I was honoured to be a part of CAMH’s Pride event last week, where the CAMH community came together to hear incredibly uplifting stories of lived experience. As we move toward Toronto’s Pride weekend, here are the thoughts I shared on our day of celebration.
As always, I’m very pleased to be here. While the rainbow cake is a real draw, the very best thing is the crowd – proud and real!!
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt such a sense of urgency – urgency to come together and celebrate diversity – such urgency to stand tall and say we love the things that make us unique, different and beautiful – such urgency to affirm CAMH as standing with our LGBTQI members as one community.
The last time was in the early 80’s when I diagnosed my first of many patients, when a colleague lost her brother, and when I lost my dear friend with AIDS. It was also a time when fear and misinformation stole people’s intelligence and rationality and ran away with their civility. The recent horror in Orlando is a reminder that there’s still a long row to hoe.
We have only one logical choice now. That is, to pick up that flag, dust it off and fly it high as the symbol of a belief and a commitment.
For me, the price of having the freedoms and the blessings that I enjoy is vigilance and determination to guarantee those same freedoms and blessings – safe and whole lives – for all.
You have my renewed pledge to truthfully and authentically create the safest and most respectful environment possible at CAMH. We’ll work together to guard what’s been gained – by attacking prejudice and discrimination, counteracting it with knowledge and experience.
I loved the words shared by CAMH employees on our internal staff intranet, telling us why they celebrate Pride. To a person, they mention the value of working for an organization where diversity and difference are at the core of our values and mission.
I too am proud to work at such an organization, and to live in such a community.
Thank you for joining us.