We Are Not a Footnote: Why the LGBTQ+ Community Is the UK’s Next Economic Powerhouse

By Matt Dabrowski, Founder & CEO, OutBritain

Let me be honest — last year hasn’t just been exhausting. It hit far too close to home.

Yes, the politics have been heavy.
Yes, the headlines have been brutal.
But what’s worn me down most is something else: the feeling that every time things get tough, our community starts shrinking back into the shadows we fought so hard to escape.

And I’m tired of that story.

Because the truth is — this is the most powerful moment that the LGBTQ+ community has ever had.

We are more visible than ever.
We are more successful than ever.
We have LGBTQ+ leaders running companies, shaping culture, building wealth, and changing industries. We see ourselves on TV, in music, in boardrooms, in politics. The UK Parliament now has over 70 openly LGBTQ+ MPs — more than 12% of the House of Commons. That’s not symbolic. That’s structural change.

And yet… when pressure hits, we sometimes act like we’re still powerless.

I say this with love — and with frustration — because I’ve lived the other version of this story.

I know what it feels like to hide.
I know what it feels like to beg for acceptance.

I struggled to be accepted by my Polish parents.
I struggled to feel welcome in my church — which, to this day, still doesn’t fully accept me.
Friends turned their backs on me.

And for a long time, that did real damage.

In my twenties, that pain turned into a life I didn’t recognise.
A marriage to a woman built on fear, not truth.
Years of shame and hiding.
Substance abuse.
Depression.
Panic attacks.

That’s what silence did to me.
That’s what shrinking did.

So when I hear us talk only about being victims, I flinch — not because the pain isn’t real, but because I know what happens when we let that become our whole identity.

We didn’t survive all of this to stay small.

Twenty years later, I don’t want another generation growing up thinking that their only role is to endure. I want them to lead. I want them to own rooms. I want them to take power — economic, cultural, political — and use it unapologetically.

We talk about solidarity like it’s a nice word.
But solidarity changed history.

If solidarity could help bring down communism in the 1980s, I’m pretty sure it can help us stand up to a few conservatives and bigots in 2026.

And here’s the part that might make people uncomfortable — but I’m going to say it anyway.

I want more accountability from our community.
Especially from those of us who now sit in seats of influence and power.

Because visibility without responsibility is just branding.
And power without courage is just comfort.

We don’t need to retreat.
We don’t need to whisper.
We don’t need to apologise for existing — or for leading.

We need to stand taller than we ever have before.
Together.

From culture war to economic power

For too long, LGBTQ+ equality has been framed as a culture war issue.
A debate.
A headline.
A risk assessment.

But here’s the reality: this isn’t a culture war — it’s an economic conversation that the UK hasn’t fully caught up with yet.

Across the country, LGBTQ+ businesses contribute billions to GDP, support hundreds of thousands of jobs, and drive innovation in sectors from tech and finance to hospitality, health, and the creative industries. We are founders, employers, exporters, taxpayers and community builders.

That’s not identity politics.
That’s economic infrastructure.

And when rights feel fragile, economic power becomes one of the strongest forms of protection a community can have.

Because when you create jobs and growth, you don’t just ask to be included.
You become impossible to ignore.

Why OutBritain is stepping up — not stepping back

At OutBritain, we’ve always believed that visibility is important — but impact is everything.

This year, we’re moving from advocacy alone to action at scale.
Not because it’s easy.
Because the moment demands it.

Here’s what we’re committing to.

    1. Real investment in queer businesses

Starting this year, 20% of OutBritain membership proceeds will be reinvested into a Queer Small Business Fund.
This will support micro-grants, development programmes, and practical help for LGBTQ+ founders who often sit outside traditional funding and networks.

        Not charity Economic empowerment.

         Because if we want a stronger community tomorrow, we have to fund it today.

     2. Standing with our community every single month

Each month, OutBritain will partner with an LGBTQ+ charity and match 10% of all ticket sales to support frontline work — from mental health and homelessness to trans support and youth services.

     Business success and community safety should never be separate conversations.

    3. Stepping into the political conversation — with evidence, not slogans

We’ve said before that we don’t want to be political.
But when rights, funding and visibility are on the line, silence is no longer neutral.

With elections approaching in Wales and Scotland, OutBritain will engage with every political party to secure clear commitments to under-represented communities — grounded in economic impact, not ideology.

Not only rainbow logos in June.

Real policy in every month of the year. Because our community doesn’t just deserve protection — it delivers value.

Why this matters beyond our community

This isn’t just about LGBTQ+ people.
It’s about the kind of economy that the UK wants to build.

When LGBTQ+ businesses thrive:

If leaders are serious about social impact, levelling up and inclusive growth, then inclusive procurement and investment in under-represented entrepreneurs isn’t optional.

It’s essential infrastructure.

A message to our community

If you’re feeling tired, I see you.
If you’re feeling uncertain, you’re not alone.
But if you’re wondering whether momentum is slipping — I want to be clear about something.

Momentum doesn’t disappear.
It gets abandoned.

And this is the moment where we have to stop waiting for someone else to carry the weight.

Because we are still here.
We are still building.
And now, more than ever, we need to own our power — not outsource it.

Hope isn’t naïve.
Hope is disciplined. Hope is organised. Hope shows up.

And that means this: this year, the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t get to shrink quietly in the face of pressure.

We don’t get to hide behind fear when we now sit in boardrooms, parliaments, studios, newsrooms and C-suites.

So yes — this is a message of solidarity.
But it’s also a message of accountability.

I say this as a CEO who knows what influence looks like from the inside: our voices matter, and now is when they need to be heard.
To the politicians who trade on our visibility — stand by us when it’s hard, not just when it’s popular or the diversity theme of the month.
And to those who feel it’s safer to stay quiet than to stand up — I understand the instinct. But silence has never protected this community for long.

We are not a footnote.
We are not a risk line on a corporate spreadsheet.
We are not a political bargaining chip.

We are leaders. We are employers. We are voters. We are investors.

We are the UK’s next economic powerhouse — and with power comes responsibility.

This is the year we stop retreating.
This is the year we start holding each other — especially those of us at the top — to a higher standard.

Together.