It’s Pride month, which means rainbow flags start flying everywhere. While it’s nice to see that hospitals are trying to be inclusive, flags without actual organizational transformation can be way more dangerous to LGBTQ+ people. The rainbow flag at a hospital let’s people know that you’re a safe space. But, if doctors and nurses don’t actually know how to provide inclusive care to LGBTQ+ patients, then it puts queer and trans people in a vulnerable situation and possibly harm. If you’ve been following us for a while, some of you already know the story of how I misgendered a trans patient in front of a waiting room full of people. The other detail to that story is that this happened during Pride, when our hospital was flying rainbow flags left right and centre. I still wonder what my patient was thinking when he entered the hospital that day. Did he think he was safe seeing the rainbow flags? Did he let his guard down with me, only for me to let him down? How many other times was he misgendered or dead named at my hospital that day? I don’t imagine this was the first time he was mistreated by a healthcare provider, or that it was the last. Will he ever fully trust nurses and doctors after so many of these experiences? 😞 This Pride month, I invite us all to reflect on the ways our organizations use rainbow flags and whether our places of work are actually safe spaces for queer and trans people. 
✨REFLECTION✨ As a healthcare provider, how can you advocate for organizational change within your hospitals and clinics? 🩺 — Ellie 💕 #inclusivecaresaveslives ————————————————————— 🌈 If your hospital or organization is interested in more than just flying a rainbow flag this Pride month, we offer corporate LGBTQ+ training and talks from an intersectional and anti-racist lens. To learn more, visit the link in our bio or reach out to us at [email protected]