Since joining the7stars, Imy Brighty-Potts has become a vocal advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion in UK media. Founder of Adland Pride and a member of this year’s IPA iList, Brighty-Potts believes the industry must move beyond performative gestures and focus on meaningful support, particularly for trans employees and the wider LGBTQ+ community.
In this interview, she discusses the importance of proactive policies, authentic allyship, the challenges facing LGBTQ+ professionals, and why the industry needs collective action rather than isolated initiatives.
What are the biggest challenges facing members of the LGBTQ+ community in our industry, and how are they being overcome?
I think one of the biggest challenges is feeling more than just included. Inclusion is a really great first step, but it can’t be the final destination.
It’s easy for organisations to say, “We’re inclusive, we have LGBTQ+ people here.” But taking it beyond inclusion means embracing and empowering LGBTQ+ people to thrive in the workplace. That means making sure policies are in place around adoption, parental leave and transition support. It means not being afraid to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to supporting the queer community.
Too often, companies have LGBTQ+ employees who organise an event once a year, everybody gets involved, and then it’s forgotten about for the rest of the year. Real support has to go much further than that.
Many organisations would agree with that in principle, but how can they make it a reality?
I think we sometimes tell ourselves things are harder than they really are.
At the7stars we’ve been very open about our transition policy and our support for the trans community. People often overcomplicate diversity and inclusion initiatives when, in reality, it’s quite straightforward. You have people, those people need support, so you put that support in place.
When people feel supported, they’re happier at work. A lot of the time diversity, equity and inclusion is simply about being a decent person.
What advice would you give to someone in an organisation that isn’t as supportive, particularly if they’re in a junior role?
Ask questions.
Ask whether policies exist. Ask whether support is available. People shouldn’t only find out what support they have when they need it. They should know from the outset.
Imagine deciding you want to transition and then having to find out whether your employer even has a transition policy. That’s an incredibly difficult position to be in.
It’s also important that straight colleagues ask these questions too. Allyship matters.
At the7stars we’re fortunate. Being independent gives us a degree of freedom, and our CEO Jenny Biggam is incredibly proactive. If you approach her with an idea, as we did with Adland Pride, she’s very much, “Great, let’s do it.”
I’ve only been in media for a year, but this is the first place I’ve worked where I’ve genuinely seen company values reflected in day-to-day actions. If your company asks for feedback through employee surveys about diversity and inclusion, or whether the business is living its values, are you actually saying what you think? Or are you just going with the flow because you don’t want to ruffle feathers?
Values have to be more than lip service.
How can a more inclusive media and advertising industry positively influence wider society?
If you want to look at it purely from a business perspective, the LGBTQ+ community represents significant spending power.
But beyond that, we’re also a community built on recommendation, word of mouth and connection. We communicate with each other, we share experiences and we actively support businesses and brands that support us.
More importantly, there are incredible queer creatives throughout this industry. The industry would be missing out if it tried to separate people’s identities from the work they produce.
The queer community has always been deeply connected to the creative industries, and the creative industries have always been connected to the queer community. Separating the two is almost impossible.
Rainbow washing remains a concern for many people. How can companies avoid falling into that trap?
I actually think rainbow washing is becoming less common because many organisations would rather say nothing at all.
The culture of fear that’s emerged, particularly influenced by political developments in the US and the rise of the far right in the UK, means some companies are stepping back from diversity and inclusion commitments entirely.
In the last year I’ve felt more scared as a queer person than I have at any point since I came out six years ago. I’ve experienced more hostility, criticism and negativity than before.
So in some ways, rainbow washing almost feels preferable to silence.
That said, if you’re changing your logo to a rainbow but you’re not supporting trans employees or the wider trans community, then you’re not really supporting the rainbow at all.
The LGBTQ+ community is deeply connected. While there can be disagreements within the community, most of us understand that Pride was built on solidarity.
If you’re going to make public displays of support, make sure you’ve got your ducks in a row internally first. Support LGBTQ+ charities. Invest in community initiatives. Back your employees.
And ask yourself who’s doing the work. Are queer employees expected to organise every event and lead every conversation? Are there allies stepping up too? Are you paying LGBTQ+ speakers for their expertise, or simply offering them exposure?
Those are the questions organisations should be asking themselves.
Some people argue that advertising should simply focus on making great ads rather than tackling social issues. What do you make of that view?
I think that’s a really sad perspective on any job.
It’s like saying, “Just build a house. Don’t worry about the society you’re building it in.”
Nothing exists in isolation. We’re all part of a broader ecosystem. The people making the work and the people we’re making it for are just as important as the work itself.
Advertising influences culture. The industry doesn’t exist separately from society, so we shouldn’t pretend it does.
How effective is the industry’s wider infrastructure, including trade bodies, awards and the trade press, when it comes to supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion?
Everybody brings something different to the table.
There are fantastic organisations doing important work, whether that’s Advertising Association initiatives, Outvertising, the Diversity Standards Collective, Diversity in Media Sales and many others. But sometimes it can feel like lots of individual efforts rather than a truly joined-up movement.
That’s partly why Adland Pride was created.
When I joined the7stars, it coincided with the Supreme Court ruling on trans issues. Before media I’d worked on a farm, in a brewery and as a journalist. As a journalist, if something made me angry, I’d interview people and write about it. In media, I found myself asking what I could do.
At the same time, I was seeing organisations cut diversity and inclusion commitments and Pride was approaching. I wanted to create something that brought people together.
The response has been incredible. We’ve had support from agencies, media owners, creative businesses and industry groups. I’ve met so many brilliant people who genuinely care about raising each other’s voices and creating change.
But I don’t think any of us can do it in isolation.
If we’re going to make meaningful progress, we need to come together as an industry and push beyond what we’ve accepted for far too long.
