AndrewFStewart

It's pride week! As we head into the weekend excited for the people we will see, the fun we will have, and the sense of immense community we will feel, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on pride, as well as my work at Gene and in the marketing industry. 

For me, pride is a balance of celebration and protest. In Canada, we have immense freedom to be who we authentically are, love who we love, and publicly acknowledge how very far we have come as a community. We really have come so far, and having made so much progress on equality gives me a reason to celebrate, to be seen, and to push for more in Canada, especially for our trans brothers and sisters.

When I moved to Gene (formally Cossette Health), having come from a very big brand consumer world, I made a point that I wanted to work on some LGBTQ community programs. A lot of my past work fed my ego, won awards, and made for very happy clients. I pride myself on that awesome work and see it as being an important part of what makes me a strong strategist in the health and wellness industry. However, the work I'm now doing at Gene feeds my heart and soul and inspires my passion for health and wellness. 

So far at Gene, I've worked on a gay mens mental health program that aimed to break down barriers for the community in accessing mental health support. I have also worked on HPV vaccine awareness programs targeted at educating the LGBTQ community on preventive care. Most recently, I've started working on a program that will bring quantifiable research to the public that will help fight stigma and lobby against the gay men's blood donation ban. I want to identify this work to you because it's some of most personally fulfilling work I've done.

Yesterday, my team and I had our Gene's first pride celebration. We talked about rainbow washing and how, for me, it's a love-hate relationship. Love, if it contributes back to the community. Also love, as I believe that any ally and show of visible support is beneficial to us as a society, and not just for the gay community. Hate, if it's just for face and profit.  So i want to take a moment and acknowledge all the hard work that - we as an industry - do to promote authentic support on behalf of brands that make meaningful contributions. That said, I also want to challenge our industry to do better - to go beyond pride month and rainbows. Through your work, we should all support visibility, equality, and promote inclusion 365 days a year. 

I took mom out for dinner tonight. Beside us they sat an elderly man. They quickly cleared the opposite setting to him and he sat down alone. The man was in his 70s and had a semi severe tremor, Parkinson’s perhaps. It affected both his motor functions and speech. The gentlemen ordered tea with his meal. The waiter brought the tea and the man asked for a straw. Obvious to us that he couldn’t hold the cup still to drink properly. The waiter refused. The man quietly insisted on the straw please. The manager came over and said no as the tea was too hot. The man already eating alone on Christmas Eve started to get quietly upset.

I’ve witnessed this a hundred times or more with my own father in the later stages of his life. I stood up, went over to the manager and insisted in my semi condescendingly way true to my unfortunate character and explained why he needed the straw. And, that the man knew what was best for him. The manager was overly engaging with me. I proceeded to direct the conversation back to the gentlemen, saying you can address him as I was done. The manager finally understanding this situation brought the man the straw he needed. The gentleman thanked me. I went over to talk to him and to let him know I understood that situation all too well with similarities of my late father. The man was sweet and gentle. His name was Simon. As I was leaving, I told him I had already payed his bill. My mother and I gave him a hug and wished him a merry Christmas.