Proudly celebrating PRIDE month

As we near the end of June, Pride month, I am both heartened and distressed.

I am inspired by the many events and celebrations our health system organized to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.

We had a large, enthusiastic showing at the recent LA Pride Parade, and even experienced a brush with celebrity when actor and singer Janelle Monáe proudly carried one of our Keck Pride signs. Throughout the month we hosted Pride breakfasts and information tables, and we raised the Pride flag at Keck Medical Center of USC and, for the first time, also at USC Arcadia Hospital.

I am dismayed, however, about the current backlash against the LGBTQ+ community that is occurring in many parts of the country.

For the second year in a row, more states are becoming less friendly to the LGBTQ+ community than in the previous year, according to the  Out Leadership 2023 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index.  The index notes that over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been proposed in the current legislative cycle across 46 states.

In fact, there is such a pattern of hostility and intolerance that the advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States.

Keck Medicine’s embrace of the LGBTQ+ community is needed now more than ever. This month’s Pride activities reflect our broader commitment to LGBTQ+ rights. The health system is committed to the belief that every individual has the right to affirm their sexual orientation and gender identity and to be treated with respect, support and kindness.

Our Keck Pride committee, founded in 2015, helps design and implement strategies to foster a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ patients, loved ones and employees. The health system also offers training centered around LGBTQ+ health. And we furthered our commitment to diversity last fall when we welcomed Shannon Bradley as the health system’s first chief diversity and inclusion officer. In the past months, we have grown our LGBTQ+ employee resource group by 60+ members.

Another accomplishment for Keck Medicine is our new Gender-Affirming Care program, which meets the unique health care needs of those who are transgender, non-binary or gender diverse. We collaborate with the trans-led nonprofit organization The TransLatin@ Coalition, which allows us greater visibility within the trans community, enabling us to better tailor our care based on community feedback.

Due to our efforts, Keck Medicine has been designated a LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader, a designation reserved for health care organizations dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees.

It’s also incredibly rewarding to hear what our staff who are members of the LGBTQ+ community say about their experience here. Some comments that were shared with me:  

“It is very comforting to work at a place where everyone is welcoming. And even if someone doesn’t at first understand me, I know they will try.”

“I cannot say enough about how comfortable in my skin I feel working with this health care organization. Joining the Pride ERG has been invaluable and has opened so many doors. This has allowed me to be part of my community and combine it with my career.”

“I feel 100 percent accepted with open arms, especially during this month, when so many in leadership attended the Pride breakfast. I am able to be heard, understood and respected.”

These statements bring home the fact that we are doing something very right. I want to thank everyone for collectively created a nurturing environment for our LGBTQ+ colleagues, patients and community.

As a health care provider, we fight to improve the physical and mental well-being of everyone we serve as well as every life we touch. We are a leader in our community, as well as among our peer organizations throughout the country. It is our duty to stay true to our values of tolerance and acceptance for all.

I stand proudly for LGBTQ+ rights and will work my hardest, as I know you will, to ensure that everyone continues to feel “heard, understood and respected.”