An opinion editorial by Mica Daurie on behalf of T.R.A.N.S.
Cover Image: Mica Daurie speaking at the Halifax 2SLGBTQI+ Business Symposium hosted by Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce in 2024.
As pride season arrives again with the warm summer months, businesses look toward ways to celebrate pride and invite the 2SLGBTQIA+ community into their establishments.
Beyond trying to capitalize on queer dollars, are you creating a truly queer and trans inclusive business to invite community into? Are you doing more than simply trying to profit off community goodwill?
Pride in Halifax started decades ago as a small march of queer and trans folks, many of whom donned paper bags to cover their faces in fear of losing their jobs or homes in retaliation. Are your celebrations rooted in that spirit of revolution and resilience, or are they simply a ‘pinkwash’ of rainbow stickers and slogans?
When we talk about 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in business, it is more frequently becoming a ‘checkbox’ that people in leadership are trying to fill, without considering whether they are actually engaging with community, learning from and supporting community, and taking steps beyond a simple ‘one-and-done’ corporate training for staff then claiming to be rainbow inclusive.
When engaging educators to talk to your staff and leadership about 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, are you engaging community-led organizations that teach from first-voice experience? While trying to create a business that appears attractive and welcoming to the rainbow community on the outside, are you also doing the work to build a safe and inclusive environment for queer and trans employees on the inside?
These are the important questions we must be asking ourselves this Pride season 2025. As it becomes less popular and more risky to be a vocal supporter of Pride, are you continuing your commitments to rainbow inclusion, and not backing down?
In today’s climate where there is such a prominent shift toward the exclusion of queer and trans people, the community needs more than shallow commitments and rainbow flags. Businesses, government bodies, community organizations, and partners across sectors need to be doing more to make Pride a year-round practice, and not something to brush the dust off for a short celebration and pack away once the parade is over.
Thinking about ongoing commitments to training, education, engagement, and giving back, all stand as crucial elements to consider this Pride season and beyond. Are you sourcing your Pride merchandise from companies that are owned by and give back to community? Are you considering what the organization you’re inviting in to train your staff is offering, is it meaningful, holistic and community-led?
Too often we are seeing organizations develop training and materials that are not formed by first voice experience, which misrepresent or underrepresent 2SLGBTQIA+ issues and needs. This kind of ‘education,’ even when offered with the best of intentions, is actively causing harm and taking away opportunities from community organizations, who ought to be the ones leading the work.
If you’re looking for ways to more meaningfully engage during this Pride season, we encourage you to reach out and see how we can better root your celebrations in the spirit of giving back to community. As a grassroots community organization with ties to dozens of non-profits, social impact organizations, as well as charitable and community serving initiatives across the province, we can connect you with the right resources for education, celebration, creative ways to foster liberation, and so much more this Pride season.
For more information, visit our website at TRANSadvocacyNS.com or contact us directly via email at TRANSadvocacy@outlook.com or by phone at (902) 410-2955.
