Posted on: May 31, 2023
June 1 kicks off Pride month, a time to celebrate the resilience and contributions of 2SLGBTQI+ people, support Queer artists, businesses and charities, and consider what each of us can do to foster more inclusive and safe environments for 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
At Island Health, we are stepping back from organizational participation in Pride parades for another year to evaluate and move on work we need to do to improve the care and services for – and the work experiences of – members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community. We want to walk-the-talk as an ally-focused organization, and we're committed to doing the work that needs to be done, and one step in that direction is the recrtuiment of a new Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Island Health not walking in Pride parades does not mean we don't value our Queer employees, volunteers, patients, clients and residents. In fact, it is it the opposite. We are using this time to learn and assess how we show up for the 2SLGBTQI+ community and what work we can move on.
Through the month of June, you will hear from Dawn Thomas, VP Indigenous Health and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and we will be posting articles in The Weekly to share resources and links to support learning, raise awareness and continue the conversation. On each of these articles we invite the members of staff, medical staff and volunteers to share in the comments:
- How are you celebrating Pride this year?
- What does Pride mean to you?
- What changes could we make to make Island Health a more inclusive organization?
If you'd rather not share publicly, you can email theweekly@islandhealth.ca – and we'll share with the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team.
As well, we have created four Pride backgrounds for Teams meetings, you will see Pride flags raised at some of our facilities and we'll be sharing on our social channels.
We'd also love to share photos of your individual or team celebrations in a Pride Flickr album (see album from 2022). Please send your photos to theweekly@islandhealth.ca.
Happy Pride!