As a sign of support and celebration, Fanshawe College has raised the Pride flag at its campuses in London, St. Thomas, Simcoe and Woodstock.
For the week of June 1 to 5, 2021, the Pride flag will fly at half-mast while we keep all flags lowered in memory of the children whose remains were discovered on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation territory.
The rainbow flag has been a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and two-spirited people and their allies since 1978. This year Fanshawe has chosen to fly the Progress Pride flag, a more inclusive rainbow flag designed by artist Daniel Quasar in 2018, to increase awareness of marginalized or underrepresented groups within the larger Pride context.
At Fanshawe, we want to be a place of affirmation and empowerment. We respect the diverse identities and expressions that make up our community and we believe everybody is entitled to feel safe and respected on campus and have free and equal access to everything offered at the College. We value the contributions of students and employees who may identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, questioning and two-spirited (LGBTQ2+) along with allied members of our campuses and surrounding communities.
This month, we encourage employees, students, alumni, retirees and our entire Fanshawe family to reflect on ways we can all be more supportive and inclusive, to honour with dignity the people who make up our community. Here are some suggestions:
- Help us celebrate Pride Month virtually by sending us photos or tagging us in your posts about Pride this summer. Share details and images with us by email at communications@fanshawec.ca or mention @fanshawecollege on social media and tag #fanshawecollege so we can share and celebrate your activities;
- Follow the Fanshawe Student Union on social media or visit www.fsu.ca/events for information about FSU's Pride Month series of events, including An Evening With Jonathan Van Ness (JVN), award-winning author and host of Netflix's Queer Eye and the popular podcast Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness;
- Share the books, movies and podcasts that speak to your experience as a LGBTQ2+ student, staff member or community partner;
- Visit Fanshawe's Pride page online to see some resources for LGBT2Q+ and questioning students, details about student and employee clubs or support groups and more.
The Progress Pride flag will remain flying alongside the Fanshawe flag for the month of June to recognize Pride Month and will remain up in London throughout July to celebrate the Pride London Festival (July 15 to 25, 2021).
Above: Daniel Quasar's Progress Pride flag design, including additional colour chevrons along the hoist end.