Employees at TELUS were asked by the company to celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday by attending gender ideology workshops and by using preferred pronouns according to a story by LifeSiteNews on Thursday..The memo, written by Doug French, executive vice-president and chief financial officer at TELUS, was then shared with LifeSiteNews..French is listed as the Global Executive Sponsor of Spectrum, an intra-TELUS organization promoting LGBT values to staff..Spectrum is described on the TELUS website as a “resource group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirited and allied — LGBTQ2+ — team members promotes a more diverse and inclusive culture at TELUS. One of the major ways that we demonstrate our commitment to the LGBTQ2+ community is through our ongoing support for Pride events across Canada and internationally.”.French reminded his staff in the March 30 memo that they were encouraged to share pronouns in email signatures as a way to “demonstrate support for anyone affirming their gender identity.”. mercedes-mehling-7J7x8HLXQKA-unsplashMercedes Mehling .“Practising allyship is a continuous journey of learning and understanding. Once we listen and learn, we can support and challenge the status quo and, through our actions, help make society a better, safer place for all transgender people,” he wrote in the memo..French also invited TELUS workers to attend a workshop hosted by Spectrum about gender ideology, and asked that staff “[c]ommit to using gender-neutral language in communications and in meetings.”.In 2020 TELUS was named for the 11th time as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. The program is an annual competition recognizing Canada’s leaders in creating diverse and inclusive workplaces..TELUS also has a program called Eagles whose mission is to support indigenous employees and those indigenous employees whose gender identity aligns as two-spirit..“Eagles was formed to engage, support and inspire indigenous TELUS team members in the pursuit of excellence in their careers, and to provide a more inclusive professional environment. As a primary mandate, the group also facilitates positive engagement with indigenous communities,” the website says..Concluding the memo, French announced a large donation to an initiative named Rainbow Railroad of $150,000 for “LGBTQ2+ individuals negatively impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine.”.Amanda Brown is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.abrown@westernstandardonline.com.,.Twitter: @WS_JournoAmanda
