The Center for Student Leadership and Involvement strives to be a welcoming and inclusive community for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and seeks to celebrate and affirm all intersecting identities within the community.
LGBTQ+ Programming
Each academic year we host a number of annual and signature programs, which include the following:
- Spirit Day
- International Pronoun Day
- Transgender Day of Remembrance
- Rep Your Flag Day
- Lavender Graduation
- Pride Pride
Upcoming Events:
- Please check Panther Connect for all of our upcoming events!
definitions & Resources
Key Definitions
- Allyship: Allies are people of the dominant or majority group who work to end oppression in their private and professional lives through support of, and as an advocate for the oppressed population. Allies are supportive advocates for LGBTQ+ communities through their activism, involvement or their nature to speak out against oppression and inequality. While allies can be straight or cisgender identified individuals LGBTQ+ identified individuals can also serve as allies to other oppressed communities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
Allies can help LGBTQ+ people by actively working to end homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, cissexism, and heterosexism. If you are an Ally, then please learn how you can get involved on campus and remember that all LGBTQ+ events on campus are open to everyone! - Coming Out: Coming out is a life long process of understanding, accepting, and acknowledging your identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) or a similar identity. Coming out includes both exploring your identity and sharing that identity with others. The first person you have to come out to is yourself. Coming out happens in different ways and occurs at different ages for different people. College, in particular, is often the time in which students begin to explore their identities and come out to peers, friends, and family members.
HRC Coming Out Resource Guide - Pronouns: A pronoun is a word that refers to either the people talking (I or you) or someone or something that is being talked about (like she, it, them, and this). Gender pronouns (he/she/they/ze etc.) specifically refer to people that you are talking about. In English, our most commonly used pronouns (he/she) specifically refer to a person’s gender. For queer, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and transgender people, these pronouns may not fit, can create discomfort, and can cause stress and anxiety.
My Pronouns Resource Site
Additional Resources