Brought to you by PrideVMC Gold Partner Banfield Pet Hospitals
Written by Michelle Slater-Young, M.S. (she/her) Creative Services Manager and Pride Network co-chair
Back in 2018, a small group of us dreamed of launching a Banfield Pride Diversity Resource Group (DRG). We sought to create a DRG that would support and celebrate our LGBTQIA+ and ally Associates. Banfield’s EI+D program was just getting started, so our goal was to create an environment where our fellow Associates could feel like they could be their authentic selves at work. I assembled a charter template and we built it out from there. The rest is history!
In only five years we have:
- grown from 10 members to over 600 members
- participated in dozens of external Pride events across the country
- grown to over 2000 followers on the Pride Network Instagram account
- hosted many internal events including:
Storytime with a Queen with Poison Waters
Pride Leadership with Dr. Steven Yacovelli (The Gay Leadership Dude)
Building Your Brand with Jayzen Patria
Trans 101 with James Barnes (The Trans Coach)
Powerful Conversations about Transgender Day of Visibility, Coming Out and Pride Month
- sponsored and partnered with PrideVMC for over five years
- advocated for the signing of PrideVMC’s Gender Identity Bill of Rights and was signed by Mars Veterinary Health
- initiated gender-neutral bathrooms in all our standalone hospitals and at headquarters
- led the charge for putting pronouns on our name badges and in our email signatures
- pioneered an event kit for all hospital teams seeking to sponsor an in-person Pride celebration
- began publishing a quarterly newsletter in 2022
As co-founder and co-chair of the Pride Network, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to partner and work with amazing associates and friends, like my co-chair, Dr. Carl Winch, and the wonderful leadership council. If you were to ask me, “What gets you up in the morning?” my answer is easy: the Pride Network is my passion. I look forward to seeing it grow even more in the coming years! Thank you to all those who’ve helped make the Pride Network an amazing DRG!
