PRIDE@Cenovus: Empowering staff to embrace who they are
For Pride Month, hear from our staff about what our 2SLGBTQ+ employee network means to them.
June is Pride Month, when people around the world celebrate, recognize and affirm 2SLGBTQ+ rights. While June is recognized as Pride Month globally, cities and communities often opt to hold their own Pride events at different times throughout the year, allowing it to be continuously observed.
To honour the contributions and strengths of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Cenovus Energy is highlighting the positive impact our PRIDE@Cenovus employee resource network has had on our staff.
PRIDE@Cenovus aims to create a safe and positive environment for all staff regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
And we believe generating greater acceptance and equality for the 2SLGBTQ+ community starts with being allies.
Hear from a few of our PRIDE@Cenovus members about what the employee community means to them:
Giovanna Brookes, Senior Administrative Assistant, Conventional Operations and PRIDE@Cenovus Co-chair
“When I joined Cenovus, a family member had recently come out as gay and was experiencing bullying and harassment at school. I was desperate to support them in any way I could.
PRIDE@Cenovus offered an opportunity to make an impact through educating adults in the workplace. I wanted to be part of a group that could help parents navigate teaching their children the importance of being 2SLGBTQ+ allies. Having parents lead by example is an effective way to encourage children to be accepting and inclusive of others.
PRIDE@Cenovus is supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community inside and outside Cenovus. Every September, we participate in the annual Calgary Pride parade, which receives a high turnout each year. Oftentimes people will come with their loved ones, showing how it has become a place to celebrate Pride together, as well as their identity.
Being in the network gives me the opportunity to develop authentic relationships with others who are similarly passionate about spreading 2SLGBTQ+ pride.”
Christopher Richard, Manager, SCM Contingent Labour Program
“PRIDE@Cenovus is wonderful because it fosters such an incredible sense of community. Growing up in the seventies and eighties, I felt very alone, because I didn’t have the same accessibility to the 2SLGBTQ+ community, as I do now. There was also a lot of fear-based prejudice that 2SLGBTQ+ people faced, especially in connection to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
While I have always felt comfortable being myself at Cenovus prior to the network, PRIDE@Cenovus has given me and others the opportunity to share our stories and have our voices heard. This transparency has been key to expanding people’s understandings of one another.
PRIDE@Cenovus helps people understand our differences, but at the same time, it helps people understand our similarities too.”
LAST UPDATED: JUNE 2024
Our inclusion and diversity networks are intended to help foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. These networks are open to all staff and aim to provide peer support, increase awareness of key topics, trends and issues and influence Cenovus’s practices and programs to enhance the experience of all staff. Learn more.