Posted on 10/18/2004 9:36:35 AM PDT by NorthOf45
Royal Bank Eliminates "Rainbow Triangle" Sticker
October 18, 2004
In a dramatic reversal, the Royal Bank of Canada announced that its Rainbow Space initiative for employees to display a "Rainbow Triangle" at their workstation has "unintentionally created divisiveness." Therefore they have made the decision to eliminate the Rainbow Sticker program.
Dr. Charles McVety, President of The Canada Family Action Coalition says, "I applaud the Bank's sensitivity and quick response eliminating the contentious "Rainbow Triangle Sticker" program, and therefore CFAC calls for an immediate end to the boycott of the Royal Bank".
"The Royal Bank 'heard and listened to concerns raised by some employees and clients' demonstrating that if you exercise freedom, you keep it," said McVety.
" In a letter dated October 14th, from Royal Bank's Senior Vice-President David Moorcroft, they announced, 'Effective today, the sticker component of the program is being eliminated.' Thousands and thousands of people, across Canada took a stand and voiced their concerns. The Royal Bank heard their voices and did the right thing."
McVety said, "The Bank realized 'based on the feedback received' that the Rainbow Triangle Sticker program 'has unintentionally created divisiveness'. Without such feedback, the Royal Bank would have continued its practice of marginalizing those who do not support homosexuality."
Brian Rushfeldt, Executive Director, CFAC said, "Each person that acted by closing their accounts, sending emails, telephone calls or letters should be commended for taking a stand for freedom of thought, conscience and religion."
"The majority of Canadians are not used to taking a stand. However, in this day and age it is very necessary. Aggressive crusades are at work attempting to strip away fundamental freedoms of democracy. The lines of separation of Church and State have already been violated with activist judges redefining a sacred Church institution, marriage. Militant parliamentarians have amended the criminal code of Canada which now labels teaching of morality as a crime punishable by up to two years in jail. Further attacks will be successful if people of faith and good will do not take a stand for freedom."
"The Royal Bank eliminated their attack due to the voices of those who acted to protect rights, however we must continue to be attentive", said McVety.
The Bank will review this program after December 31 " to see if there are any other learnings that can help improve RBC's overall success with diversity."
Dr. McVety believes: "Many other attacks are coming your way so be alert, pay special attention and know that your voice will be heard if you take a stand".
One of two original articles:
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2004/cover092404.htm
Thousands of Royal Bank employees to display Rainbow Triangle on workdesks
by Judi McLeod, Canadafreepress.com
September 24, 2004
Tens of thousands of Royal Bank Canada employees are being asked by bank management to display the Rainbow Triangle on their work desks. In early September, RBC employees arrived at the office to find the directive on their PCs. "The RBC Safe Space (program) is a visible, non-threatening way to show that your desk, cubicle or office is a "safe place" for gay men, bisexuals, transgendered and lesbians," employees were told in the first edition of the bank’s online newsletter, Rainbow Space.
The Safe Space Program, introduced within Service Delivery Central Canada, "highlights the importance of sexual preference as one of RBC’s diversity elements."
Of the Royal Bank’s 60,000 global employees, roughly half are Canadian.
As far as is known, RBC is the first corporate source directing employees to display the Rainbow Triangle in the workplace.
"The Safe Space Program is a voluntary program that is designed to provide a non-threatening way for employees to send the message that homophobia and hostility will not be tolerated within RBC," states Rainbow Space newsletter.
While bank management claims displaying Rainbow Triangle stickers is voluntary, the inference taken from the request is that not showing the sticker could lead to hostility, demotion or job loss. In the wake of Canada’s Bill C-250, which includes sexual orientation in anti-hate legislation, there’s also the threat of a two-year prison term.
Although it has a Core Value policy in place, RBC does not seem to have moved any other vulnerable groups under the corporate umbrella of its Safe Space Program.
The timing of the debut of Rainbow Space remains a mystery as in the directive’s advent, there was no indication that homophobia was rampant or even problematic among RBC employees.
The RBC Advisory Board, represented by "senior management champions" approved the Rainbow Space directive. Members include Eve Hammond, BSC; Chris Kill, Cash Ops; John Bereaves, PSC; Dean Gray, OSC; Rob Cleugh, SBCD and Jolanta Kedziuerski, Regional Rep.
Under a section entitled, How to be supportive of GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, gendered) Employees, Rainbow Space instructs: "Don’t assume everyone is heterosexual; Don’t permit homophobic jokes or comments; Treat the subject positively, Display your Safe Space sticker."
Complications have already beset the Safe Space initiative.
The program, perhaps unwittingly only reinforces that GLBT bank employees need special protection by having heterosexual colleagues show support by sticker.
It seems lost on RBC management that tolerance for GLBT or any other group cannot be forced or legislated. Commonsense dictates tolerance can only be fostered and nurtured.
"This is an employee-led initiative," Beja Rodeck, senior manager, Media Relations told Canada Free Press. "It represents core values that we espouse and all try to live."
Rodeck said the Rainbow Space newsletter was "put together" by one of the many local diversity councils operating within RBC.
"There was no particular reason behind it. It’s a trial project which will be determined by employee feedback."
Saying it was a "little too early to tell" how employees feel about the Rainbow Space directive, Rodeck conceded that the rhetoric, which seems to accuse the bank’s employees of homophobia, was harsh.
Members of the diversity council, who chose Rainbow Space as a protection option were not communication experts, she said, adding that they had used "huge chunks" of a template that "likely came from the United States".
Meanwhile, there is a move afoot in the Christian Community to rally against Rainbow Space.
"Is this the new corporate Canada?" asked Charles McVety, Canada Christian College President.
"This is a radical change in corporate Canada, and one that RBC has no right to impose on the entire nation.
look for the multi-colored moose next.
Here is the second of two original articles:
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2004/mcvety100104.htm
Royal Bank Coerces Employees to Display "Rainbow Triangle"
by Charles McVety ,
October 1, 2004
The Royal Bank of Canada launched a sexual orientation campaign to request its employees to "be supportive" of "gay, lesbian and bisexual issues". Many believe the bank's executive is abusing its power as an employer by exerting their misguided "morality" with a full-scale assault on their workforce. Is this the beginning of the new Corporate Canada? How far will they go? The inference of this militant campaign is the bank will not tolerate "unsupportive" workers and that is discrimination and intolerance.
The bank opened the campaign with the first edition of a regular newsletter, Rainbow Space. The document "highlight(s) the importance of sexual preference as one of RBC's primary diversity elements". They make a strong appeal for employees to personally demonstrate support of homosexual, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues by displaying a rainbow coloured triangle on their "desk, cubicle, or office". Apparently displaying the sticker is voluntary, however the document goes on to imply that unsupportive co-workers are homophobic and won't be tolerated.
A new "underclass" of workers has been established.
The Rainbow Space campaign is not just an abuse of power; it is fanatically distorted. In their terminology section, the Royal Bank describes gender as something "assigned to them at birth". Basic commonsense is a child is born a boy or girl, however not according to the Royal Bank. The bank also uses "two-spirited", a religious term to describe "people who embody both the male and female spirit". In addition, the RBC categorically states "About 10 percent of the population, including within RBC's employees, is gay or lesbian." Statistics Canada recently did a survey and found that 1.0 percent of the population is homosexual or lesbian. The use of extremist terminology in an attempt to mislead employees is appalling.
With this campaign the Royal Bank of Canada is wandering from its core business of banking and entering into the field of propagating misguided morality. The newsletter leads you to believe that homophobia is a problem in the bank. It states "Many employees simply do not know the facts about GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered), while others are openly hostile" According to RBC Vice President and Executive Sponsor Jacki Challenger, "the Bank has no widespread homophobia". Why then is the Bank propagating their new morality? It appears that a new era of Inquisitions has begun with new standards of right and wrong and the Royal Bank is leading the way.
Almost five years ago the Royal Bank's vice-president announced that RBC is taking the lead on such issues as they sponsored the Toronto Gay Pride Parade. In 1999 VP Edmee Metivier, said "You don't always do sponsorship for the rewards, you do it for a good cause." Metivier added, "We respect the right of our customers to reject this idea. But we see ourselves as leaders". According to Tammi Lisson, Sr. Management Champion, the Rainbow Space operation has only reached 2,000 employees. Ms. Challenger, Vice-President, says the newsletter will soon be "corporate wide". The Royal Bank has 60,000 employees at 2,100 locations in Canada, the United States and 28 other countries. The bank spends $133 million dollars annually in employee learning initiatives and has massive resources. They administrate over $1.1 trillion dollars and donate or sponsor over $57 million annually to various causes. With homosexual, lesbian and bisexual issues as one of their "primary" core values, the bank promises to "lead" the corporate world in promoting extremist morality.
If unchallenged this militant campaign will spread from corporation to corporation--including Canada's largest employer, the government. It is conceivable that with-in a few months you will not be hired by corporate Canada or given a promotion unless you are "supportive" of homosexual, lesbian and bisexual issues. In an effort to stop this fanatical trend, Canada Family Action Coalition is calling upon all people of faith, good will and commonsense to boycott the Royal Bank, beginning October 4th by closing your personal and business accounts and refusing to invest in their misguided morality.
ping
Bwaahaahaahaahaa!!!
I sent an email about a month or more ago, with exactly those objections!! It actually helped make a difference!
Remember, FREEPers, only you can prevent moral forest fires!!
Keep 'em cards 'n' letters comin'.
I'm a tolerant kind of guy, myself - I reserve the right to kick the stuffing out of anyone who comes to my cube, regardless of race, creed, color, or sexual preference. Can you feel the love?
Darn. I'm betting that means eventually I'll have to get rid of my "Gay Motion Sensor Device" that, when it detects gay men, bisexuals, transgendered or lesbians entering my office, it opens up a trap door...
Darn it. I finally got all the bugs worked out, too. For a while there, it was getting everybody.
This is modeled on the schools, where some teachers post "gay friendy zone" stuff in their rooms. And of course many US companies require workers to go to annual "diversity training" where we are instructed by HR on the importance of supporting gays.
I hope you calibrated it carefully to a known-good Gaydar...
Found a lot of discussion of this on a site known as
"FreeDominion.ca"
Those people look like kindred spirits - if they only had some freedoms left!
Not too hard to do around this place. I just need to figure out now whether I want to include Metro-sexuals in the mix, as well, or let them be.
Maybe for the sake of diversity, I should include them. It wouldn't be fair, otherwise ;0)
When you go to that site, look for the FReeper hang out. A lot of us hang there on occasion. Free Dominion is sort of our sister site.
Oh, I know. I had to go to those once at a place I worked at previously - that, and the Sexual Harrassment Training (which turned out to be something completely different than I thought, for what that is worth)...
A moose bit my sister and gave her AIDS.
Yes, I am there all the time.
Some don't seem to have a problem, though, as long as it's against their neighbor.
Didn't last too long. In fact, it lasted until about ten minutes after the Christian support group decided that they would put up a cross if their cube were a "safe space" for Christians. . .
Chalk one up for decency, common sense and the defeat of politically correct thought control.
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