Karl Faustino (main photo) is a trading manager at Havas Media Group Australia. Originally from the Philippines, in this guest post he reveals his experiences of being a gay man from a Philippines perspective, an Australian one and from an Aldander one, too…
I’m a 35-year-old Asian gay man who has been in media for more than a decade in both Australia and the Philippines. Over my time working in this industry, I can’t help but notice a lot of differences in both countries when it comes to diversity and representation. They’re not bad at all, but I’m pretty sure each market can learn some things from each other.
I started working in media in Manila in 2010 and worked there for six years. For a country rooted in conservative Catholic beliefs, I’m proud to be in an industry where LGBTQIA+ members are seen at nearly every level of the chain. I can only assume that the glitz and glamour behind publisher events contributed to attracting a lot of LGBTQIA+ members to be part of the industry. I had team members who are openly part of the LGBTQIA+ community across multiple client patches. I am friends with openly gay client directors, and the industry knows of an agency that has an openly gay CEO. This holds true even in creative agencies and publisher networks where I get to work with LGBTQIA+ sales reps and account managers.
Moving to Australia, it was a different approach to diversity and representation. Here, I have noticed that the industry is diverse in terms of multicultural heritage. A lot of agencies have employees coming from different countries. Having worked in a few agencies in Australia, I have felt fortunate in not feeling like I was the odd one out. It is okay to be my true self and I’m lucky to work with some of the great minds from around the world. I’m proud to say that my current team has several members who either came from a different country like me or are a second-generation member of an immigrant family. I think this stems from Australia having a strong policy towards attracting multicultural talent.
It’s safe to say that while the Philippines and Australia have great policies towards diversity and inclusion, both markets can still learn from each other to strive for a more inclusive society, and the industry as part of this. From what I’ve experienced, the Philippine media industry thrives on gender diversity while Australia’s media industry celebrates multiculturalism. As a gay immigrant, I believe that to achieve representation, we must celebrate inclusivity in all its forms – cultural backgrounds, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and so on.
The agency where I currently work at is taking great strides when it comes to tackling gender diversity and inclusion, having launched its Gender Affirmation Policy last November, among other initiatives. The Gender Affirmation Policy includes support, counselling, and an annual leave entitlement to support affirmation among other things. Furthermore, the policy encourages the inclusion of an employee’s pronouns in their email. Personally, it is the most subtle yet visibly powerful thing a company can do to make its employees feel comfortable to be their true selves at work. I also appreciate that it’s not compulsory, as not everyone is comfortable to affirm their gender identity openly. But having an agency encourage its employees to live their truth is so empowering. Personally, this has helped me to feel seen.
At the end of the day, I think both markets can learn from each other in order to build a more inclusive media industry. I hope that I get to see the day when both markets are winning and celebrating more facets of the inclusivity spectrum. It involves a lot of work, but it’s reassuring to know that there are companies like the Havas Network who are already making strong inroads to achieve it.
