During Pride month last June, we shared information about flying the Pride flag at our office. We shared that the flag had been up since June 2019, and that visually, it represents the diversity of and our commitment to the LGBT2SQ+ community. We also shared that the flag is our commitment to learning, creating an inclusive environment, and change.
Through conversation, support, and encouragement, we have updated our Pride flag to the Progressive flag. This flag was designed to build on the six-coloured rainbow flag, and features a chevron with the light blue, pink and white colours of the Transgender Pride flag. The flag also features black and brown stripes to reflect the LGBT2SQ+ communities of colour.
Changing the flag gives us an opportunity to think about the work and commitments we have made as an organization. As part of this process, current and past members of the Indigenous team have kindly donated the flag to the agency. They are also challenging themselves and encouraging us to think about what our commitment looks like as part of our ongoing work across the agency.
Some may wonder, why now? And to this we respond, why not now? It’s important for us to remember that equity isn’t time-based, and it doesn’t exist within a week, month, or season. Our commitment is ongoing, and this is key given that the learning we embark on is very much based on the lived experience of others.
We all have a shared responsibility in making our agency an inclusive environment.
