London—Dentons is pleased to have hosted an event organised by the Firm's UK Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) and Allies network, known as GLOW, with former international rugby player Gareth Thomas as its keynote speaker. The event - 'Rugby, revelations and real life: an evening with Gareth Thomas' was held to coincide with Pride in London 2016 and took place on 21 June 2016 in London. It was attended by some 200 staff and clients.

Gareth Thomas represented Wales in both rugby union and rugby league. He was, until 2011, the most capped Welsh rugby union player with 100 test match appearances.

Gareth was also the first openly gay professional rugby union player and during the event, he spoke about his experiences of coming out whilst in the sport. In response to a question, he said, "I always wonder could I have been even better and achieved even greater things had I been able to be myself and not felt I had to hide my sexual orientation."

Commenting on the evening, Dentons' UK Diversity and Inclusion partner, Nick Mott, said, "We were delighted to welcome Gareth Thomas to our London office for GLOW's 2016 flagship event. Research by Pride in London indicates that 50% of LGBT people at work still do not feel able to be out to their colleagues. Hearing Gareth's journey and how he was helped in coming out by his teammates was truly inspirational and shows how crucial the support of colleagues can be. It was an excellent event and we are very grateful to Gareth for his honesty."

GLOW is Dentons' internal network group in the UK for LGBT colleagues and allies. The group holds regular events, ranging from film evenings and social events to talks/discussions on LGBT-related topics and training. It also supports a number of LGBT charities and engages with client and other LGBT groups. Its principal aims are to increase the visibility of LGBT staff and partners at Dentons in the UK and encourage, via an LGBT allies programme, a greater sense of understanding among non-LGBT colleagues on matters relating to sexual orientation and gender identity. GLOW also provides a supportive environment for LGBT staff and partners, including mentoring, general and professional support/advice and career progression support.

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