June 2023 is Pride Month, providing an opportunity to commemorate the ongoing pursuit of equal rights for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community while also celebrating the vast accomplishments of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals around the world.
Why June?
June is recognized as Pride Month in memory of the Stonewall riots in June of 1969, an event that accelerated the ongoing 2SLGBTQIA+ rights movement. In New York City's Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969, police raided a popular gathering place for members of the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Before long, 400 people were rioting against the police in protest of the unjust treatment, carrying on for five days [1].
This event ultimately lit a spark for the 2SLGBTQIA+ rights movement in the United States. Today, people across the world come together in the month of June for Pride Marches, festivals, and more in honour of the continuous years of struggle for 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Addressing 2SLGBTQi+ Barriers in the Healthcare Industry
At Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada (NSWOCC), we are working to identify and address organizational barriers to 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in the wound, ostomy and continence healthcare sectors and by extension, in society.
Most recently, an invited guest discussed the basic foundations of the 2SLGBTQiA+ acronym and ways to neutralize language at our 42nd National Conference from May 3-7, 2023. In the presentation "(Un)learning 2SLGBTQIA+ Terminology, Together!", they discussed the impact of past and present colonialization and intersecting forms of oppression in creating the norms of sexuality, sex, and gender. Drawing from queer theory, they challenged cisheteronormativity (the expectation that one’s sex matches their gender, and that people are attracted to the opposite sex) and gender essentialism (the idea that gender is inherent) in order to better equip nurses to care for 2SLGBTQiA+ clients.
Ultimately, NSWOCC believes equity and diversity is a responsibility that must be worked on collaboratively. Through working together, we can promote inclusivity in order to strengthen our nursing profession and the specialized wound, ostomy and continence care provided to our patients.
On behalf of NSWOCC, we wish you a happy Pride Month!
[1] https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-pride-month-celebrated-in-june