City of Toronto’s Post

Pride Month may be over, but this is where the real work begins! 🌈💕 Recognise that our responsibility to be true allies to the LGBTIQ community needs to continue every day. Here are four steps we can take to be better allies: 1️⃣ Educate Ourselves: Continuously learn about LGBTIQ issues, histories, and experiences. Knowledge is the foundation of understanding and empathy. 2️⃣ Speak Up: Challenge discriminatory comments and behaviours when we see them. Silence can be perceived as complicity. 3️⃣ Support LGBTIQ Voices: Amplify the voices of LGBTIQ individuals and support their initiatives. Representation matters. 4️⃣ Create Safe Spaces: Foster environments where everyone feels safe to express themselves authentically, whether at work or in our communities. Let's commit to these actions and ensure that our colleagues, friends, and family from the LGBTIQ community are heard, feel safe, and can hold hands in public without shame. 💘 #LGBTIQ #TalentQuarter #Inclusion

🌈 Pride Allyship: Fostering Inclusion and Support 🌈 As we celebrate Pride Month this June, let’s recognise the vital role allies play in supporting the LGBTQIA community. Effective allyship goes beyond mere labels; it’s about meaningful actions. Here are three key components to be a good ally: Acceptance: Embrace diversity. Accept individuals for who they are, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Show empathy and understanding. Humility: Recognise that you don’t know everything. Be open to learning and unlearning. Listen to LGBTQIA voices and experiences without assuming you have all the answers. Action: Advocate actively. Speak out against discrimination, support others in sharing their stories, and educate yourself about the invisible barriers faced by your LGBTQIA peers. But remember, true allyship extends beyond public spaces. It’s about standing up for the community even when they’re not in the room. Be their voice, challenge stereotypes, and create safe spaces everywhere you go. #PrideAllyship #InclusionMatters #DEI

🌈 Pride Allyship: Fostering Inclusion and Support 🌈 As we celebrate Pride Month this June, let’s recognise the vital role allies play in supporting the LGBTQIA community. Effective allyship goes beyond mere labels; it’s about meaningful actions. Here are three key components to be a good ally: Acceptance: Embrace diversity. Accept individuals for who they are, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Show empathy and understanding. Humility: Recognise that you don’t know everything. Be open to learning and unlearning. Listen to LGBTQIA voices and experiences without assuming you have all the answers. Action: Advocate actively. Speak out against discrimination, support others in sharing their stories, and educate yourself about the invisible barriers faced by your LGBTQIA peers. But remember, true allyship extends beyond public spaces. It’s about standing up for the community even when they’re not in the room. Be their voice, challenge stereotypes, and create safe spaces everywhere you go. #PrideAllyship #InclusionMatters #DEI

On this last day of Pride Month, I want to highlight an invaluable resource. Do you identify as 2SLGBTQ and need a place to feel "safe, celebrated, empowered, and loved?" Are you an ally, friend, parent, or sibling of someone in the 2SLGBTQ community and want to know the best way to show up for them? Visit PFLAG and learn about your local chapter. #loveislove https://pflag.org/ 🌈

🌈 Happy Pride (whatever that means to you) 🌈 While many organizations and individuals focus on 2SLGBTQ communities in June, the work to create safer spaces where 2SLGBTQ people thrive and live safer, joyous lives is year-round. As Trans people of colour, we lean on rich histories of dreaming, resisting, and envisioning ways to thrive while centering joy and community. Now more than ever, it is imperative to move beyond individualistic models of care and safety to nurturing spaces that build trusting relationships and cross solidarity movements. Our freedom and liberation is interconnected; none of us are free until all of us are free. We know this work isn't easy and it can be challenging to know where to start or if what we're doing is enough. Even as we write this post, we feel this. We often remind ourselves of adrienne maree brown's emergent strategy principle: "what we practice at the small scale sets the pattern for the whole system." Whether it’s pushing for changes in your organization, showing up to rallies and actions, supporting a GoFundMe or local community group, or buying directly from 2SLGBTQ artists and vendors, we ask that you find ways to show up year-round for 2SLGBTQ people. Wishing you joy and care, Taashi and Kanaka #PrideMonth #QTBIPOC #2SLGBTQ #Community

As we celebrate the Pride season this summer, I feel compelled to share a part of my identity. I am queer, and I am proud. 🏳️🌈 In Alberta, we’ve seen a troubling rise in hate towards the 2SLGBTQ community. It’s disheartening but has also reinforced the importance of visibility and representation. I am out of LinkedIn and Rogers Communications, for those who feel unseen and unheard. I believe that our workplace environments should be sanctuaries of inclusivity and respect, where everyone can be their authentic selves without fear. This Pride season let’s stand together against hate and celebrate the beautiful diversity of our community. To all my 2SLGBTQ friends and allies in Alberta and beyond, know that you are not alone. Let’s continue supporting each other, not just during Pride, but daily. 🌈 Call to Action: I encourage each of you to take a moment to reflect on how you can contribute to a more inclusive world. Whether through education, advocacy, or simply offering a listening ear, our actions matter. If you’re looking for ways to get involved, consider supporting local 2SLGBTQ organizations and participating in Pride events. Visibility Matters. I hope that one day I don’t have to talk about being queer. A day when I am just known as Jay. A day when we all can live without fear and love whom we love. #Pride #Inclusivity #Diversity #OutAndProud #2SLGBTQ #ConversationsForChange #OutOnLinkedIn

“Rite Aid has made meaningful progress for the LGBTQIA community by sourcing talent from LGBTQIA communities, providing allyship training, fostering engagement through internal platforms, and marketing to LGBTQIA customers. Celebrating Pride beyond Pride Month further emphasizes our ongoing allyship. We believe all leaders can drive inclusive change by updating LGBTQIA Inclusion policies and procedures, encouraging open dialogue, and implementing robust training to prevent microaggressions. Building a culture of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) – where people are valued, respected and accepted – is an ongoing endeavor. We know that DEIB must move beyond “statistics” into tangible actions that permeate across every level of an organization as we promote empathy and unity. And that’s exactly what we’re committed to doing, every day.” infy.com/Inclusion #Pride2024 #InclusionInProgress #ESGIsAnOpportunity

We celebrate diversity every month, but for all of April, we would like for you to join us as we honor Diversity Month and highlight a few of those who have helped with this journey from our very own Arkansas community. “It is a time to recognize and understand our differences, be it gender, race, ethnicity, faith, sexual orientation, and other factors, while honoring the common essence of humanity. By appreciating our similarities and differences, the month aims to get people to foster a deeper understanding of others, regardless of who they are, what they are, or how they live.” #ARlegal #DiversityMonth #DiversityMonth2024 #Inclusion #Equity #Equality #Community #JusticeForAll #ArkansasCommunity #DiversityMatters #RepresentationMatters #InclusionMatters #Disability #HumanRights #DisabilityAwareness

Today, 17th May, is the official International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Transphobic hate crimes have quadrupled in the last five years with 4 out of 5 trans people experiencing a transphobic hate crime, and 1 in 4 experiencing physical assault or the threat of physical assault. The number of homophobic attacks is also increasing, with data suggesting that these have risen by 22% in London in the space of one year. If you want to know more or want to help, Stonewall have this extremely helpful link: www.stonewall.org.uk * What can we do? * • Let’s raise awareness about LGBTQIA rights and challenges. • Let’s stand up and support any team member facing discrimination and prejudice. • Let’s support and continuously strive in creating inclusivity in our community and workplace. • Let's get involved in the upcoming activities of the newly formed Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Enlight. As a company we want to create a culture where everyone feels empowered to embrace their unique identities and experiences and feel they belong. Therefore, we have joined forces with our sister companies Searcys and Portico and established a Diversity & Inclusion committee, Enlight that is then divided in Employee Networking Groups (ENG) with the aim to provide support and resources for underrepresented groups, educate and celebrate our incredible workforce. As part of our LGBTQIA ENG’s activities, we're planning a series of informative pieces on topics like allyship, inclusion, and understanding LGBTQIA terminology and pronouns. These will be sent out on Flow and Quinyx throughout Pride month 🌈 We're also organising an event at the end of June to celebrate Pride. More details will be shared closer to the time. Stay tuned!☺ If you would like more information on Enlight and if you would like to join this great initiative get in touch on [email protected]

Being an Ally, Inside and Outside the Workplace: Be an Active Bystander: Stand up against unfair treatment and discrimination. Support a safe and inclusive environment. Advocate for Inclusive Policies: Push for workplaces, schools, and organizations to adopt policies protecting LGBTQ2S rights. Champion anti-discrimination measures. Amplify LGBTQ2S Voices: Share and uplift voices, especially those from underrepresented groups. Use your platform for awareness and inclusivity. Be Mindful of Microaggressions: Avoid assumptions and insensitive comments. Work towards a more inclusive environment. Supportive Relationships: Stand by friends, family, and colleagues exploring their identity. Cultivate open, safe spaces for conversations. 🌈💙 #Allyship #InclusionMatters