PrideVMC Celebrates Pride 2022 and GIBOR Signatories
PrideVMC Press Release
San Francisco, CA
May 10, 2022
On June 9, 2021 the Pride Veterinary Medical Community (PrideVMC) diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) working group published a Gender Identity Bill of Rights (GIBOR) as part of a focused effort to address inequality and inequity throughout the entire veterinary profession. The gender diverse community, specifically transgender women of color, have been leaders of the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights. The gender diverse community has been in the national spotlight for the last decade, targeted with restroom bills, medical access bills and the increasing number of current identity legislation highlighting the need for continued activism and allyship.
PrideVMC acknowledges the importance of clear and unequivocal commitment to equality, equity, and the human rights of the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals of our diverse LGBTQ+ family in a time where the acceptance of our brethren by the general public is uncommon.
Today we celebrate the 556 individuals and 96 organizations that have signed their support for the Gender Identity Bill of Rights including
- Groups within the community of affinity organizations: ARVA (Australian Rainbow Veterinary Association), Association of Asian Veterinary Medical Professionals (AAVMP), BlackDVM Network, British Veterinary Ethnicity & Diversity Society (BVEDS), British Veterinary LGBT+, Latinx VMA (LVMA), Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA), National Association for Black Veterinarians (NABV), Native American Veterinary Association (NAVA), Pride Student Veterinary Medical Community (PrideSVMC), and Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative,
- The PrideVMC partners that have signed on as of today: Boehringer Ingelheim USA Inc., Ethos Veterinary Health, Relief Rover, Simply Done Tech Solutions, The Social DVM, and Veterinary Emergency Group,
- The veterinary schools and related entities that have signed their support as of today: Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island; College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota; Colorado State College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences; The University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, Diversity and Inclusion; Tufts Veterinary Council on Diversity; University of California Davis Veterinary Medical Center; and University of Minnesota CVM Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine,
- American Association of Industry Veterinarians (AAIV),
- American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM), and
- All that have signed their support and listed at the end of the GIBOR
We are calling on all members of the veterinary profession to recognize the existence, humanity and worth of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people in our profession. We ask that you continue this journey with us by signing on to support PrideVMC’s Gender Identity Bill of Rights by completing the signatory form.
A follow up implementation guide, the Gender Diversity Guide, will be published later this year. All individuals and organizations that sign and commit to the bill of rights will be provided access to the manual. In the meantime the newly released GIBOR overview video and “Next steps for transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming belonging in veterinary medicine” are available to support your education and awareness journey.
All members of the veterinary and animal health community are also invited to our Pride 2022 events. Pride month and Pride marches in June originate from the protest march dubbed the Stonewall Uprising. This uprising began in the early hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City. This was seen as a chance for members of the LGBTQ+ community to come together and stand up for overdue rights. For many the march was then, and is now, a way to be seen and a chance to live authentically. The Pride Veterinary Medical Community (PrideVMC) was founded on that history with a mission of creating a better world for the LGBTQ+ veterinary community and a vision for an empowered LGBTQ+ veterinary community that embraces wellbeing by being their authentic selves. Visit PrideVMC.org/calendar to learn more about, and join, Pride 2022 activities and events. Everyone is welcome!
Please join us on May 23 at 7:30-8:30pm CT for the PrideVMC Q2 virtual Town Hall where Pride month, GIBOR, and other PrideVMC priorities will be discussed.
For more information please contact info@pridevmc.org.
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The mission of the Pride Veterinary Medical Community (PrideVMC) is to create a better world for the LGBTQ+ veterinary community. We do so by striving to foster acceptance and inclusivity for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender presentations within the veterinary medical profession and community. We fight discrimination, build collaborative networks, and support LGBTQ+ veterinary students through mentorship and scholarship programs. PrideVMC membership is open to the entire animal health and veterinary community regardless of role, race, color, religion, national origin or citizenship status, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or military status. Allies are welcome!
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