Read about the projects and editorial standards that we have pledged to support and uphold

Pride pledge

When it comes to LGBTIQA+ representation, we don’t want to jump on bandwagons, tick boxes or meet quotas. We want to make a lasting, definitive effort to challenge systemic discrimination.

As a publisher, we have a responsibility to elevate LGBTIQA+ voices, and properly represent LGBTIQA+ people in our content. That’s why we’ve put together our Pride Pledge – to track our progress and to keep our efforts consistently high throughout the year.

To do that, we’ve put together three quantifiable areas for us to address, improve, and review. While these are things we’ve always taken into consideration and done our best to include, we want to make a conscious and proactive effort to ensure our magazine is representing all of our readership community, to the best of our abilities:

1. Stock images

We will ensure we use stock images of LGBTIQA+ individuals, couples and families in the magazine and online. These shouldn’t be reserved for articles that look specifically at LGBTIQA+ issues, but across all topics to become part of a normal reading experience.

2. LGBTIQA+ writers

It’s important to let those from the community speak for themselves. When we cover LGBTIQA+ topics, we will approach LGBTIQA+ people to write about them, and encourage LGBTIQA+ writers to pitch topics for other areas of the magazine.

3. LGBTIQA+ experts

Experts are the backbone of our content and the reason we feel confident sharing advice with our readers. We will include more LGBTIQA+ experts and, if we are looking for comments on a piece that looks at LGBTIQA+ issues, we will ensure that the expert is LGBTIQA+ themselves or has significant professional experience in this area.

Six-month review

Read our six-month review where we look at what has been acheived as part of our pride pledge so far.

Get involved

Do you identify as LGBT+ and want to get involved with Happiful? Take a look at our contributor guidelines to see what kind of content we look for.

Spotted an area where we could do better? Let us know so we can look at how to improve. Email us at hello@happiful.com.

Eco pledge

We want to minimise our impact on the environment, which is why we have our eco pledge. For every tree used to make our magazine, we will ensure two are planted in its place.

Happiful magazine is FSC certified. Our two-for-one tree commitment is made of two parts. Firstly, we source all our paper from FSC certified sources. The FSC label guarantees that the trees harvested are replaced, or allowed to regenerate naturally.

Secondly, we will ensure an additional tree is planted for each one used, by making a suitable donation to a forestry charity.

We also regularly offset our carbon footprint through schemes that fund renewable energy and efficiency projects around the world, reducing global carbon emissions on our behalf.

Diversity and inclusion pledge

As storytellers and publishers, we understand the impact diversity and inclusion has not only on mental health, but on our growth as a society.

This can clearly be seen when we look at statistics around mental health in marginalised groups. According to Mental Health Foundation Black people are four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than white people and almost half of trans people have thought about taking their life. Systemic oppression is taking its toll.

Feeling seen, heard, and represented is of vital importance to reduce stigma, as well as to encourage self-esteem and to ensure everyone feels able to reach out for support. This is why we wanted to create a pledge outlining how we are dedicating ourselves to diversity and inclusion; to let our readers know how important this is to us as an organisation, and to hold ourselves accountable, so we can continue to learn and grow, too.

As the World Mental Health Day 2021 theme points out (‘mental health in an unequal world’), as a society we have a long way to go in order to find parity, and acknowledging the impact of varying experiences on mental health is essential.

We’ve identified three core areas within Happiful where our pledged actions will take shape:

The magazine

To ensure our content both in the magazine and online celebrates diversity and inclusion, we pledge to ensure the following:

  • That our stock images and illustrations we publish will be diverse, including people of different genders, ethnicities, abilities, ages, and sizes. We will consciously look to ensure that every reader is able to connect and see themselves reflected in our magazine.
  • That the writers and experts we publish will speak from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities, and we will always endeavor to create opportunities for voices with first-hand knowledge to be included.
  • That the topics we cover will represent the broad spectrum of the human experience.

The podcast

On our podcast, I am. I have. we pledge to speak to a diverse range of guests, who can talk about a variety of topics to ensure different experiences are highlighted.

The company

To ensure the staff at Happiful are educated on the topic of diversity and inclusion we pledge to support with training sessions and educational activities on topics surrounding diversity and inclusion; this includes ensuring staff support and include diverse perspectives as part of their work processes.

Our equal opportunities and diversity policy

This policy sets out the Company’s approach to equal opportunities and the avoidance of discrimination at work.

Memiah (Happiful's parent company) is committed to achieving a working environment that provides equal opportunity and ensuring all individuals are treated with respect, fairness and courtesy.

The Company is actively opposed to all forms of bullying and harassment and unlawful discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, pregnancy and maternity, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, disability, religion or beliefs, age or sexual orientation (the “Protected Characteristics”).

This applies to:

a) all employees at all levels (both full and part-time); and
b) all aspects of employment with the Company and ensures that all recruitment, appraisals, promotion, conduct at work, training, development, assessment, monitoring, benefits, pay, terms and conditions of employment, redundancies and dismissals are determined on the basis of capability, qualifications, experience, skills and productivity. This list is not exhaustive.

Memiah aims to provide a service that does not discriminate against its clients and customers in the means by which they can access the services supplied by the Company. Memiah believes that all employees (and job applicants), clients and customers are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity, treated fairly with regard to all procedures, assessments and choices and encouraged to reach one’s full potential.