3 Jul 2020
With Pride events across the word cancelled due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, 2020 saw the BVLGBT+ community turn to the internet to spread the word of acceptance and fight prejudice.
Nigel Woodbine
Job Title
Image © Andrey Popov / Adobe Stock
Minority groups have come together during Pride Month 2020 to call on the veterinary profession to tackle discrimination in the workplace in support of their LGBT+ and BAME colleagues.
On 28 June – the 51st anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York – the British Veterinary LGBT+ (BVLGBT+) group hosted its online event, which included a discussion on finding a support network, a series of short talks and discussion on transgender rights, a drag queen performance and an online social based around a sangria-making masterclass.
For the veterinary profession, however, this year’s LGBT+ celebrations expanded in scope and – in light of the worldwide outpouring of support for the black community in response to the death of George Floyd on 25 May and subsequent rise of the Black Lives Matter movement – the event incorporated a panel discussion on race, held in conjunction with the British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society (BVEDS).
A joint statement from BVLGBT+ and the BVEDS steering committee said: “Discrimination blights lives, whether based on race, sex, sexuality or gender identity.
“The trans woman mocked at work and unsupported by her employer; the black vet turned away from farms because of his colour – these are stories from our profession today.
“Now is the time for all of us to pause and consider our part in it.”
Despite existing in a profession that consists of only 3% non-white members, both groups recognise the support provided by the BVA and wider veterinary community as a whole, which have rallied to the cause in showing support for minority groups.
BVLGBT+ president Tom Doyle said: “LGBT+ Pride and Black Lives Matter are both about respect and compassion for other human beings. Both campaigns challenge us to face up to our own prejudices and educate ourselves.
“Marsha Johnson, a black trans woman, was a key figure in the Stonewall riots in 1969 – the beginning of the Pride movement. Her life, marginalised by society – including, at times, by gay men – is a lesson in the consequences of discrimination.
“It’s crucial LGBT+ people never forget those roots and continue to act as allies for our BAME colleagues.”
Mr Doyle added: “This has been a difficult year for many in our professions. New ways of working, furloughing and remote learning away from universities have caused isolation and anxiety, making Pride more important than ever.”
“There’s a different, more serious tone to our events this year. We focused the formal part of our Pride event on education: learning about trans issues, and about how we can support our black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues.”
This year’s BVLGBT+ Pride event will be made available online.
