12 NEWS NOOR AQIL / THE UNDERGROUND www. the-underground.ca JANUARY AUGUST 22 7 -- FEBRUARY OCTOBER 5, 3, 2016 VOLUME 35, 36, ISSUE 05 01
NEWS 13 A Beginner’s Guide to Finding the LGBTQIA+ Community at UTSC Leslie Quinn**, Contributor Between new classes, a much bigger workload, and making new friends, it takes a lot before you finally find your groove at UTSC. If you’re an incoming student, and also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community*, finding the support system and resources you need might prove to be a little difficult. This article will hopefully point you in the right direction when it comes to meeting new people, creating lasting relationships in the community, and making the most of the resources and events here at UTSC! In the past few years, UTSC has made several steps to make the campus a more inclusive space for everyone. The following organizations and groups are committed to creating safer space on campus and cultivating communities of support for LGBTQIA+ folks: Located in room 336 of the Bladen Wing, Scarborough Campus: Out (SC:OUT) was created with the intention of being a physical space for students of the LGBTQIA+ community. The SC:OUT lounge is an open space for students to decompress, relax, study, and is open to all students of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies. The Positive Space Committee is a collection of students, faculty, and staff, that are dedicated “to increas[ing] visibility and talk about sexual diversity.” The committee meets monthly to discuss which resources are needed on campus, organize events, and work with other campus groups to create a braver and more inclusive space for folks. The Sexual and Gender Diversity Office (SGDO), located in suites 416 and 417 at 21 Sussex Avenue near the downtown campus, works with all three University of Toronto campuses to facilitate a more inclusive campuswide community. The office handles concerns or complaints regarding harassment and/or discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation, gender, etc. SGDO also creates events dedicated to various different sexual and gender identities such as a bi-weekly lunch and conversation series held at UTSC called “Outside the Box.” The UTSC Equity and Diversity Office (EDO) is a Scarborough campus-based office that works with several other campus partners to create a more inclusive campus. Located on the Bladen Wing’s fifth floor, the EDO creates programming centered around inclusivity and assists with educating people about equity on campus. The EDO also handles harassment and/or discrimination complaints on campus and responds to concerns. Don’t miss out on opportunities to join the UTSC community! Here are some events that you can attend that are centered around making sure everyone feels welcome: Queer Orientation is an annual week of events that occur across all three University of Toronto campuses. The week is dedicated to introducing incoming students to the LG- BTQIA+ community as well as other available resources on campus. The events invite students to educate themselves about sexual and gender diversity, as well as find queer-positive groups to join. This year’s Queer Orientation will occur from Sept. 22 to Sept. 30, with each campus offering several different events run by various campus groups. In January, look out for the Positive Space Committee’s annual Rainbow Tie Gala. It’s a night of food, music, and mingling. Not only is the Rainbow Tie Gala free to all students, staff, and faculty, but there is also a mix-andmingle session followed by a number of stellar performances from UTSC students and the LG- BTQIA+ community. Social Spectrum is a brand-new group on campus which, according to their official description, “will provide LGBTQIA+ students with safer social spaces to network and meet other students while engaging with media, games, and other recreation…” Social Spectrum will also “host movies, games, exam study sessions, campus walks, and other social events for LGBTQIA+ students and allies on the UTSC campus.” Events that are meant for the LG- BTQIA+ community and allies are a place to form networks of solidarity, connect with cool people, and embrace our differences. Regardless of where you are on your journey to self-love and self-acceptance, it is always worthwhile to get out there and meet the LGBTQIA+ community. These groups and events are meant to create friendships, connections, memories, and support systems that can help you during your time here at UTSC, so approach them in whatever way works best for you. Everyone is on their own path to accepting themselves as themselves. Take the time, resources, and support that you need when you need it. *For the purpose of this article we have chosen to use the acronym LGBTQIA+. We at the publication are sensitive to the fact that this is by no means an all encompassing acronym for queer identified folks. There are various intersections to one’s identity, many of which cannot be defined by a single word. Our sincerest apologies if we have, with just the use of LGBTQIA+ acronym, offended individuals or made them feel as if their identity does not matter to us. That is not true and it is certainly not our intention to hurt anyone. It has always been, and continues to be our team’s intention to create safer spaces for our school community and beyond. **Contributor’s identity withheld upon request www. the-underground.ca JANUARY AUGUST 22 7 - FEBRUARY OCTOBER 5, 3, 2016 VOLUME 36, 35, ISSUE 01 05
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