Pride#365 in OSSTF/FEESO

June is traditionally recognized as Pride Month in Canada, a time for schools, worksites, campuses, and communities to celebrate, honour, and support 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Pride is both a celebration and a reminder that the rights and protections many experience today were won through courage, advocacy, solidarity, and collective action. For OSSTF/FEESO, Pride is not limited to one month; it reflects an ongoing commitment to equity, human rights, and safer, more inclusive learning and working environments for all members, students, families, and communities.

This commitment has deep roots in our Federation’s history. In 1979, OSSTF/FEESO incorporated “sexual orientation” directly into its anti-discrimination policies, seven years before the Ontario Human Rights Commission included it in its policies. That important step reflected the Federation’s understanding that equality must be actively defended and that every worker deserves dignity, respect, and protection from discrimination.

This Pride Month, OSSTF/FEESO reaffirms its commitment to workplaces and learning spaces where 2SLGBTQIA+ members and students feel safe, respected, supported, and valued. No one should have to hide who they are in order to come to work, attend school, or participate fully in their community. Our schools, universities, and worksites are strongest when members, students, and community members are welcomed as their authentic selves, and when inclusion is reflected in our policies, practices, participation in Pride celebrations at the local and provincial levels, and the Federation’s ongoing solidarity actions.

Pride is about visibility, belonging, and action. OSSTF/FEESO remains committed to standing with 2SLGBTQIA+ members and communities, challenging homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and all forms of discrimination and exclusion, and continuing the work needed to ensure every member and every student knows they belong.

For more learning, please visit the OSSTF/FEESO Pride Drop box