First Year Package

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