<div dir="ltr"><h1>Nondiscrimination language added to diversity policy</h1>
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<p class="gmail-av-rteElement-P gmail-av-rteStyle-PostingDate">Posted May 10, 2017</p>
<p class="gmail-av-rteElement-P">The AVMA Board of Directors agreed April 7
to update the “AVMA Policy on Diversity and Inclusion” to add
nondiscrimination language that includes, among other things, both
gender identity and expression as well as parental, marital, and
pregnancy status. The modifications reflect the importance of diversity
and inclusion in ensuring access to veterinary care for all segments of
the U.S. population, according to the recommendation background.</p>
<p class="gmail-av-rteElement-P">The diversity and inclusion policy, available <a href="http://jav.ma/policyondiversity">here</a>, now reads as follows: </p>
<div class="gmail-av-rteElement-AVMAPolicy">Diversity and Inclusion <br>The
AVMA is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the
profession of veterinary medicine so that we can best serve the animals,
the public, and our members. Our goal is to mirror the growing
diversity of the communities we serve and to promote an understanding of
their varied needs. To this end, we are committed to actively promoting
and maintaining diversity and inclusion in our membership, leadership,
and organization, and educating our members regarding the value of
diversity and inclusion. This commitment embraces the value of the many
areas of the veterinary profession, and the value of our members’ and
their clients’ varied backgrounds, including but not limited to race;
ethnicity; physical and mental abilities; gender; sexual orientation;
gender identity or expression; parental, marital, or pregnancy status;
religious or political beliefs; military or veteran status; and
geographic, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds.</div>
<p class="gmail-av-rteElement-P">The first AVMA Policy on Diversity, adopted
in 2004, simply stated that “The AVMA is committed to diversity in all
aspects of the profession so that we can best serve the animals and
public. This commitment to diversity pertains to professional areas of
service and to cultural, ethnic, gender, and racial representations.” </p>
<p class="gmail-av-rteElement-P">The policy was revised in 2012 with changes
suggested by the now-sunset AVMA Member Services Committee.
The revisions added language to the policy primarily in three areas: </p>
<ul><li>Promotion of inclusion.</li><li>Acknowledgment that veterinarians live and work within communities that are constantly changing.</li><li>Recognition and valuing of the many different aspects of diversity.</li></ul>
<p class="gmail-av-rteElement-P">Regarding the last point, the MSC had noted
that the preceding three or four decades had presented the profession
with a huge gender shift and exposure to new cultures, concepts, and
challenges. </p>
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<td class="gmail-av-rteTableOddCol-0" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><img class="gmail-av-rtePosition-1" src="https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/PublishingImages/2017/170601/170601h_5.jpg" alt="" style="margin: 0px;"><br><br></td>
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<td class="gmail-av-rteStyle-Caption gmail-av-rteTableOddCol-0"><span>Dr. Karen
Bradley, District I representative, and Jeff Olivarez, Student AVMA
president, listen during the AVMA Board of Directors’ April 6-8 meeting.
(Photo by R. Scott Nolen) </span></td>
<td class="gmail-av-rteTableEvenCol-0" style="width:200px"></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p class="gmail-av-rteElement-P">Review of the “AVMA Policy on Diversity and
Inclusion” was initiated in 2015 in response to discussions at the House
of Delegates regular annual session that year and comments received
through the AVMA@Work blog, and in preparation or the standard five-year
review as directed by AVMA policy. More recently, the Lesbian and Gay
VMA started a letter-writing campaign to encourage the addition of
wording on gender identity and expression.</p>
<p class="gmail-av-rteElement-P">Finally, the change establishes consistency
among AVMA policies following revisions to the AVMA Principles of
Veterinary Medical Ethics, to which similar nondiscrimination language
was added at the April 2016 Board meeting. The document had been amended
at the behest of the House of Delegates and Dr. Elizabeth Sabin,
associate director for international and diversity initiatives. </p><p class="gmail-av-rteElement-P"><a href="https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/170601h.aspx">https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/170601h.aspx</a><br></p></div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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