We are all guilty of ‘unconscious bias’.

This means making quick, automatic judgements of people and situations without realising that our own background, culture and experience is really driving such a view / perspective.

When people are seemingly outside ‘the norm’ they can be victims of stereotyping (negative, preconceived ideas and expectations about certain groups which have supposed typical attributes).

Having true respect for difference and diversity can be challenging unless you interact with other groups and types and ultimately form an opinion based on personal merit.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character,” Martin Luther King Jr famously said in 1963.

Honouring the uniqueness of everyone – irrespective of race, colour and creed – is essential when looking at the world.