Constructing Change: Celebrating Pride, Progress and Belonging
Every year, Pride Month is celebrated around the world to honour the history, resilience, and achievements of the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s a time of visibility, solidarity, and education; a moment to champion equality and acceptance in all aspects of life, including the workplace.
We believe Pride is more than a moment, it’s a commitment.
A commitment to elevating voices, sharing lived experiences, and building a culture where everyone can be their authentic selves, every day. As part of our ‘People Spotlight series’, we sat down with Design Manager and long-time LGBTQIA+ advocate, Daithí Naughton, to hear his story and his vision for creating lasting change in our industry.
Daithí’s story
Originally from Dublin, Daithí Naughton has spent years advocating for equality, from being one of the organisers of Dublin Pride to helping pass Ireland’s Marriage Equality Act (which only became legal in 2015). A proud and passionate member of the LGBTQIA+ community, his journey has been marked by both powerful contributions and painful realities.
When Daithí moved to London a decade ago, he was excited to experience a new life in a vibrant, diverse and multicultural city. But on one of his first nights out in his new home – ironically during London’s Pride Weekend celebrations – he experienced his first homophobic attack while walking home.
“It was terrifying,” Daithí recalls. “I was beaten black and blue, had my shoes taken, and had a necklace my mum had given me years prior ripped off me. I wore it every day, it was completely irreplaceable, and I still sometimes expect to feel it when I put my hand to my neck. I ended up in hospital on a night I was meant to be celebrating.”
That experience shook him to his core. “After that, every sound and every movement anyone made near me in public, I was on edge. To this day even ten years later the memory still haunts me when I walk through the area.”
He adds: “And the fact that it happened during Pride weekend just made it clear why Pride is still necessary. The violence and negative attitudes are still damaging. It needs to stop.”
Despite the trauma, Daithí chose to share his story publicly. “I spoke to the police and posted about it on online to raise awareness of the crimes happening against LGBTQIA+ people. I was lucky to receive a lot of support, and the Met Police checked in with me regularly for weeks afterwards. That made a big difference.”
Still, he remembers how isolating and shameful it felt to show up for work with a swollen face, covered in bruises just days later. “The Monday morning after the attack was only my second day in my new job. I didn’t know anyone well enough to ask for time off and I didn’t feel brave enough to tell my new colleagues why I had been beaten up. I put on makeup to hide the bruises and powered through, but I carried a lot of shame at the time, it felt like there was a societal stigma around my sexuality.”
Breaking stereotypes in the built environment
Daithí’s career began in interior design back in Ireland, an environment he recalls as feeling quite open and inclusive. “I was at university when I came out, studying a design course. My classes were 90% women and the design school itself had such an eclectic mix of people, so it felt a lot more natural and safer to come out.”
But entering the construction world came with new challenges when he joined a design and build firm in London.
“There was a lot of ‘laddish’ banter early on,” he says. “I heard derogatory language, and I knew of people making homophobic jokes at my expense. But I stayed open. I didn’t hide who I was, I just didn’t advertise it either.”
Things, he says, have changed dramatically since those early days.
“At Structure Tone, there’s a clear understanding that discrimination won’t be tolerated. The industry itself has also evolved a lot over time, I feel like we’re genuinely moving forward. But there’s still more to do. Particularly with regards to how our wider society views and supports transgender people, that’s one area where the world sadly seems to be regressing.”
When asked what progress he’d like to see, Daithí is clear: “More awareness of what people go through, not just in the LGBTQIA+ community, but across all DEI groups. Let’s shine a light on those stories. Let’s educate and support each other.”
Pride in action: building a year-round culture of inclusion
Throughout Pride Month and beyond, the STOBG family of brands Structure Tone sits a part of continues to invest in meaningful, year-round initiatives to support LGBTQIA+ employees and their families, and drive industry-wide change.
Across our offices and construction sites here in London, we’ve invested in Pride boards for every project, to help raise awareness, spark conversations, and show visible support for the community. These displays stay up year-round (where the site set-up makes it possible to do so) as part of our ongoing commitment to visibly stand against discrimination.
“It makes a difference,” Daithí says. “When it’s not just a rainbow logo for the (Pride) month of June, but something that’s integrated into our culture, that’s when it feels real.”
We’re proud to have LGBTQIA+ colleagues across all the businesses in our STOBG family of brands. Together, our global representatives are working to expand awareness events, build support networks, and drive better education around DEI, not only within our own companies, but across our supply chain partners and industry peers.
Storytelling, visibility, and listening
This year, we hosted a special Pride Month viewing of Knock Out Blonde: The Kellie Maloney Story, with boxing manager turned celebrity Kellie Maloney joining the event at our London HQ for a Q&A. The documentary chronicles Kellie’s extraordinary journey from renowned boxing manager to outspoken trans advocate, offering a nuanced, personal look at identity, transformation, and courage.
“She’s not your typical rights activist,” Daithí explains. “She’s lived as a transwoman and in a stereotypically ‘masculine’ industry, so she brings a really unique and interesting perspective. The discussion was incredibly open and thought-provoking. It got people talking, and that’s exactly the point.”
Moving forward together
We’re proud of Daithí, not only for his professional contributions to our business, but for his courage in sharing his story to help make more people across our industry feel safe, seen, and supported.
Daithí’s journey is a reminder that progress isn’t linear, and that building a truly inclusive workplace means more than policies and platitudes. It’s about championing real stories, to drive action and meaningful support.
