Pride at Home & at Work: myGwork and the Financial Times celebrate Lesbian Visibility Week with a powerful panel on LGBTQ+ family life 

This week, myGwork was proud to partner with the Financial Times to host Pride at Home & at Work: LGBTQ+ Family Life at the Financial Times, a virtual panel event held on 21st April 2026, coinciding with Lesbian Visibility Week 2026.

Moderated by Aasha Tikoo, Director of Strategic Partnerships at myGwork, the session brought together an outstanding group of LGBTQ+ leaders for an open, honest, and genuinely moving conversation about what it means to build a family while building a career, and what truly inclusive workplaces look like in practice.

About the Event

Lesbian Visibility Week is a time dedicated to celebrating and amplifying the lived experiences of lesbian women. It felt like entirely the right moment to hold a conversation that centred the voices of LGBTQ+ parents and professionals, and the Financial Times showed real commitment in making that space available to their people.

The session was designed not as a corporate exercise, but as an authentic exchange. Panellists were invited to speak from personal experience, and the questions explored themes that are too rarely discussed openly in a professional context: family-building journeys, the intersection of identity and leadership, reproductive healthcare, workplace policy, and the power of visibility.

Meet the Panellists

Laura-Rose Thorogood: LGBTQIA+ activist, CEO of Make Birth Better, and Founder of LGBT Mummies. Laura-Rose has dedicated her career to advocating for better reproductive healthcare for LGBTQ+ individuals and has built some of the most important community spaces for LGBTQ+ mothers in the UK.

Dr. Laura Carvajal: Technical Director at the Financial Times, LGBTQ+ Latina advocate, and mother of two. Dr. Laura brings a unique perspective as both a senior technical leader and a visible advocate for her community within one of the world's most respected media organisations.

Rebecca Jones: CEO of Objectsource, advocate for women's voices in tech, and LGBTQ+ leader. Rebecca has been a trailblazer in championing authenticity and representation at the highest levels of the technology industry.

The Conversation

The panel explored five key themes across 35 minutes of discussion, followed by a lively audience Q&A.

Personal Journeys. Panellists were invited to reflect on how their LGBTQ+ identities have shaped their experiences of family-building and work-life balance — from navigating IUI and IVF, to balancing technical leadership with motherhood, to forging a path as an out LGBTQ+ leader in tech.

Identity and Leadership. The discussion turned to what it means to lead authentically when you hold multiple identities at once, and how being openly LGBTQ+ in senior roles carries both personal significance and wider responsibility to the community.

Challenges and Support Systems. Panellists spoke candidly about the barriers they have faced. From gaps in reproductive healthcare provision to the everyday pressures of being a working LGBTQ+ parent, and what meaningful support from employers and society would look like.

Inclusive Policies in Practice. The group reflected on how inclusive workplace policies have made a tangible difference to their own journeys, and what organisations like the Financial Times can continue to do to drive lasting change for LGBTQ+ talent at every stage of life.

Visibility and Advocacy. The session closed with a discussion on the importance of being seen, how visibility creates community, inspires the next generation, and sends a signal that LGBTQ+ professionals belong, and thrive, in every sector.

Why This Matters

At myGwork, our mission is to help organisations build workplaces where LGBTQ+ professionals can bring their whole selves to work. Events like this one are a reminder of why that work matters, and what it looks like when organisations genuinely commit to it.

We are proud to support the Financial Times in their ongoing efforts to champion LGBTQ+ inclusion, and deeply grateful to Laura-Rose, Dr. Laura, and Rebecca for sharing their stories with such generosity and courage.

If your organisation would like to explore how myGwork can support your LGBTQ+ inclusion strategy, through events, partnerships, content, or talent solutions, we would love to hear from you. If you are interested in arranging a similar panel event or session for your organisation, please do get in touch with our team directly, we would be delighted to help you create a space for these important conversations.

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myGwork is the world's leading business community for LGBTQ+ professionals and allies. To learn more about how we work with organisations to build inclusive workplaces, visit mygwork.com