A message from Emily Huner, Acting President and Vice-Chancellor, and David Paterson, AVP, DEHR.
June marks Pride Month in Nanaimo and at Vancouver Island University – a time to celebrate the vibrancy, resilience and contributions of two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and other identities within the sexual and gender diverse communities.
We begin this month with our annual Pride flag raising and the Show Your Pride event on Monday, June 2, at the Royal Bank Plaza. Our Cowichan and tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus community members will be tuning in virtually and hosting parallel celebrations. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in whatever way you can. If you are unable to attend in person, please join us on VIUniversity’s Facebook page at 11:45 am to watch the flag being raised in real time.
Creating a welcoming, inclusive environment at VIU is a responsibility we all share. Participating in events like these – and taking the time to learn more about the history of 2SLGBTQI+ communities and rights in Canada – is an important step toward that shared goal. We recognize that there is much work to be done. In light of troubling headlines both near and far, it can feel heavy at times. But in these moments, we must remind ourselves of the strength we gain through connection, and the importance of continuing to foster spaces of care and solidarity.
A heartfelt thank you to the Positive Space Alliance for the critical work they do to promote inclusion and awareness on campus by building community and challenging the patterns of silence that continue to marginalize these communities. The PSA’s activities this year included events to bring people together as well as workshops for teams that cover a variety of topics, including issues faced by 2SLGBTQI+ people, definitions of queer terminology, gender identity and expression, causes of homophobia/transphobia/biophobia/queerphobia, and more. If your team hasn't yet participated in a Positive Space workshop, we encourage you to reach out to arrange one. These sessions offer invaluable insights and foster greater understanding across our university.
We are also pleased to share that VIU’s Strategic Communications team has partnered with the PSA to develop a new Gender and Sexuality section of the VIU Editorial Style Guide that will be revealed in an issue of the VIU Digest this month. This is another meaningful step toward inclusive, respectful language across all our communications. Thank you to everyone involved in bringing this work to life.
Finally, we invite all members of the VIU community to join the Positive Space Alliance to walk in the Nanaimo Pride Parade and Festival on Sunday, June 8. Email PositiveSpace@viu.ca to get muster location details.
Wishing everyone a happy Pride Month! Thank you for continuing to help make VIU a place where everyone can be seen, heard, and celebrated.
Sincerely,
Emily Huner, CPA, CMA, MBA (she/her)
Acting President and Vice-Chancellor
Vancouver Island University
David Paterson, Ph.D. (he/him)
Associate Vice-President, Diversity, Equity and Human Rights
Vancouver Island University
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