Celebrating the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community this Pride Month
June 17, 2021
We strive to celebrate everyone, regardless of sexuality or gender, and show our support to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community
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June is Pride month; a month dedicated to celebrating and acknowledging the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, both here at Stantec and out in our communities. We are a global organization that champions inclusion and recognizes the importance of having the diverse experiences and perspectives that our employees bring to the workplace every day.
With the pandemic still being prevalent in our lives, our employees will be celebrating Pride in a variety of ways this year:
To kick-off Pride Month, the Calgary, Alberta Pride@Stantec chapter hosted a discussion about learning and strengthening our actions to create a more inclusive and welcoming space for trans and gender diverse individuals into our work and home lives. Then, on June 9, the chapter hosted a lunch time session with Gabe Calderón of Mòkinàn Consulting to explore what it means to have a two-person identity as well as understanding the complexities and sacredness this term carries within Indigenous communities.
In Bristol, UK, employees will be marching in the Pride Parade on July 10. With parades being canceled in 2020 because of the ongoing pandemic, there is great excitement for parades hitting the streets again.
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Stantec at the 2019 Bristal Pride Parade.
A global webinar, titled Comparing Experiences: Being Out in the Workplace, will be available to all employees on June 30. This webinar will include three employees sharing their stories and insights about their experiences in the workplace.
In New York City, USA, the Pride@Stantec chapter hosted an event called Express Yourself! Arts and Crafts Night where employees joined together for an evening of self-expression and community spirit. The successful event was mostly virtual, as the Northeast US region is currently focused on keeping offices connected across the various states within the region. To coincide with the virtual event, a small in-office gathering of employees got together which also sparked some great conversations and sharing.
To celebrate Pride Month, the Netherlands team raised a rainbow flag at the Arnhem office. They will be showcasing the global webinar on Comparing Differences, hosting a Pride@Stantec Netherlands ambassador call and other employee engaging events, and they also asked employees to add ‘Pride@Stantec: Proud to be an Ally’ to their email signatures.
Internationally, Stantec has joined Workplace Pride, a non-profit organization and corporate advisor dedicated to pushing the boundaries of 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace through awareness, measurement, research, training, and network building. Workplace Pride joins the list of 2SLGBTQIA+ groups that Stantec participates with, including Pride at Work Canada, Stonewall UK, and Rainbow Tick New Zealand.
A family friendly anti-bullying story time and show supporting the Skipping Stone Foundation will be put on for employees and their families to take part in. This virtual event, will be a Teams meeting so all staff can enjoy. Hosted by two Calgary drag queens it will include an introduction about drag culture, reading of children's book "From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea" by Kai Cheng Thom, a discussion on the importance of anti-bullying, self-love and acceptance, and an upbeat drag performance to close the event.
The Pride@Stantec Minneapolis, Minnesota chapter will host a virtual lunch presentation with Avenues for Youth, a homeless youth advocacy and support group in Heppin County, Minnesota. The presentation will focus on how LGBTQIA2S+ youth are disproportionally affected by homelessness.
The 2SLGBTQIA+ community lives their truth and supports each other every day, not just in the month of June. This is why, in addition to celebrating Pride Month, we provide monetary donations to important organizations that bring awareness to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
One of these organizations is Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) in Chicago, Illinois. DIFFA champions the fight to end HIV/AIDS through awareness, prevention, and the pursuit of care. Our North Central region helped sponsor the Lip Sync for Life virtual event this past May. The event saw creative lip sync performances by their own industry colleagues and local Chicago drag artists; this event engaged with people all over the country to join in and support the DIFFA mission.
Pride Month is a time to reflect on the progress we’ve made towards equality and to continue promoting inclusion within the organization. We are proud to support and recognize Pride Month and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community all throughout the year.