RIC Celebrates Pride 2021 in Solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ Community

Dear RIC Campus Community,

As we welcome the month of June, RIC honors and celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities. We are proud of the students, faculty, staff and alumni who identify as members of these groups and who add so much value to our campus community.

Throughout history, sex and gender minorities (SGM), including the LGBTQIA+ community, have faced marginalization in numerous forms. Even today, many individuals face rejection from their families, harassment, discrimination and fear of violence due to their sexual orientation and gender identities. Today, RIC reaffirms our commitment to the values of equity and inclusion by pledging to honor our community members not just with words, but with action, affirmation and solidarity as we all work toward building a society that is just, safe and equitable for all.

Of particular note are multiple hateful and harmful pieces of legislation that statehouses across the country have used to target and threaten transgender people. RIC denounces these attempts to threaten trans folx’ access to safe and inclusive healthcare, education, athletics and other basic human needs and rights. This discrimination, combined with institutional racism, sexism, ableism and other forms of oppression, makes the experience of trans folx unjustly painful. We stand with our transgender community and affirm your value and place on our campus and in the world.

RIC celebrates Pride 2021 in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ community. You belong here, and we trust that love — not hate — will shine through in our quest for a more just and compassionate society.

Yours in education,

Frank D. Sánchez, President

Anna Cano Morales, Associate Vice President
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion