Commentary – developed with Catherine Haskins, The Bridge Club
Leaders from the Pride Veterinary Medical Community (PRIDE VMC) organization participated in a virtual discussion organized and produced by The Bridge Club, Monday June 22. Even with the cloud of uncertainty from Covid-19, recent civil rights issues and supreme court decisions were top of mind for the group.
Kara Burns, MS, MED, LVT, VTS, VTS-H, Ellen Lowrey, Ellen Lowery, DVM, PhD, MBA, and Mia Cary, DVM and PRIDE CEO, shared information about the organization, its structure, core objectives and membership, as well as personal perspectives and experiences.
Formerly known as the LGVMA, PRIDE VMC is the oldest professional organization that strives to promote acceptance, inclusivity and leadership of veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary medical students of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender presentations. Members seek to do so through community development, professional advocacy, and individual empowerment.
Source: The Bridge Club, June 22, 2020. Link.
Pride VMC is veterinarians, veterinary and veterinary technician students, veterinary technicians/nurses/staff, retired, new graduates, interns, residents, faculty, pre-vet students, all donors, supporters, and allies of Pride VMC. Together we are the VOICE for LGBTQ+ people in the veterinary profession.
PRIDE VMC confronts and rejects all forms of prejudice, discrimination and bias, whether it be implicit or outright. Such forms include, but are not limited to, those based on race, ethnicity, country of origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender presentation, size, age, parental status, religion, political beliefs, geographic, socioeconomic and educational background.
INSIGHTS from Catherine Haskins
We CAN do better individually and as a profession” – Catherine Haskins
One of the biggest challenges in helping advance diversity and inclusion is knowing what to do. One of the greatest actions we can take is calling attention to inequality, or lack of representation. We all see it, whether it is in a speaker lineup or who is being invited to a meeting – simply speaking up to ensure all voices are being given the opportunity to be heard.
It can be difficult, but simply stating the obvious as we are regarding this Zoom meeting on diversity lacking diversity. The reality is hard to swallow but looking around the virtual room and recognizing the diversity gap is a critical first step.
INSIGHTS from Kirk Augustine
Over time, we can become complacent and not recognize how life’s pressures apply force to the layers of experiences that shape our perspectives, opinions and reactions to others. Like sedimentary rock, pressure forces the formation of one’s distinct views or creates fissures allowing for changes in the original formation.
Social fissures are certainly apparent and required in 2020. Current civil events seem too reminiscent of experiences from my formative years in the 1960s. As individuals, each of us is ultimately responsible for our own actions and the consequences of them. Fears and ignorance must be examined individually before we can treat others as we expect to be treated.