Skip to main content Skip to chat

Beyond the rainbow flag: Tangerine in the Pride community

May 31, 2023

Written by Michael Weissman

Two large Pride-themed portraits of Toronto Raptors players wearing gowns, in a Tangerine conference room.

Key takeaways

  • Supporting Pride is a year-round pursuit to help promote our workplace, and our country, as a more inclusive space.
  • Tangerine announced enhanced coverage in its benefits plan for gender-affirming procedures. 
  • Tangerine recently renovated its head office in Toronto with new gender-neutral washrooms as well as beautiful artwork to spread the message of diversity.

Beyond the rainbow flag: Tangerine in the Pride community

June is Pride Month, and as the writer Margaret J. Wheatley once said, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." For those of us in the Tangerine family, this emphasis on community and discovery goes beyond just the month of June.

Every year, the Tangerine logo is proudly emblazoned with the colourful stripes of the rainbow flag, however supporting Pride is a year-round pursuit to help promote our workplace, and our country, as a more inclusive space.

Here are just a few of the things we're involved with right now that have us feeling, ahem, pretty proud.

People's Network year four

Tangerine has entered its fourth year of the Pride People's Network. The People's Network is an inclusion initiative that's employee-led and voluntary and is formally supported by the company – and, as Corry Melanson can attest, there was a time when the emergence of these groups was an exciting new frontier.

“I have been with the bank for 11 years," Melanson says. “Until about five years ago, there were not any People's Networks of any kind, so when the first one started (Women in Leadership), I joined immediately. Other groups started to form, and when the formation of Pride People's Network was announced, I messaged leadership immediately, wanting to get involved."

Melanson, a Senior Manager of Service and Sales in Tangerine's Moncton site, knew the importance of true workplace inclusivity.

“Feeling confident and comfortable in your workplace regardless of who you are is so important. We spend so much of our lives with our coworkers, and I wanted to help create a workspace that didn't only silently accept people, that's not enough. I wanted to contribute to a culture where we outwardly accepted people and fought against hate and ignorance." The Pride People's Network has grown, with more than 20 members, along with the bank's commitment to inclusion.

Education sessions

Melanson took the lead in hosting an education session on acronyms. It's common for people to feel intimidated around the evolving terminology in the Pride community, so rather than creating fear of judgment, Melanson decided education was the best way to connect with new allies.

“I created an education deck using the LGBTQIA2S+ acronym as a launching pad to explore all of the terminology I could fit into a 60-minute session. Each letter had a slide and each slide dove into terminology related to that letter. I hosted this as a lunch-and-learn to over 200 participants and got some very positive feedback about the value of the session."

There's more where that came from. Melanson recruited his peers from the Pride People's Network to help host another educational session on LGBTQ+ history. It covered LGBT+ rights in North America from the 1900s until today.

“About eight of us did a ton of research and created a slide or two per decade, covering off some major LGBT+ milestones such as Stonewall, the right to marry, decriminalization of being gay, the bathhouse raids in Toronto and a lot more."

With further emphasis on the importance of education, the Pride People's Network hosted an important transgender education session along with bingo and trivia for a little extra fun.

Company inclusivity

Keeping up with the importance of workplace inclusivity, Tangerine announced enhanced coverage in its 2022 benefits plan for gender-affirming procedures. Employees are now able to take advantage of new plans to help support them along their journeys.

In the spirit of inclusion around the office, Tangerine recently renovated its head office in Toronto with new gender-neutral washrooms as well as beautiful artwork to spread the message of diversity throughout the workplace experience.

Tangerine marches with the LGBTQ+ community

Last but not least, Tangerine will march in this year's Toronto Pride Parade on June 25 and do our part to wave that rainbow flag proudly. It's the flagship event of one of the world's biggest Pride festivals, so come on out, be an ally, and help us celebrate the freedoms we've fought so hard to enjoy.

TOP: Photos by Esmaa Mohamoud in a Tangerine boardroom (Photo by Shawn Goldberg).

This article or video (the “Content”), as applicable, is provided by independent third parties that are not affiliated with Tangerine Bank or any of its affiliates. Tangerine Bank and its affiliates neither endorse or approve nor are liable for any third party Content, or investment or financial loss arising from any use of such Content.

The Content is provided for general information and educational purposes only, is not intended to be relied upon as, or provide, personal financial, tax or investment advice and does not take into account the specific objectives, personal, financial, legal or tax situation, or particular circumstances and needs of any specific person. No information contained in the Content constitutes, or should be construed as, a recommendation, offer or solicitation by Tangerine to buy, hold or sell any security, financial product or instrument discussed therein or to follow any particular investment or financial strategy. In making your financial and investment decisions, you will consult with and rely upon your own advisors and will seek your own professional advice regarding the appropriateness of implementing strategies before taking action. Any information, data, opinions, views, advice, recommendations or other content provided by any third party are solely those of such third party and not of Tangerine Bank or its affiliates, and Tangerine Bank and its affiliates accept no liability in respect thereof and do not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of any information in the third party Content. Any information contained in the Content, including information related to interest rates, market conditions, tax rules, and other investment factors, is subject to change without notice, and neither Tangerine Bank nor its affiliates are responsible for updating this information.

Tangerine Investment Funds are managed by 1832 Asset Management L.P. and are only available by opening an Investment Fund Account with Tangerine Investment Funds Limited. These firms are wholly owned subsidiaries of The Bank of Nova Scotia. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.