This is Pride Month and in addition to this being a time to celebrate, educate, and advocate, it is past time for Orchard Place to publicly acknowledge systemic and individually held biases against those in the LGBTQ+ community.
We apologize for the harm caused by a social media post on a staff member’s personal page. We apologize for the times any of us has said, or done something hurtful toward the LGBTQ+ community, or not spoken up quickly enough or loudly enough. We apologize for and are addressing the blind spots that allowed biases to go unchecked.
Team members with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, experience, and talent strengthen Orchard Place in fulfilling its mission to develop strong futures. We are listening to our LGBTQ+ team members and we are determined to learn, grow, and change. Trust is built in repair. Repair may start with an apology but cannot end there. Repair is accompanied by changes in behavior and systems that lead to lasting culture change. Our progress on that repair work and culture change will be shared in future communications.
-Anne Starr, Orchard Place CEO
Pride Month 2021: We encourage you to explore the
LGTBQ+ Resources available on our website to find out about local Pride Month events, educational and advocacy resources, and ways to support LGBTQ+ youth.