EDSC-ESDC/English/LGBTQ2+

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Why choose ESDC? We offer:

An Employee Pride Network

The ESDC Employee Pride Network counts more than 375 members and provides a safe forum for LGBTQ2+ employees and their allies to connect and discuss issues related to the promotion of a healthy and inclusive work environment for LGBTQ2+ employees.

The mandate of the Network is to raise awareness and serve as a consultative body on issues that impact LGBTQ2+ employees in the Department, and help the Department to deliver its commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. ESDC Employee Pride Network is independent and employee-led with no attachment to a specific Branch or working group. ESDC Employee Pride Network is accountable to its membership, with Network activities supporting the broader diversity mandate within ESDC.

ESDC also offers a guide to support Transgender and Gender Diverse employees who are transitioning

The guide offers a comprehensive look at what it means to be transgender, non-binary, two spirit or gender diverse at ESDC, and provides employees, co-workers and managers with guidance and solutions to various situations that may arise when transitioning as a federal public servant.

Positive Space Initiative at ESDC

A Positive Space is a welcoming and respectful place for everyone—a place where people who identify as LGBTQ2+ feel safe and able to be themselves, and a place where normative assumptions are challenged and diversity is celebrated. A key element of Positive Space is training, most significantly Positive Space Ambassador training. Positive Space Ambassadors are trained volunteers who promote inclusion and raise awareness by displaying Positive Space identifiers such as pins and display cards.

The objectives of the Positive Space Initiative are to:

• Increase inclusion and respect for LGBTQ2+ identified people.
• Provide support to employees who are dealing with LGBTQ2+-related issues.
• Enhance understanding and integration of Public Service and ESDC values.
• Encourage the recruitment and retention of a diverse and representative workforce.
• Train and equip Ambassadors with resources and information.
• Support the expansion of Positive Space within the federal public service and with community partners.

ESDC recognizes gender diversity and encourages the use of personal pronouns

Pronouns in email signatures show how the email sender identifies them self and how they would like to be referred. Using pronouns in email signatures can send a message that you are inclusive of everyone and it acknowledges gender diversity. If you are comfortable with sharing your pronouns in your e-mail signature, adding them can also help normalize the practice of promoting one’s pronouns.

Including your pronouns in your e-mail signature is a small way to support individuals with diverse gender identities and gender expressions. Also, so individuals are not misgendered and their identity is respected by the people in their workplace. By adopting this practice, you can contribute to a more inclusive and safe workplace for all. Sharing your pronouns in your e-mail signature can help make employees with diverse gender identities more comfortable in identifying their pronouns.

This page is managed by the Diversity Outreach, Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (DORRA) team of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)