Like many in the 2SLGBTQI+* community, I have mixed feelings about Pride month.
One is filled with joy as my social media feeds are filled with people sharing rainbows and support for the community. The other is sadness that governments and haters continue their campaigns to hurt and isolate us. To make us the dangerous other.
For me personally, I constantly find myself holding two truths at once. The joy of living openly as who I am. A trans woman who has risen to leadership of a national union with care and support from colleagues from across the country. Then there is the reality that so many of us in the queer community around the world are still fighting to feel safe, seen and respected at work.
I didn’t arrive at the truth of my gender identity lightly. It took years of unlearning fear, absorbing courage from others and choosing myself in a world that can be dangerous in so many ways for those like me.
While Pride season is set up to be a celebration of accepting others and ourselves, it is also a reminder. Visibility without support isn’t enough and we need your help.
As workers in society under capitalism, our workplaces are where we spend most of our time. It should not be a place where we must shrink ourselves, hide parts of who we are or to brace for harm. Psychological harm through misgendering, exclusion, silence or outright discrimination and the fear of physical harm around every corner from those who want to remove us from society.
Support is not just a rainbow logo with a parade in June. It’s in the policies that protect us all throughout the year. It’s leaders who listen to when we speak up about barriers. It’s our colleagues who speak up when they hear our names or pronouns not being respected. Healthcare coverage that acknowledges our needs as valid.
When you support your trans and queer workers you are part of a movement building a stronger, more compassionate workplace for everyone. Inclusion fosters creativity, trust and resilience.
This Pride Season, I’m asking for more than a celebration. I’m asking for a commitment.
Commit to making your workplace a welcoming one where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
Commit to expanding your personal knowledge on the challenges we face, the language of inclusion and how policies can uplift or harm those around you.
Commit to showing up, not just when it is visible or easy, but when it matters the most.
And to those in the trans or queer community reading this, know you belong here. Your identity is who you are and it is your strength. You deserve respect, safety and the freedom to thrive exactly as you are.
Let’s build that future together.
Not just this month with one parade but by walking in solidary with the 2SLGBTQI+ community every day of the year.
Jane Robertson
President
Canadian Media Guild
*2SLGBTQI+ = This acronym represents Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and additional people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities. Source – 2SLGBTQI+