OFB Community Mailing Lists

[R. Thompson]

Leafing through yesterday's local paper I came across this article.  I
find this offensive, that some small group within the bank would use
your fellow employees to intimidate objectors while the bank management
stands by and either endorses this project, or does nothing.  Here is
the article (please excsue any typos).

>From the Prince Albert Daily Herald, Saturday October 2, 2004, page 7.

"Bank clerks asked to display rainbow sitickers
Jennifer Kwan, The Canadian Press

Toronto -  Thousands of Royal Bank clerks are being asked to display
rainbow stickers at their desks and cubicles to promote a safe work
environment for gays, lesbians and bisexuals.

   The rainbow sticker program is being organized by an employee
diversity group within a department of the bank and targets 2,000 clerks
at a Royal Bank "warehouse" in Toronto, as well as smaller satellite
offices in Mississauga and Guelph.

   The three-month pilot project dubbed "rainbow space" mirrors a
program known as "space safe" used to promote gay pride at colleges and
other workplaces in the United States.

   "During the Nazi regime, a pink triangle was used to label gay men
and a black trangle was used to label lesbians or tother
'anti-socials,'" says a newsletter advocating the use of the rainbow
stickers.

   "In the late 1970s, the rainbow flag was developed to represent not
only pride in having survived and thrived in a world that has often been
a hostile place, but also pride in the extraordinary diversity of the
community."

   Bank spokesman David Moorcroft said Friday the program, launched this
month, is employee-driven and not part of the company policy.

   "The program is not going to be rolled out bank-wide," he said.

   But Moorcraft said the company is open to employee feedback on the
initiative.

   The newsletter distrbuted to 2,000 employees states that displaying
the sticker will show bank employees that homophobia will not be
tolerated.

   "Voluntarily displaying this sticker shows gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered coworkers that they can feel safe with you, and show
unsupportive co-workers that you won't tolerate homophobia," it states.

   The head of the Canada Family Action Coalition, a right-wing
Christian group, says the newsletter implies anyone who doesn't display
the rainbow is therefore homophobic."

Ron T.
-- 
Ron G. Thompson, |^|
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada
www.petomai.org   ron at petomai.org
"Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their window?" Is
60:8