All love. All species. All welcome!

This panel discussion is sponsored by VCA Animal Hospitals.

As we continue to celebrate Pride Month, the members of the LGBTQ+ community, and allies within the profession, dvm360 welcomed Leslie Soper, CVT, and Maria Libonate, RVT, to an open discussion with host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA. Throughout the panel, the trio discussed their journeys as allies and members of the LGBTQ+ community, ways hospitals can show their support, the importance of having great mentors, and how the landscape of veterinary medicine has become more inclusive throughout the years.

Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity:

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: When we talk about creating that inclusive environment, what steps can organizations like VCA take to foster a more inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ associates and also the clients that we serve?

Maria Libonate, RVT: I think we've been doing a pretty good job thus far and just continuing to do that by being really open and visible about our support and our inclusion and diversity in general...As long as we continue to do that, we can show not only our own associates, but our clients and the community at large that we do support inclusivity. We do support diversity. This is an important thing for all of us.

And, you know, it's so major for us to be able to share that and we do things like...the Pride in a Box where we have...a little pride kit that we send out to our hospitals to help promote Pride events. Ot has a little flag, a t-shirt that you're wearing right now, and things like that to help promote all of the inclusivity that we're really big on.