On June 24 residents, staff and community members gathered to celebrate Pride in-person for the first time since 2019.
Pride Month is a month dedicated to uplifting LGBTQIA2S+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual and two-spirit) communities, voices and culture. It is a time of celebration and joy, while also honouring the history and hardships the community has endured, the progress that has been made, and a commitment to the work ahead.
At Kensington Health, we celebrate Pride and we acknowledge the progress we need to continue to make to create safe and inclusive spaces for our residents, clients, patients and colleagues.
Our goal, always, is to become a place where our community members can be their whole authentic selves. This is particularly important in the Gardens and the Kensington Hospice, which are our residents' homes.
In a small move forward, Kensington has committed to educating our teams about the importance of using pronouns when talking to colleagues, residents and patients. This is a key initiative as we know using a person's correct pronouns fosters inclusion, makes people feel respected and valued and affirms their gender identity.
We also celebrated loudly.
If you've been part of our community for some time, you'll remember Kensington's annual Pride party. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were thrilled to be able to come together again with our residents, their loved ones and our teams.
Terry Caputo, Interim President and CEO, Kensington Health and Corinne Rusch-Drutz, CEO, Kensington Health Foundation share their remarks at the Pride celebration.
On June 24, community members gathered for an afternoon of celebration and reflection. We heard from Nikki Gershbain, the daughter of a Gardens resident. Nikki, who is also an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategist, underlined the importance of making long-term care more inclusive so people don't fear having to "go back into the closet" when they move in.
Nikki Gershbain with her father, a Gardens resident.
We enjoyed an afternoon with music, a sweet treat, a special drag performance and T-shirts with the Kensington Pride logo designed by one of our Gardens residents.
The event featured a special drag performance by Tay BoBo.
T-shirts featuring the Kensington Pride logo designed by one of our Gardens residents.