Webinar aims to support allyship and inclusion in the workplace

An organization that does work around LGBTQ2+ communities in the workplace gave a webinar about intersectional allyship and Algonquin students and faculty were invited to participate.

Pride at Work Canada, a Toronto-based organization, hosted its monthly webinar to inform and empower individuals to create spaces of inclusiveness and equity Wednesday afternoon.

The webinar was presented from Vancouver by Cicely Belle Blain, a diversity and inclusion consultant. It consisted of interactive activities and visual graphs to help participants understand and reflect on their identity within social systems. Doing this better helps them be an ally to the people around them.

“Allyship is a responsible and ethical use of privilege and power,” Blain said. “Being a Black Lives Matter activist, we couldn’t do the work we do without allies being by our side.”

Algonquin College is one of the 125 Canadian employers that access Pride at Work Canada’s educational, consulting and networking programs.

“While it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity, gender expression or sexuality, sometimes people might just not get jobs for whatever reason that doesn’t get spoken,” said Quinn Blue, the coordinator of Algonquin’s Wellness and Equity Centre. “But when it happens again and again, especially to trans women, it comes clear that there is a bit of a pattern there.”

During the presentation, Blain explained that the “end goal is collective liberation and equity for everyone.”

The Wellness and Equity Centre works towards achieving this by providing a drop-in space on campus that “works around mental health and wellness and all the different equity-based issues that can impact that,” said Blue.