As Shared Health continues to grow and evolve, so does our need to remain reflective of the communities we serve including the language and acronyms we use to describe our patient populations and members of our workforce. We remain committed to improving our health care system, by learning and adapting in new ways to provide an environment that is free of judgement, equally safe and inclusive.
Ensuring our language is consistent with how patient communities identify themselves is an important part of this. That’s why we update and review our resources and materials regularly to better reflect and align with our 2SLGBTQQIA+ community. The acronym 2SLGBTQQIA+ represents those who are two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and all other sexual orientations and genders.
We know that language is fluid and is continuously redefined over time. These terms and acronyms may be used differently by individuals in various ways depending on how they identify and the context. People will also have different understandings of their identity and it is up to individuals to decide what their identity means to them. If you are unsure of how someone identifies, asking which pronouns they use is respectful and good practice.
We are committed to ensuring you have the right information with accurate definitions and language to support respectful conversations with your patients and colleagues in the Pronouns, 2SLGBTQQIA+ & Health Care Leading Practice Guide.