International SOS shares LGBTQ+ travel advice

Risk management service provider International SOS has shared advice for LGBTQ+ travellers and employers to mark the start of Pride Month. The advice aims to provide an insight into the general situation facing both LGBTQ+ travellers and the companies that employ them.

Adam Lakhani, Security Director for Information and Analysis at International SOS, explained: “When it comes to LGBTQ+ travel, there is a very real risk of either oversimplifying the advice or completely missing the mark and being insensitive.”

He added that, ideally, “travellers and security managers [would] feel empowered in their jobs, while understanding the real-world risk”, and that even though “we are more connected than ever in a highly globalised world, this can be juxtaposed with cultural norms”.

The information gap

Mackenzie Grahek, Manager – Security Operations at International SOS, added that there was a worrying “information gap” among many travellers and companies, often fed by a lack of “nuance in profile specific travel security advice”.

“There seems to be a global misconception of continual improvement for this community, where the unfortunate truth is that many countries still do criminalise LGBTQ+ relationships and identities,” she explained, adding: “Even in countries or regions that are generally more permissive to that community, we do continue to see violence and harassment.”

One recent example of this kind of backsliding was the introduction of new anti-homosexual legislation in Uganda last year.

Solid communication and a proactive response

When travelling abroad as an LGBTQ+ employee, “solid communication and incident response plans” are vital, said Kirna Kataria, International SOS’s Lead Security Analyst for West and Central Africa, particularly when travelling to locations where that demographic has poor legal protection.

“If there’s an incident, you need to be conscious of the fact that they might not be able to … approach the authorities, for example,” Kataria added, recommending that organisations act proactively, and “think about what support networks are available, [and] how you would respond to that individual”.