features some encouraging developments, driven by individuals, companies, and civil society organizations. As Jens says: "In fact, we should not forget that companies, in their own interest, can and should play a important role for advancing LGBTIQ equality smartly and courageously, since its good for business and the society and the right thing to do."
Publishing this Slovak edition would not be possible without Matej Ftacnik and Vacuumlabs.
PS: you want to get your copy of the Slovak edition? Reach out to us at East meets West: info@eastmeetswest.eu
