VetStrategy awarded Rainbow Registered accreditation from Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce

June marks the kickoff of Pride Season in Canada and around the world, when 2SLGBTQIA communities and allies come together to spotlight resilience, celebrate talent, and recognize the contributions of 2SLGBTQIA individuals.

At VetStrategy, we are dedicated to making our company a great place to work, where colleagues are encouraged to be themselves, and flourish as individuals. We believe it’s essential to have a truly representative workforce and to continue nurturing diversity and inclusion to better reflect and understand the world around us.

We are excited to announce that VetStrategy is now officially Rainbow Registered! This accreditation, administered by Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), is a testament to our entire team’s commitment to creating safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces for our 2SLGBTQIA team members and clients.

We were evaluated on four areas of focus. Here are several initiatives VetStrategy has in place to support the community and encourage inclusivity:

• Policies and practices: VetStrategy has implemented non-discrimination policies and procedures, like our Code of Ethics and Respect in the workplace policy to ensure equal opportunity and treatment of team members. A reporting mechanism is available to protect team members.
• Training: VetStrategy offers training opportunities through partners such as Pride at Work and Egale to team members to set the foundation of an inclusive culture. Additionally, we are creating opportunities to educate our community and followers about respectful and welcoming diversity and inclusion practices and behaviours.
• Commitment to inclusive leadership: We are continuously working on improving our commitment to foster inclusivity. Our 2SLGBTQIA Employee Resource Group and the VetStrategy Pride Alliance Social Group were created to offer safe spaces for team members to ask questions and participate in dialogue.
• Culture of inclusivity: We create opportunities for learning and celebrating the 2SLGBTQIA community. The Support Office’s lending library and the “All are welcome here” clinic sign are promoting inclusiveness in our physical spaces.

2SLGBTQIA: Here’s what the letters mean
Many acronyms representing the community exist and like our beautifully diverse 2SLGBTQIA communities, the acronym we use is always evolving. Here’s an explanation of what the acronym stands for.

2S: Two-spirit is an English umbrella term to reflect and restore Indigenous traditions forcefully suppressed by colonization, honouring the fluid and diverse nature of gender and attraction and its connection to community and spirituality. It is used by some Indigenous Peoples rather than, or in addition to identifying as 2SLGBTQIA. The “2S” at the beginning recognizes Two-Spirit people as the first 2SLGBTQIA communities.

Lesbian: A person who identifies as a woman and experiences attraction to people of the same gender.

Gay: A person who experiences attraction to people of the same gender as themselves. Gay may be used by individuals of a diversity of genders or may refer specifically to men who are attracted to other men.

Bisexual: A person who experiences attraction to both people of their own gender and people of gender different from their own.

Transgender: A person who does not identify, either fully or in part with the gender associated with the assigned to them at birth. It is often used as an umbrella term to represent a wide range of gender identities and may be called ‘’trans’’ for short.

Queer/Questioning: Queer has been reclaimed by some members of the community as a term of pride and affirmation of diversity. It can be used to encompass a broad spectrum of identities related to sex, gender, and attraction or by an individual to reflect their interrelatedness of these aspects of their identity. Questioning is an umbrella term for the process of reconciling: 1) All the feelings you have within yourself about how you experience your attraction and/or gender, 2) The language you have available to you to describe those feelings, and 3) Your sense of how this will impact your interaction with others in your social context.

Intersex: A person whose chromosomal, hormonal or anatomical sex characteristics fall outside the conventional classification of male or female.

Asexual: A person who does not experience sexual attraction, or who has little to no interest in sexual activity.

Source: Egale For more information on 2SLGBTQIA terms and concepts, visit Egale’s resources.

Through the Positive Pawprint strategy, VetStrategy is committed to supporting diversity, equity and inclusivity. We aspire to make our organization and each of our practices a welcoming and safe place for everyone.