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LGBTQIA+

During the roundtables, participants shared that students, staff, and faculty from the LGBTQIA+ community do not feel safe in all spaces on campus. In addition to an expansion of affinity spaces for Loyolans who identify as LGBTQIA+, clear messaging and data that affirm LGBTQIA+ representation on campus is needed.

Challenges Based on Lived Experiences

  • Lack of departmental support for LGBTQIA+ students/faculty/staff
  • Need for support that is specific to trans/gender non-conforming students (e.g., gender-neutral restrooms, menstrual equity, name change policies, policies for misgendering, revisiting housing)
  • Catholic identity and lack of acknowledgment of harm toward LGBTQIA+ communities
  • Support needs to expand across campuses (there is a lot of support on LSC, but this is not reflected in WTC and HSC)
  • Need for more robust demographic data on identities
  • Safety concerns due to identity

Positive Engagement to Build Upon

  • Energy on campus is building toward this, need to build on existing opportunities
  • Need better connections/support networks, both across campuses and between student body and faculty/staff
  • More intentional training and affinity spaces (e.g., SDMA)

Actions for Further Progress

Institution Level

  • Create consistency and transparency from administration (e.g., clarity on policies, stance of university on support for LGBTQIA+ people, acknowledgement of Catholic identity and harm/tension)
  • Ensure more robust demographic data collection and increased representation
  • Organize affinity spaces (students, faculty, and staff) and clarity on where they are and how to access them

Community Level

  • Engage faculty/staff to use their power to push departmental change (increased hiring, culture change, curriculum)
  • Encourage cross-departmental sharing of resources and training

Individual Level

  • Identify resources and making them accessible to others
  • Make space for discussion, normalizing conversations, and corrections (pronoun use)

During the roundtables, participants shared that students, staff, and faculty from the LGBTQIA+ community do not feel safe in all spaces on campus. In addition to an expansion of affinity spaces for Loyolans who identify as LGBTQIA+, clear messaging and data that affirm LGBTQIA+ representation on campus is needed.

Challenges Based on Lived Experiences

  • Lack of departmental support for LGBTQIA+ students/faculty/staff
  • Need for support that is specific to trans/gender non-conforming students (e.g., gender-neutral restrooms, menstrual equity, name change policies, policies for misgendering, revisiting housing)
  • Catholic identity and lack of acknowledgment of harm toward LGBTQIA+ communities
  • Support needs to expand across campuses (there is a lot of support on LSC, but this is not reflected in WTC and HSC)
  • Need for more robust demographic data on identities
  • Safety concerns due to identity

Positive Engagement to Build Upon

  • Energy on campus is building toward this, need to build on existing opportunities
  • Need better connections/support networks, both across campuses and between student body and faculty/staff
  • More intentional training and affinity spaces (e.g., SDMA)