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Stephen Barrow entered a UK civil union with his partner in 2006 and is thrilled to be recognised as ‘married’ by his employer Telstra, reports Adam Bub.
Last week, Telstra joined Australian Marriage Equality’s (AME) list of companies who grant all same-sex partnerships the same benefits as heterosexual married couples, which includes recognising international same-sex marriages or the civil unions of employees.
At Telstra, partners are entitled to carers’ leave, rewards programs and employee assistance. The company also encourages same-sex employees to check that they have nominated their partner as a beneficiary under their superannuation policy.
Stephen Barrow started working with Telstra in August last year as Executive Director of Human Resources. Now based in Melbourne, Barrow has a successful career in consultancy and financial services under his belt, having lived and worked in the US, Dubai, Hong Kong, and his birthplace, the UK.
It was there, in 2006, where he had a civil union ceremony with his Brisbane-born partner, Lawrence. They have been together for eight years – and counting.
“A lot of people get hot under the collar when you refer to it as marriage,” Barrow tells SX. “As far as I’m concerned, we are married, as civil partnership confers identical rights and responsibilities under the UK law as married couples enjoy.
We had the most amazing party and celebration with our friends and families. Marking our commitment with a ceremony was important.”
Barrow was open with Telstra about Lawrence from day one, and praises Telstra for leading the way for the Australian government to follow.
“If Telstra did not uphold those values of diversity and equality, I wouldn’t be working here,” says Barrow. “A big part of my life is that I’m a gay man in a loving, committed relationship. I’m not going to pretend to be something I’m not. At work, it doesn’t make one jot of a difference, as long as I perform in my role.”
Barrow, now in his mid-40s, has been openly gay since the age of 15, and asserts that he’s never felt discriminated against at work, except for his job as a warden at a university dormitory in mid-80s Manchester.
“In the last 20 years I have never knowingly experienced any discrimination because of my sexuality,” he says, adding that Lawrence always attends corporate functions with him. Barrow acknowledges that all people have different experiences, so he hopes to be a positive role model to junior GLBT staff.
In October 2007, SX reported that since February 2006, hundreds of same-sex couples, where at least one partner must be a British citizen, had registered their partnerships with British Consulates across Australia, although only Tasmania recognises full civil unions. Other countries that recognise same-sex marriages include Brazil, Israel and various US states.
Barrow emphasises that those entering civil unions should do it justice. “Lawrence and I spent around six months working together on our vows,” he says. “We thought about the promises that we were going to make together – not in some fluffy airy fairy way – but in really practical and tangible ways – about what we both want to give to and take from the relationship. When we said it at our ceremony, I was blown away.
“There’s many ways to get what you want – the bigger game is to achieve equality of rights and responsibilities. It’s important to be able to celebrate it.”
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