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The two went on to coordinate with the command’s support battalion and diversity office to plan the program.
They felt drawn to engaging in the effort to bring “not just visibility but celebration” — a cornerstone of many Pride activities.
“I love the love, I love the glitter, I love the colors, I love seeing the joy,” Lucio said of her past experiences participating in Pride parades. “It is so ecstatic; it is just energy,”
“If you’re going in Texas, it’s going to be hot. You’re going to need water, and you’re going to feel like you’re fainting, but you’re also going to feel such enthusiasm and exuberance, and you’re going to feel so much pride at seeing that in your community,” she said.
Lucio and Vermooten wanted to instill AFC’s inaugural Pride Month event with similar energy and positivity.
The program, for which they served as emcees, featured retired Maj. Gen. Randy S. Taylor, who spoke about his own experiences as a member of the LGBTQ community serving in the Army; retired Gen. John M. Murray, then-Commanding General of AFC; and Dr. Victoria Dixon, Director of the EEO and Diversity Office at AFC headquarters.
“It was just stunning to see the kind of leadership he embodied, both as a Soldier and as a husband, as a gay man living in the Army,” Vermooten said of Taylor’s participation in the event.
“We were really, really grateful that he was able to speak with us, and Dr. Dixon was absolutely instrumental and incredible in pulling all that together,” they added.
“We got really lucky to be involved and be in that process and to see the support,” Lucio said. “It was a really good turnout.”
Vermooten explained that events like Pride are ultimately about honoring the history of the LGBTQ community and recognizing and appreciating each other’s differences, not reducing people to a label.
Similarly, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts function to build work environments that are welcoming and supportive of all people and all types of families, not just to diversify the makeup of the workforce.
“For the Army and generally for any workspace, people are willing to give you their best if you let them,” Vermooten said. “But I think accepting someone’s best means accepting all of them. If you’re creating a space that is welcoming and is safe and is respectful to all types, how could you not get the best they have to offer?”
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