Calgary Pride: Genuine corporate support comes from consistent acceptance and inclusion

Calgarians are likely noticing more rainbow flags in business windows across the city as Pride Week celebrations continue.

But how genuine is that public display?

Corporate pride versus rainbow washing — those are common terms used to described an acknowledgment of a diverse workplace.

Sabrina Singh moved to Calgary from India five years ago to study at the Haskayne School of Business.

For her, the move wasn’t just about relocating to a new country.

“I came in as an international student from a country where I couldn’t be openly gay, so coming to Canada was like a breath of fresh air,” she said.

For the first time, Singh says she felt safe enough to be openly queer in her day to day life.

But still, a lack of representation made her question her acceptance in the business world.

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“Having an inclusive workforce where you are having events, lunch-and-learns, conversations where — from the top — the tone is laid that everyone is welcome from all backgrounds and no sort of discrimination is ever tolerated,” Singh explained.

She says genuine corporate pride comes down to acceptance and inclusion.

“We throw the words diversity and inclusion around a lot — but what does that really mean? Because you can have diversity in the workforce but what’s the point if that when there’s no inclusivity? ” Singh said. “And it always, always comes back to the presentation. When you don’t see people like yourself in leadership positions how do you feel safe and comfortable being yourself when you don’t even know if you’ll be accepted.”

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It’s become common practice for corporations to display rainbows during Pride Week, but Singh says members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community need to see representation and feel included year round, and that’s what truly creates a safe work space.

“To truly make a workspace safe, it’s a combination of a lot of small things,” she said. “It can even be as small as someone wearing pronoun pins to work. it can be as small as having a Pride flag, it can be as small as having educational LGBTQ events that aren’t just during Pride week. ”

Alongside consistent support, Singh said it’s important for allyship to be mainstay in the workplace.

“When people start speaking up and getting involved in things that don’t directly affect them, we as a community feel more supported and empowered and the onus is shared instead of us feeling all the burden,” she said.