In a year filled with DEI rollbacks, Supreme Court rulings, executive orders and tech company policy changes, the LGBTQIA+ community has been at the sharp end of negative impact. 

At a time when it is more important than ever to represent and reflect the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people, Outvertising Live gathered forward-thinking marketers to equip them with the evidence, tools and confidence to deliver more frequent and more authentic LGBTQIA+ inclusive campaigns. 

Produced and funded independently, the event underlined the importance of continuing to show up for our communities as brands, marketers and individuals. The need to fight for progress, even in times when things feel difficult, has never been more vital. With that in mind here are five key takeaways from the event. 

Lessons in inclusion from Outvertising 2025

1. Now is the time to show up 

Understanding the urgency of the current climate is as important as optimism in pushing for action. Chris Dunne (he/him), CEO at Outvertising, set the scene for the day with an opening speech outlining the array of hardships 2025 has rained down. The UK was once one of the safest places for LGBTQIA+ people to live, however, according to The Rainbow Map, it has fallen six places in this year’s rankings. April’s Supreme Court ruling on sex and gender identity set back Trans+ rights. While the continued stoking of culture wars in the media has had a knock-on effect when it comes to support in the form of both the public and brand investment. 

Now is the time to show up and Darren Styles OBE (he/him), Managing Director at Stream Publishing, which owns titles including Attitude and Rolling Stone, urged the audience to continue to make it as easy as possible for brands. He explained: “Contrary to media narratives around decline and advertisers stepping back, advertisers will always follow readers. He continued: lf we tell advertisers that brands are on the run, they will. Show them the brands that support, and they will come.”
 

2. Choose celebration 

While there is much to lament, there remain reasons to be optimistic. We are often quick to point out rainbow washing, yet Styles reminded the audience that within those organisations, there are ‘individuals and people within organisations who are like us pushing that action.’ 

Supporting the LGBTQIA+ community is not just a nice-to-have; it makes good business sense. LGBT customers have higher disposable income and are more willing to spend with brands that support them. The Outvertising Consumer Report is filled with statistics that underline the breadth of the marketing opportunity. Styles pointed to the ongoing brands that continue to advertise with Attitude. “Talk up and support those who are active rather than talk others down,” he said.
 

3. Do the internal work, but be visible

To encourage advocacy in adland, a panel session chaired by Cassius Naylor (he/they), Advocacy Co-Director at Outvertising saw Marty Davies (she/they), Founder at Smart Pants Consultancy and Trans+ History Week CIC, Rosie Kitson (she/her), Chief Impact Officer at Havas UK, Matthew Chew (he/him), Studio X EU Influencer Media Lead at EssenceMediacom and UK Co-Chair, WPP Unite, discuss how to create ecosystems of change. 

While there has been a decline in brands outwardly sponsoring or creating campaigns with LGBTQIA+ people at the heart, the panel shared optimism that rather than rainbow washing, organisations are looking inward to support their people and prioritise true purpose over press releases. “The pressure has been on us to demonstrate what our commitment means and demonstrate to talent through action that their experience matters,” said Rosie Kitson (she/her), Chief Impact Officer at Havas UK.

Internal policy and supporting talent remain important, but Marty Davies (she/they), Founder at Smart Pants Consultancy and Trans+ History Week CIC, warned that visibility is crucial. “Shame grows in the dark,” says Davies, who continued: “there is pride in visibility.” According to Davies:: ‘visibility without protection is a trap’. Events such as Trans+ History Month combine both celebration and genuine support.
 

4. Privilege is power

Allyship comes in many forms, as Sonnie Spenser (they/them), Communications Co-Director at Outvertising, pointed to privilege as a power to help others and call out bias. They advocated for ‘thinking about privilege from the perspective of what you don’t have to experience’, sharing: ”Privilege isn’t about guilt, it's about awareness and responsibility.”

Within advertising while the language of DEI has changed, a panel session on the changing media landscape with Kara Osborne (she/her), Former Chief Executive Officer at UM London, Natalie Trye (she/her), Director at BRiM (Black Representation in Marketing), Jerry Daykin (he/him) at WFA Diversity Ambassador & International Head of Media at RBI (Restaurant Brands International)

and Lucy Rennie (she/her), Connections Director at Outvertising, outlined the tools advertisers have to create more inclusive campaigns. 

While DEI may not be in the briefs the way it once was, the goal of marketers continues to be to reach people with authenticity. Genuinely engaging with communities is the only way to do just that. If the brief isn’t coming from advertisers, the panel shared the onus is on agencies to promote inclusive thinking. “Instead of looking at the risk of doing something, quantify the risk of doing nothing,” says Natalie Trye (she/her), Director at BRiM (Black Representation in Marketing).
 

5. Push for representation

Dr Rodney Collins (he/him), Intelligence Co-Director at Outvertising closed the event with an exclusive look into the new cross-media Outvertising Ad Index study. His dream team of Thanh Catachanas (she/her), Head of Collaboration & Acquisition at JCDecaux, Alim Mukhida (he/him), Director of Strategy and Insight at CreativeX, Andrew Tindall (he/him), SVP at System and  Intelligence Deputy Co-Director, Outvertising, Eleanor Thornton-Firkin (she/her), Head of Creative Excellence at IPSOS Henry Vernon (he/him), Lead Insight Business Partner at Channel4 and Ian Wallace (he/him) Director at Gaydio, are striving to create a framework to challenge and celebrate the industry with more accuracy. The team is piloting new methods of measurement in 2026 to gain better insight into the media landscape and build a robust method across platforms and media to push for representation. 

The importance of the push for representation was brought to life by Comedian and Broadcaster, Tom Allen (he/him), who shared that he became aware of queer role models through comedy. “TV and advertising have the power to show normal stories,” he said. Normal stories which inspire, represent, and capture the imaginations of audiences. 

Photography: BronacMcNeill.com / Annabel Staff