By Jake Akstins, ACAS and Matthew Gentile, FCAS
LGBTQ+ actuaries have existed in the profession since the early days of actuarial science. The Sexuality and Gender Alliance of Actuaries (SAGAA) was founded in 2020 to address LGBTQ+ inclusion in the profession. By cultivating a professional community that celebrates diversity and inclusion, SAGAA is transforming the actuarial career path into one that welcomes everyone to live and work as their authentic selves.
SAGAA has made a huge impact over the last four years. We have provided 50+ presentations at companies and industry meetings to help educate the broader profession on inclusion and allyship. We have given $27,500 (and counting!) to budding actuarial students through our scholarship program. A large focus of ours has been cultivating an LGBTQ+ and Ally community within the broader profession – including in-person events, the next of which is slated to take place in December. SAGAA provides both aspiring and practicing LGBTQ+ actuaries and their allies with a networking community and hosts various professional development resources that expand access to and awareness of the profession.
Between 2020 and 2024, so much progress has been made, but there is still much to be done. We aspire for a profession where everyone can bring their full, authentic selves to the workplace. We proudly partner with the CAS, one of our Founding Sponsors, and other industry organizations to help bring this vision to life. This year, SAGAA collaborated with the CAS to develop a new entry in the CAS Spotlight on Diversity Infographics. In the LGBTQ+ Community in the CAS infographic, you can see the first glimpse of statistics of LGBTQ+ professionals in the actuarial profession. SAGAA strives to see the representation of LGBTQ+ actuaries closely mirror that of society, and we strive for the experiences of LGBTQ+ actuaries to closely mirror that of non-LGBTQ+ actuaries in the profession.
Interested in learning more about SAGAA? Check out our website and LinkedIn! We are always looking for new volunteers and companies to partner with in this important work.
