When Dr Gustavo Abdiel Aguilar-Miranda began researching the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people in the global maritime industry, he expected to uncover challenges.
What he didn't expect was just how often participants spoke about silence.
Again and again, people described feeling they had nowhere to share their experiences: they felt invisible. That absence of support became the foundation of I Exist Too, a charity dedicated to creating a more humane maritime sector where LGBTQ+ people are recognised, valued, and supported.
"Listening to seafarers taking part in the research, one theme kept coming up.", Gustavo explains. "There were almost no spaces where people could discuss their own journeys in a safe way. That really became the origin of I Exist Too."
Making the invisible visible
For decades, LGBTQ+ people have been largely absent from maritime research, workforce data, policy, and institutional conversations. When people are missing from policies, procedures and organisational discussions, their needs can easily be overlooked. And without recognition, they are less likely to receive the support and protection they need.
Through research, education, advocacy, community building and knowledge exchange, I Exist Too is working to change that.
The charity creates opportunities for people to be heard, while helping organisations better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ maritime professionals and build cultures where everyone can contribute with dignity, safety, and respect.
What began as a research initiative gradually evolved into an international movement, helping seafarers who were waiting for an opportunity to speak.
Gustavo says: "Once space existed, the stories emerged. Stories of silence, fear, and resilience. Stories of professionals carefully calculating whether it was safe to disclose who they were. But also, stories of solidarity, hope, and belonging."
Building a stronger maritime community
Since its formation, I Exist Too has brought together maritime professionals, regulators, charities, trade unions, academics, and industry leaders to encourage open conversations about inclusion.
Rather than asking only how organisations can support those who are already visible, the charity challenges the sector to ask a different question: who remains unseen?
Although its focus is LGBTQ+ inclusion, Gustavo believes the benefits extend far beyond one community.
"We believe the future of the maritime sector is not defined solely by technological innovation," he says. "It is also defined by how we value people."
By promoting psychological safety, respectful workplaces, and a greater sense of belonging, I Exist Too believes that a more inclusive maritime sector which benefits everyone is possible.
Quiet moments of change
Although still a young charity, I Exist Too has already organised international forums, developed educational programmes, established mentoring initiatives, promoted conversations around mental health, and contributed to international discussions on maritime governance.
For Gustavo, however, the moments that matter most are often the quietest.
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"The moments that stay with me are when someone approaches me after an event and says, 'For the first time, I felt seen. I felt heard. I felt respected.' Those conversations remind me why this work matters."
Dr Gustavo Abdiel Aguilar-Miranda
Founder and Trustee at I EXIST TOO
The impact of The Seafarers' Charity
Support from The Seafarers' Charity has helped I Exist Too transform ideas into meaningful action.
Funding has enabled the charity to expand its educational programmes, strengthen partnerships, engage with industry stakeholders, and continue producing research that informs policy and practice.
Just as importantly, funding has provided the stability that every growing charity needs.
"It allows us to plan, build partnerships, respond to emerging needs and invest our time where it has the greatest impact, rather than focusing solely on organisational survival," Gustavo explains.
Looking ahead, I Exist Too hopes to continue strengthening the evidence base for inclusion and supporting organisations to turn good intentions into lasting change, helping create a maritime sector where dignity, respect and belonging are recognised as fundamental for everyone.
As Gustavo puts it: "Inclusion is not achieved when only the majority feels represented. It is achieved when no one is left behind."
