Activist Beauty Retailer, The Body Shop Canada, partners with All Blood is Equal to help end LGBTQ2+ discriminatory blood donation ban.

SELF LOVE CRISIS: 34% percent of LGBTQ2+ people in Canada rank in the lowest quartile of self love.

TORONTO, June 3, 2021 /CNW/ - The Body Shop Canada has released data that reveals 34% of LGBTQ2+ people in Canada rank in the lowest quartile of self love. The figures are the latest to be shared from the company's worldwide research conducted by Ipsos -  The Body Shop Self Love Index*. Recognising this index result may come from a range of factors such as discrimination, rejection and homophobia, The Body Shop is pledging to not only celebrate self-expression this World Pride Month, but to also fight for LGBTQ2+ equality.

This Pride, The Body Shop invites members of the public to join them as they fight against labels that inhibit self-love, drawing on the power of collective action, allyship and celebration of diversity and community. Hilary Lloyd, VP Marketing & Values, North America said: "The Body Shop supports the All Blood is Equal Coalition to end the discriminatory blood donation ban that some from the LGBTQ2+ community face. In Canada, each year thousands of willing blood donors are turned away because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Prospective donors who are gay, bisexual, two-spirit, queer men and trans women face an arbitrary, discriminatory 3-month period of abstinence before they can donate blood." Starting today, The Body Shop Canada is encouraging consumers to visit its Pride Hub online and sign the All Blood is Equal Coalition petition, or visit its stores across Canada to do the same. The Body Shop is matching each signature by donating $1 to the All Blood is Equal Coalition, up to $10,000.

"When we rely on sexual orientation or gender identity for blood donation criteria, it's inherently discriminatory." Osmel Maynes, Executive Director Capital Pride, founding member of the All Blood is Equal coalition. "Rather than eliminate potential donors based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, Canada should shift towards a behaviour and risk-based screening process."

In addition to its Pride initiative, The Body Shop has made a deeper commitment to its LGBTQ2+ family of colleagues ? reviewing and enhancing its internal policies to ensure transgender employees are supported.

"We are proud to support The Body Shop's LGBTQ2+ family of colleagues and customers to live their lives to their fullest," Lloyd said. "We seek to empower all our colleagues and customers to be allies, including shining a light on LGBTQ2+ equality this Pride season."

Tommy Dorfman, Actor and one of The Body Shop's North American 'Leading Lights' added: "For our community, finding strength within yourself and believing you are 'enough' as you are can be an act of social and political resistance. Just walking out the door is an act of strength and pride. But the fight isn't over. We have an incredible amount of adversity and violence to overcome and we must come together, with the mass support of our allies, to continue shaping a better future for ourselves; a world in which all members of our community -- especially trans folks -- are held safely and free to exist authentically. Liberation for all comes from the liberation of the most disenfranchised. You all have a responsibility to both stand and take actions in solidarity with the LGBTQ2+ community by listening, supporting, educating yourself, and engaging in acts of service to our freedoms."

The Body Shop is calling on LGBTQ2+ people to focus on self-love during Pride season, and is encouraging anyone outside the LGBTQ2+ community to become a better ally.

SELF LOVE MEANING
*Self-love is many things, but it starts with the recognition and appreciation of our inner worth and value.

ONE MILLION ACTS OF SELF LOVE
Through the Pride campaign, petitioning, sharing ways to become a better ally and amplifying voices in the LGBTQ2+ community are all acts of self-love. It doesn't matter how big or small, every act can lead to big change. With this understanding, the one million acts movement highlights that self-love involves an action, and that action is at the heart of any change ? personal or global.

TBS TOGETHER LGBTQ2+ NETWORK
The Body Shop's internal employee LGBTQ2+ Network, TBS Together has been the foundation of their external Pride activity. The network acts as consultants on all Pride messaging, to ensure it always authentically represents the challenges faced by the LGBTQ2+ community.

ABOUT THE ALL BLOOD IS EQUAL COALITION GROUP
All Blood is Equal is a national coalition of Canadian organizations committed to ending Canada's discriminatory blood donation ban.

WHAT IS THE BLOOD DONATION BAN?
The policy has evolved over time, from a lifetime ban to the current 3-month abstinence period, but is based on archaic, harmful assumptions that do not reflect the scientific realities, nor the values of our community. It is discriminatory to rely on sexual orientation and gender expression or identity to determine eligibility criteria for blood donation. The petition calls for a shift towards an evaluation that examines behaviour and risk instead of sexual orientation or gender identity to keep blood supplies safe. Such a policy that has been endorsed by scientists, medical professionals, and the Canadian Medical Association. 

METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
The study, devised by The Body Shop and leading market research firm Ipsos, ran between November and December 2020 with over 22,000 people, including 1,487 from the LGBTQ2+ community, surveyed across 21 different countries. The Self Love Index comprises a number of academic measures of self-worth, wellbeing, and happiness, and reveals how age, gender, country, and living standards impact how people feel about themselves.

The survey was fielded for an average of 9 days in each country and took about 16 minutes to complete. Certain demographic questions were not asked in some countries due to sensitivities around cultural norms. Respondents included adults aged 18 and older.

ABOUT THE BODY SHOP INTERNATIONAL
Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is a global beauty brand and a certified B Corptm. The Body Shop seeks to make positive change in the world by offering high-quality, naturally-inspired skincare, body care, hair care and make-up produced ethically and sustainably. Having pioneered the philosophy that business can be a force for good, this ethos is still the brand's driving force. The Body Shop operates about 3,000 retail locations in more than 70 countries. Along with Aesop, Avon and Natura, The Body Shop is part of Natura &Co, a global, multi-channel and multi-brand cosmetics group that is committed to generating positive economic, social and environmental impact. The four companies that form the group are committed to generating positive economic, social and environmental impact. 

SOURCE The Body Shop