Be part of LGBTQ2+ History Month

November 8, 2021 - Defence Stories

Did you know that October was LGBTQ2+ History Month?

The Defence Team Pride Advisory Organization (DTPAO) is taking this opportunity to showcase people who have guided and shaped our organizational culture to advance the LGBTQ2+ cause at National Defence.

• Thanks to the efforts of Major John McDougall, who was a master warrant officer at the time, the first Pride flag was flown at Canadian Forces Base Edmonton in 2013.
• In 2016, as a result of the work of Major André P. Jean (who was then a captain), the first Pride flags were flown at the three 2^nd Canadian Division garrisons.
• In addition, many fellow members of the DTPAO executive have worked hard to have the Pride Network recognized in the past year as the fifth advisory group within the Defence family. They also arranged to have the Pride flag flown at various Department of National Defence establishments as well as on Her Majesty’s ships across Canada and abroad on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHTB) on 17 May 2021.

You too can be a part of this cultural shift and enjoy rewarding successes that align with your passions and values. We need your help in coming up with original ideas to share our history and successes and, most importantly, to honour the people who have contributed to the LGBTQ2+ cause. The ideas will be used to create a calendar of outreach activities for LGBTQ2+ History Month 2022.

We invite you to contribute to DTPAO efforts to improve diversity and inclusion in the organization. We are looking for dynamic individuals to amplify the voices of the community, and the civilian co-chair position is available for a minimum period of two years. If you have any questions or would like to get involved, please contact us at LGBTQ2DTPNNational-LGBTQ2REFDNationale@forces.gc.ca.

Together, let's help build a strong LGBTQ2+ organization that gives everyone an opportunity to help change the culture of the CAF.