Dear PrideVMC Members,
Happy Pride! I hope that you get a chance to celebrate what it means to be a member (or any ally) of our amazing community this month.
This is a turbulent time to be an LGBTQ+ person, and we should take this month to reflect on how to fight back against the rising tide of hate. PrideVMC continues to focus on our ‘Alarm to Action!’ agenda to attempt to implement safeguards for students/trainees in unsafe states but there is so much work that remains to be done to protect members of our community! As always, we welcome your input.
I encourage everyone to attend the LGBTQ+ Parents Panel June 1 at 7:00-8:00pm CT in honor of LGBTQ+ Families Day and sponsored by our Diamond Partners Zoetis and Boehringer Ingelheim. We will also be co-hosting a cocktail reception at ACVIM on June 16 and would love to see all of our members! There are many other Pride month events and activities including the June 5 wellbeing event, exhibiting at the National Association of Black Veterinarians Conference (NABVC) June 8-10, the June 14 joy-driven keynote event with PrideVMC member Dr. Brad Ryan and participating in San Francisco Pride June 24-25. Please join us and keep an eye on our public calendar for the latest information on all of our upcoming events!
Regards,
Abby
Abby McElroy, DVM, MS
PrideVMC Board President
🏳️⚧️🐾🏳️🌈
Please read on for additional important updates and information. Visit PrideVMC.org/calendar for all of our upcoming events and activities, a few of which are highlighted below.
LGBTQ+ Parents Panel
Thursday, June 1 , 7:00-8:00pm CT
In honor of LGBTQ+ Families Day on June 1, PrideVMC and our Diamond Partners, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Zoetis, are honored to cohost a virtual LGBTQ+ Parents Panel discussion at 7:00-8:00pm CT. LGBTQ+ Families Day is a time to celebrate the many families that include LGBTQ+ people and to raise awareness of the diversity, challenges, and joy of all LGBTQ+ families – found, formed, or chosen – who exist throughout our society.
The event will be facilitated by Ginger Templeton, DVM, MS, CPC (she/her) and panelists include:
Aaron “A.J.” Edge, MBA (he, him)
Daniel Edge, DVM, MBA, MSc (he, him)
Donja Pettiford (she, hers)
Ewan D.S. Wolff, PhD, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM) (they, them)
Jennifer Neal, DVM (she, hers)
Kate Toyer, BVSc (she, hers)
Nathanael Oster, VMD, MBA (he, him)
Note this event will not be recorded. Please share this invitation with your colleagues, friends, and family and bring your questions as you join us for this important discussion!
Wellbeing and the LGBTQ+ Veterinary Community: A Solution-Oriented Panel Discussion
Monday, June 5, 6:30-8:00pm CT
As you are likely aware, hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced at the state level in 2023 with 150+ of them targeting transgender people. This is the highest number on record. On Monday, June 5 MentorVet, NOMV, PrideVMC, and the VMHI are cohosting a panel discussion of wellbeing experts in the veterinary space that also identify as LGBTQ+. This is a continuation of the conversation that started on March 27. Join us to listen to suggestions and ask questions about staying grounded and safe during this unprecedented time. This Pride Month free event is for everyone that wishes to be part of the solution, including allies! This event is not being recorded.
Facilitator: Ginger Templeton, DVM, MS, CPC (she / her)
Panelists:
Angie Arora, MSW, RSW (she/her)
Aviva Vincent, PhD, LSW, Veterinary Social Worker (she/her)
Cassandra Walls (she/they) MSW/VSW Intern NOMV
Daniel Stillwell, PhD, LMFT (he/him)
Joy Driven: A Veterinarian’s Mental Health Journey to Recovery, Resilience, and Pride on a Road Trip to Every U.S. National Park
Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 7:00-8:00pm CT
Speaker: Brad Ryan, MSc, DVM, MPH
Over the past 7.5 years, Dr. Brad Ryan has gained viral notoriety for achieving his mission of visiting every U.S. National Park with his now 93-year-old Grandma Joy; a personal quest borne from tragedy that has now inspired millions of people around the world to live adventurously at every age. In his keynote, Dr. Ryan shares his mental health journey through the unique lenses of the LGBT experience and veterinary medicine, and offers a pathway to recovery and resilience through intergenerational support systems and the noble pursuit of a joy driven life.
More on Dr. Ryan and Grandma Joy’s adventures in JAVMA January 2023, and coverage of their recent achievement of visiting all 63 US National Parks!
San Francisco Pride 2023
PrideVMC is marching in San Francisco #Pride2023 on June 25 in celebration of our 30th anniversary and because San Francisco is our home base! As part of the weekend festivities, we are also cohosting a social event with the Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS) on Saturday, June 24, 3:00-6:00pm PT at Manny’s (16th and Valencia), all PrideVMC members and friends marching with us are invited to attend. PrideVMC will cover the registration fee for all those that march with us. Participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging.
Please complete this form (https://forms.gle/YC6xonSK4EaLX1ok7) if you are interested in marching with us and keep an eye on our public calendar, PrideVMC.org/calendar, for all the 30th anniversary activities and events!
Not able to make it to San Fran to march with us for Pride? Send a little love and we’ll carry it with us as we march in the parade. Send a postcard from your home city or clinic and we’ll use it to adorn our parade sign. Either buy or make a postcard, give it a great big hug, and then mail to:
PrideVMC
584 Castro St #492
San Francisco, CA 94114
We’ll collect all your love (postcards) before the June 25 parade and gladly carry them with us as we march. After the parade, we’ll collect the postcards and bring them to the AVMA Convention 2023 to share the collection of love with our members and partners at our annual meeting on July 15.
Partner Perspectives
For our members in the NJ, NY, PA, and Connecticut areas – our Diamond Partner Zoetis, along with Pumpkin, are sponsoring North Jersey Pride along with Pumpkin on June 12 from noon – 6. They welcome folks in the area to stop by and say hello.
Gratitude
Thank you to all of our year-round PrideVMC Partners including our new Emerald Partner Petco! We are grateful for your support and for the collaborative approach that you all share. The partners in bold have signed onto the Gender Identity Bill of Rights (GIBOR) as has a total of 238 organizations including the AVMA, AAVSB, AAVMC, VMAE and WSAVA. If you or your workplace have not yet signed on – please watch the GIBOR overview, read the GIBOR, and sign on to show your support.
Diamond Partners – Boehringer Ingelheim, Zoetis
Gold Partners – Banfield, BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital, Covetrus, Ethos Veterinary Health, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Merck Animal Health, NVA, Nationwide Pet Insurance, VCA, VEG
Silver Partner – Simply Done Tech Solutions
Emerald Partners – MedVet, Petco, Rarebreed Veterinary Partners, Relief Rover, The Social DVM
Community
If you have not yet joined our PrideVMC members-only Facebook group, you are cordially invited to join us there.
🏳️⚧️🐾🏳️🌈
