Celebrating Pride at the Toronto Pride Parade
On Sunday, June 26, colleagues and friends of Hatch marched in the Toronto Pride Parade in allyship and solidarity with the 2SLGBTQ+ community. June marks Pride Month in many of the regions Hatch operates in—commemorating the Stonewall Riots and gay liberation movement. Toronto’s parade was particularly special as supporters and allies alike marched together for the first time since 2019 due to the COVID-19 hiatus.
Our CEO, John Bianchini, released a message of support and celebration in 2018, stating:
“While there are many ways to advocate for equality and diversity, we believe that one of the most powerful is simply supporting those around us. By fostering a culture of acceptance and inclusion, we demonstrate our firm belief in creating meaningful, positive change in the world. So, for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community, we celebrate your Pride and we stand with you in having your voice heard.”
Ever since, we’ve embraced and celebrated Pride by participating in Pride Parades around the world, launching employee resource groups, supporting 2SLGBTQ+ organizations, and releasing our progressive Pride logo. The Toronto Pride Parade was also an opportunity to bring together colleagues and friends from the Greater Toronto Area. As Randy McMeekin, Global Managing Director – Engineering says, “Coming together as an organization to march for liberties, inclusion, and in celebration of everyone is crucial not only for employee engagement, but for our overall social impact. We’re committed to building an inclusive environment for everyone, which will only make us more resilient.”
As we continue our mission to support the 2SLGBTQ+ community and build a more inclusive space, we’re honored to show our commitment through various initiatives. Jacqueline Varey, Chemical Engineer and WCA Diversity & Inclusion Committee Lead shares:
“Hatch is passionately committed to diversity and inclusion. Creating diverse and inclusive teams is not only the right thing to do, it also helps us achieve our mission—building safe, innovative, and sustainable solutions to tackle the world’s toughest challenges. During Pride Month, we are extremely proud to visibly show our support of our 2SLGBTQ+ colleagues, clients, friends, family, and community by marching in the Toronto Pride Parade. Our commitment to the 2SLBTQ+ community, however, doesn't end once Pride Month is over. We'll continue to push for inclusion 365 days per year, year after year, through relevant local programming and initiatives. One small example of this is our ongoing pilot campaign where we are encouraging the sharing of pronouns by educating folks on their importance, encouraging their use in e-mail signatures, and providing folks with pins to visibly display them on lanyards. The conversation around 2SLBGTQ+ inclusion will not end once June is over.”
