Pride Week: Celebrating inclusion

RMIT is celebrating its second annual Pride Week, with a welcome morning tea for students and staff kicking off five days of events and discussions designed to foster inclusion.

The week acknowledges RMIT’s diverse genders, sexes and sexualities (DGSS) community, with the aim of promoting and sustaining a sense of belonging through conversations.

A Pride Week highlight will be a special screening of short films showcasing emerging and returning Australian filmmaking talent in the Kaleide Theatre on Monday 13 May, celebrating RMIT’s exciting new partnership the Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF).

As part of the partnership, students will have access to internship opportunities as well as mentoring from festival staff. More broadly, the RMIT community will be able to access discounted tickets.

Professor Peter Coloe speaking at Monday's Pride Week welcome event.

Festivities will continue throughout the week, with a diverse range of events from industry panels to workshops, before concluding with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) on Friday 17 May.

Speaking at the welcome event, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President Professor Peter Coloe said Pride Week was a chance for staff, students and members of the community to come together to celebrate the DGSS community.

“Building a culture of inclusion and diversity for all our staff and students is one of our key organisational values, and we are passionate about making RMIT an inclusive, supportive and safe environment for every single staff member and student,” he said.

“This is important to us, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because many members of this community don’t see their identities reflected in the media, politics or their organisations.

“Creating visibility of DGSS staff and students and showing our commitment through celebrations like Pride Week are how we make our staff and students feel truly connected and included at RMIT.

“We want all our staff and students to feel that their identity is something to be celebrated.”

Coloe said he was proud that RMIT was a university of choice for staff and students from the DGSS community, and that it was fantastic for the University to be one of 12 organisations awarded a Gold Employer status in the Australian Workplace Equality Index last year. The Index is the definitive national benchmark on DGSS workplace and inclusion.

“This award is another demonstration of our real and sustained commitment to diversity and inclusion,” Coloe said.

The award follows RMIT receiving the Workplace Gender Equality Agency Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation for the second consecutive year recognising efforts around achieving gender parity across the University.

View the full Pride Week program: www.rmit.edu.au/prideweek

Story: Jasmijn van Houten

Society and Environment

13 May 2019

Society and Environment

13 May 2019

Society
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Pride Week: Celebrating inclusion