Safe Space - LGBTQIA+

Ensure your place of employment is both safe for and inclusive of LGBTQIA+ people.

Course Description

Safe spaces have become a repeated focus of conversation, whether discussing campus climates in educational institutions, businesses looking to foster a sense of inclusion, or the media’s myriad attempts to deride the very idea as social justice run amok. Amidst the sometimes-contentious debate, one fact remains: exploring one’s own identities and how they implicitly and explicitly interact with others is key to self-awareness, increased productivity, and equitable environments.

This particular safe space training focuses on LGBTQIA+ people and the diverse, complex communities this acronym represents. Research shows that LGBTQIA+ people, when supported in the classroom/school/workplace, exhibit far less anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Moreover, supportive environments result in overwhelmingly positive outcomes: LGBTQIA+ people skip school/work less often, are more productive, and earn higher grades. Safe spaces allow marginalized people to be heard and to contribute more freely.

This safe space training caters to varying levels of experience. Whether unpacking the LGBTQIA+ acronym for the first time, or further honing your skills as an ally, we will work together to curate sustainable change–one safe space at a time. Some terms/issues we will discuss are as follows:

• Social Justice & Creating Sustainable Change
• LGBTQIA+ (unpacking the acronym)
• Pronouns
• Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Roles
• Erasure
• Intersectionality, Power, and Oppression
• The Queer legal landscape
• Allyship
• Resources

About the Presenter

Christopher J. Jorgenson has been director of the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center for 7 years. Under his leadership, UW-Eau Claire has been ranked #3 nationally and #1 statewide for LGBTQIA+ inclusion and student experience. He participates in numerous campus committees and chairs the Queer & Trans Action Committee (QTAC) and Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT). Jorgenson teaches in the Women, Gender, and Sexualities Studies program, and his approach to social justice advocacy emphasizes both the acknowledgment of inequity, as well as the importance of celebrating folx whose identities are too often denigrated and marginalized. Christopher is in the process of attaining his Ed.D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership, with a focus on underrepresented student populations within higher education, and regularly travels throughout the United States to speak on issues of power, oppression, privilege, and intersectionality.