The Progress Pride flag was raised at Lethbridge Polytechnic Wednesday morning.
The ceremony marked the 10th year that the post-secondary has raised the flag, showing support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
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President and CEO Dr. Brad Donaldson says for him and staff at the polytechnic, making sure everyone feels safe is a priority.
“It means that I’m able to be who I am – the authentic, genuine person that I am. I don’t have to pretend to be somebody else,” Donaldson remarks.
“You can’t be a good learner; you can’t be a good employee if you’re constantly in fear of being in the workplace. Having that safe workplace is really at the core of who we are, and we will do everything we can to make sure that stays that way.”
In 2015, the institution raised the Pride flag for the first time.
Since 2021, the post-secondary has raised the Progress Pride flag, which adds inclusion for trans individuals, marginalized people of colour in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Indigenous individuals and those impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Adrianna Smith, student development coordinator in the Student Affairs department, says it has been great to see how the polytechnic has embraced pride through the years.
“I started here in the 2010s as a welder and it’s been remarkable to see the change through the years now as a staff member. When I was here as a student, the Pride flag raising didn’t exist, and I’m honoured to be able to participate in it today,” she says.
Smith notes the Progress Pride flag is a way to embrace even more individuals.
“I think that’s the beauty of Pride – no matter your creed or your colour, there is a spot for you at Pride. The previous flag didn’t necessarily allude to how broad the umbrella is, so it was important to speak to the additional subsections of our community that are even more oppressed than the rest of us – our people of colour, our trans individuals, as well as our Indigenous identifying Queer folks as well.”
Like Donaldson, Smith says safety and acceptance is so important.
“I have felt safe on this campus and if I feel safe as a staff [member], the hope is that the students feel safe as well,” she remarks.
“I think that’s the important piece for me is safety. It wasn’t necessarily something I had to consider [when] I was in the closet. Out of the closet, as I move into new environments and new spaces, that’s a part of the conversation – am I safe here? I have to do an assessment, [but] being here at the Polytechnic, [there is] a lot less of an assessment in that way.”
Lethbridge Polytechnic will be participating in the Pride Parade, set for Saturday, June 28.
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