UBC Okanagan has never celebrated Pride quite like this. With pride progress flag banners being raised across campus, UBCO continues working toward making the campus an even more welcoming space.
The banners were unveiled in October 2022 as part of the Queer Orientation activities on campus. The flags represent the diversity of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as well as UBCO’s commitment to creating an inclusive campus community where 2SLGBTQIA+ people are seen, treated equitably and respected.
“Aligning with Queer History Month in October, banners have been placed across campus to raise awareness, celebrate and honour the 2SLGBTQIA+ community while our campus is active with students, faculty and staff,” says Dale Mullings, Associate Vice-President, Students at UBCO. “These banners are just one of the ways that we are striving to make all members of our community feel like they belong at UBC Okanagan.”
These pole banners featuring the most recent pride progress flag are to go up as part of Queer Orientation activities on campus that run until mid-October. They feature the familiar rainbow pattern and include chevrons of black and brown (standing for people of colour), as well as pink, blue and white (to stand for the transgender community). Finally, a purple ring rests in a gold triangle as a call to the intersex community.
Morgan King, a campus leader and Master of Science student in sustainability, says visible demonstrations of the work being done on campus are not lost on students.
“When I started my undergraduate degree many years ago, I didn’t know I was queer,” says King, a member of the Graduate Student Committee with the Students’ Union Okanagan of UBC (SUO). “As a bisexual woman and seeing the support of Pride on campus—such as the rainbow staircase outside the UNC—made me feel seen. While there is a long way to go, I know it will bring a smile to my face every time I will see the Pride banners.”
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Through Strategy 4: Inclusive Excellence, UBC is working to cultivate a diverse community that creates and sustains equitable and inclusive campuses