June 1st marks the start of Pride Month, a time to acknowledge and celebrate LGBT2SQ communities and honour their continued struggle for recognition and equity. While we cannot hold the wonderful in-person celebrations that usually take place on our campuses in June, we still have the opportunity to recognize Pride Month and reaffirm our commitment to building a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Humber and Canada.

The Centre for Human Rights, Equity & Diversity invites you to acknowledge the historical and current challenges of the LGBT2SQ community in all their intersectionalities. Those of us who are allies must engage and hold ourselves responsible to end all forms of discrimination and harassment directed to the LGBT2SQ community.

Humber provides support for LGBT2SQ students through the LGBTQ+ Centre. Additionally, the College offers many educational and training opportunities throughout the year to assist us in building our capacities to work and teach effectively with our diverse students and employees.

In 2018, Humber identified as its Strategic Priority #7 (under Pillar #3) “Healthy and Inclusive Community” to continue to build a diverse and inclusive community of exceptional students, faculty and staff. The supporting action is to establish and implement an institutional framework and strategy for equity, diversity and inclusion that addresses the particular needs of Humber students and employees.

One key recommendation that has emerged as we work to build this framework has been to expand the Gender Sexual Diversity Committee into a LGBT2SQ ERG. Further, the Equity & Access: Employees Working Group has identified the need to address the hiring, retention and advancement of individuals who identify as members of the LGBT2SQ community. This intentional work will begin by Fall 2020.

Humber is deeply grateful for the contributions LGBT2SQ students, faculty and staff make to the College and to our growth as an institution of higher learning. The College is committed to providing an environment where members are respected and feel a true sense of belonging.

I wish you all a very safe, healthy and happy Pride Month 2020.

Sincerely,

Nancy Simms
Director, Human Rights, Equity & Diversity