At The Brenda Strafford Foundation (BSF), we value ‘People First.’ We appreciate that the diversity of our people is one of our greatest assets and we recognize the importance of striving for equity and inclusion in our actions every day.
BSF is committed to creating a safe and inclusive space for all staff, residents, families, and community members. This involves raising awareness, providing education, and leading changes that celebrate and embrace diverse identities.
This June, we would like to take this opportunity to celebrate Pride Month. BSF proudly joins the voices across Canada supporting equal rights for all people, regardless of sexuality or gender identity. This month-long observance is a celebration of people coming together in solidarity to honor LGBTQ+ history, promote LGBTQ+ culture and recognize the immense work that remains to achieve a safe and inclusive space for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning. The + is an inclusive symbol to mean 'and others' to include people of all identities.
Across Canada and in many places in the world, June is recognized as Pride Month. A time of year dedicated to creating space for members of the LGBTQ+ community to have their voices uplifted, their accomplishments celebrated, and their ongoing pursuit of equal legal rights recognized. Pride celebrations have evolved to include parades, protests, performances, and memorials to pay tribute to the many lives lost for the cause. Pride events welcome both LGBTQ+ individuals and allies from outside the community.
Pride month is traditionally celebrated in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots. In the late 1960s, being openly gay or gender queer was prohibited in most spaces. On June 28, 1969, as was commonplace at the time, police raided a gay bar in New York City, The Stonewall Inn. Patrons of the bar fought back against police starting the Stonewall Riots. This historic uprising was a major touchstone in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement in the United States. A year after the Stonewall riots, the first Pride marches were held.
The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. Each color of the LGBTQ+ flag has a meaning: red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for harmony and violet for spirit. In 2018, the flag was redesigned to symbolise progress by including black to represent diversity, brown to represent inclusivity and light blue and pink, to represent the transgender community.
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