June is Pride Month!

It’s already half-way through Pride Month! We wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of the upcoming events happening in our community, share some resources, and talk about UIC’s commitment to providing a safe space for all. Pride Month recognizes the impact LGBTQ2S+ individuals have had locally and across the globe. It means many different things to people, it can be a celebration, but also a time of mourning and activism.

June 18^th is Pride Day in Campbell River. Presented by the North Island Pride Society, There will be afternoon events at Spirit Square, followed by Pride at the Tide at the Tidemark Theatre in the evening.

Check out this fantastic site to learn more about the history and importance of Pride month: https://www.queerevents.ca/canada/pride/history

Pride, and the meaning of pride, should not end with Pride Day and Pride Month. As clinicians who work with LGBTQ2S+ clients, we strive to bring the spirit of Pride into our work, every day. At UIC, we continually work to provide LGBTQ2S+ affirming care. We do this by:

• Ongoing counsellor education for the provision of LGBTQ2S+ affirming care
• Ongoing personal reflection – checking our own biases, acknowledging gaps in our knowledge, fostering a non-judgmental approach, practicing allyship in our personal lives
• Inclusivity in our office: ongoing reflection and updating of administrative practices including intake forms, and respectful use of preferred names and pronouns.
• Recognition that providing LGBTQ2S+ affirming care is an ongoing process that requires intentional effort
• Currently* reviewing and improving our lending library and online resources to ensure the inclusion of up-to-date LGBTQ2S+-specific resources

If you’d like more information on how to be an effective ally and to support LGBTQ2S+ individuals in your life, below are a few excellent resources:

• https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/guide/a-guide-to-being-an-ally-to-transgender-and-nonbinary-youth/   
  The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth is an introductory educational resource that covers a wide range of topics and best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary people.
  • Check out their Stories of Pride while you’re there: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/pride/

• https://egale.ca/awareness/tips-on-how-to-practice-lgbtqi2s-allyship/
  Allyship is a verb; it is the continuous practice of doing the work of standing up for marginalized groups. This short article and downloadable PDF provide tips for the ongoing process of allyship.

• https://ca.ctrinstitute.com/blog/lgbt-pride-moving-beyond-june/
  Short article about ways family members of an LGBTQ2S+ youth or adult, can be supportive of their loved-ones.

This year marks the return to in-person Pride events for many communities across the globe. At UIC we’re wishing everyone a happy, safe, celebratory, beautiful, bold Pride Month!