Happy Pride Month!
Choice in health Clinic is excited to celebrate pride and to re-affirm our commitment to queer positive, client centered abortion care, no matter who you are.
At CIHC we are honoured to create a safe space for queer people to access abortions. In 2020 we updated our Statement of Purpose and Values to emphasize our support of trans, intersex, bisexual, lesbian, gay and queer folks and recognize that for many, gender identity and expression fall along a beautifully diverse spectrum.
We acknowledge that medical institutions, and especially reproductive health spaces have silenced and oppressed queer and trans folks. By owning our own biases as a clinic and educating ourselves as individuals, we work to actively oppose systematic health care barriers and strive to provide reproductive health care grounded in inclusive, intersectional, anti-oppressive politics.
We have created clinic policies centered in these values and we aim to be responsive to our clients’ input as we continue to learn how we can show up for them. We have visible rainbow flags and safe space markers in our space, and when clients book appointments we offer the option to provide a chosen name and let us know what pronouns you would like us to use.
But we also have to admit that our clinic hasn’t always embodied these values. The erasure and exclusion of trans bodies and experiences in the Canadian abortion landscape is something that CIHC has participated in, and we are accountable for that part of our history. We will be addressing our past mistakes and how we have evolved as a clinic in an upcoming post later this month.
Many of our staff identify as LGBTQ2SIA+ and we are out and proud in our identities. We understand that seeing yourself reflected in an organization helps to foster connection, safety and trust, which can mean even more in health care spaces where queer identity has not always been welcome. Our team have diverse experiences and feelings about what being queer in abortion care means to them and we will be sharing staff quotes on our socials throughout pride month.
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And though Pride is an exciting time we also want to recognize that we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and for a lot of disabled and immunocompromised folks, the removal of covid-19 restrictions will make it difficult to safely celebrate. Queer social events that do not require masks, social distancing or vaccine passports, will be inaccessible for many. We acknowledge that this is limiting and frustrating. We believe that everyone deserves to celebrate queer identity and community and we stand in solidarity with disabled folks in these complex times. We hope you can find queer joy in authentic, safe ways, whether it’s an outdoor picnic or a distanced drag show with your loved ones and chosen family. However you decide to celebrate this pride season, your choices and feelings are valid and your identity is powerful!