We had the privilege of having our University Board of Governors Chair raise the Pride flag, along with ULSU President, Jonathan Diaz, to highlight the importance and responsibility we all have to ensure our LGBTQ+ community can continue to be accepted and to exist peacefully. We are so proud of all the work that has happened to ensure diversity is celebrated on our campus and look forward to working with our students, faculty, staff and community members to ensure that the spriti of Pride continues to grow.
Message from Kurt Schlacter (BSc '00)
"Pride month celebrates the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in our broader community, but it has not always been a celebration. Pride was born as a movement by the LGBTQ+ community to exist peacefully and without persecution, to be free from discrimination, and ultimately to be treated as equals by our fellow humans. That journey was long and difficult, but as progress was gradually made, the movement shifted to a celebration of diversity and inclusion. The younger generations of LGBTQ+ people owe a great deal to the early leaders of the Pride movement for the freedoms that we enjoy today, but there is still much work to be done.
I believe that our current societal context, including the significant cultural shifts that are now underway, underscores the importance of individually embracing equity, diversity, and inclusion – and to speak out against injustice towards marginalized groups. These values are at the heart of this University, which continues to demonstrate leadership for our community as whole – and I am incredibly proud the work that has been done here.
Equity, diversity and inclusion starts with each and every one of us – within our personal and professional relationships, and then extends to our broader community. During Pride month, I challenge you all to think about how you can ensure that your LGBTQ+ friends, colleagues and family members are respected and celebrated. Never estimate the positive impact that you can have on someone else by being a representative of, or ally to, the LGBTQ+ community."
Message from Jonathan Diaz, ULSU President
"Many steps have been made in the university community as well as the wider one, but the journey is not over yet. We need to recognize that the LGBTQ+ community is still a marginalized one, and communities such as these are particularly and disproportionately at risk in crisis events, such as this global pandemic. The University of Lethbridge is an educational institution, and so what we can do as allies is to educate ourselves. Read, watch, and listen to queer media. Learn the history that got us here today, as well as the history that is happening at this very moment that will propel us forward. Learn to be an ally today, and every day from this moment onwards. The ULSU is an organization that is dedicated to representing the undergraduate voice, and that includes all undergraduate voices. Their voices and their lives matter."
