So what exactly is l’Autre Cercle?

L’Autre Cercle is one of the leading national French homosexual voluntary associations. Its members are professional men and women working in the public and private sectors or in the liberal professions. All have not only a strong sense of social responsibility but are united in their aim to create a mutually supportive network of friends

Originally founded in 1998, l’Autre Cercle adopted its current structure in 2002 when it became a national Federation of decentralised regional associations. The reason for this decentralised structure was to strengthen l’Autre Cercle’s presence in the provinces and to facilitate the development of local action plans.

L’Autre Cercle’s mission is to combat discrimination based on sex, lifestyles, sexual orientation, or gender identity and more specifically to gain full respect for different sexual orientations in the workplace.

The association’s members have the capacity to take action in favour of the establishment of a social and professional climate into which everyone, man or woman alike, can fit and achieve personal fulfillment, Based on the output of its working groups, l’Autre Cercle has chosen an innovative form of activism consisting of awareness-raising initiatives focussed on business and other organizations and on partnerships, training programmes and consultancy work aimed at accompanying and encouraging positive evolution in the workplace

Having published the A.C. White Paper and organised the first French conference on homophobia at work in 2003, l’Autre Cercle established an AC Best Practice Watch and an AC Training Group in 2004.

The association became a member of the ANDRH and CJD “Diversity Committees” It joined the action group “Equal Opportunity – a major national challenge for 2006”, the HALDE Steering Group “2007, European Equal Opportunity Year”, the Standards Compliance Committee of the Diversity Seal of Approval and the AFNOR Standards Committee responsible for defining a Diversity Management Standard. L’Autre Cercle sits on the Défenseur des Droits LGBT Committee It originated the Equal sexism and lesbophobia project «DELEDIOS» which ran from 2005 to 2008 and launched the AC Diversity Award in May 2010. It is a member of the Inter-LGBT (network of homosexual associations) of ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association) et co-founder of RAVAD (the help network for victims of Harassment and Discrimination) Working hand in hand with community groups l’Autre Cercle signed the Charte de la Diversité on May 17 2011.

Thanks to both French public and European FSE financing, the association has been able to develop a certain number of tools, some of which were pioneered by one of the federated regions, for example a Comic Strip, Best Practice frameworks, a DVD of theatrical sketches, a Mini-Glossary of discriminations, a Mobile Exhibition, Web Video Spots, printed materials such as the “White Paper”, “Diversity and the Workplace – has nothing been forgotten?” or “Double Discrimination – woman and lesbian” and a video documentary with male and female testimonies at work.. :

L’AUTRE CERCLE National Federation – 105 rue de l’Abbé Groult 75015 Paris, France

Cellphone +33 6 76 64 19 32


www.autrecercle.org

Official partners of L’Autre Cercle