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LGBTIQ&A
& Series | event co/sponsorships | email Qdigest | celebration Gala | community outreach
graduation tassels | HomeComing Out reception | in-office resources | online resources | Q&A (Safezone) Trainings/Network
Rainbow Know series | social series | Speakers Bureau | Transgender resources | Welcome Back BB"Q"
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning and Ally (LGBTIQA) communities are a vital part of and contribute significantly to Inclusive Excellence at the University of Denver. Our LGBTIQ&A students, staff, faculty, alumns and friends are extremely diverse and truly represent a “rainbow” of intersecting social dimensions including disability, class, race/ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, age, nationality, religion, and a host of other identities.
Recognizing and celebrating this presence and contribution, the University’s non-discrimination policy has included sexual orientation since 1995, and gender identity and expression since 2007--placing DU among the top ~10% of US colleges and universities whose policies explicitly protect all categories. In practice, the University offers domestic partnership benefits for eligible employees, hosts a number of annual LGBTIQ&A events and observances, and supports a variety of employee, student and alumn affinity organizations. And the Center for Multicultural Excellence offers a variety of programs and services that support and empower our LGBTIQ&A communities as they thrive, succeed, and help make DU inclusively excellent!
Programs & Services
Unless otherwise noted, all CME programs, services and events are provided at no cost to University-affiliated participants. Due to space limitations and for materials preparation, advance registration may be required. Please see linked pages and/or contact us for the most up-to-date details.
& ("ampersand") Series (occasional)
Our & Series explores the intersection of LGBTIQ and other identities, such as religion, race/ethnicity, nationality and more. These occasional events, often co-sponsored with other campus/community organizations, call attention to our multiple, overlapping and sometimes conflicting identities as full people. Past events have included:
Check our calendar for upcoming events. Contact us with idea or resource suggestions for future events.
special event co/sponsorships (ongoing)
Our office also works with various campus and community partners to co/sponsor special performances, speakers, and other events for the University of Denver. Previous programs have included Mangos with Chili performance, Samuel Lurie transgender training and SoleJourney movie screening and discussion. Some events are part of our Rainbow Know or & series.
Possible support includes location booking, publicity assistance, event staffing volunteers, and financial contributions. To request support, please see the CME sponsorship page for guidelines and application.
email Qdigest (weekly on Fridays)
To help our communities stay informed about campus and community events, issues and opportunities, we compile and email a digest of FYIs each Friday to the (umbrella) QueerDUinfo and the QSA student email listservs. Click here for a sample edition, in PDF format (in-document links may not work). We also offer a quarterly edition specific to alumns.
Subscribe to appropriate listserv on our Communications page. Submit brief suggestions (<200 words of text, no graphics, with contact info or weblink) via email to lgbtiqa@du.edu.
celebration Gala (annual, spring quarter)
The University's annual party to appreciate and motivate work across campus by and on behalf of the LGBTIQ&A communities. Food, drinks and fun celebrate success, solidarity and still more yet to come! Mark your calendars, volunteer to help put on the party and/or nominate change agents for an award. For 2013, Let's Have a Kiki! was our theme on April 4th.
community outreach
Beyond on-campus programs, we also work with various organizations and events in the larger Denver/Colorado area! We're a founding sponsor of the annual Colorado Queer Youth Summit and CampOUT experience. We have a booth each summer at the huge Denver Pridefest. DU students, staff and faculty have been active with the CO Trans on Campus (CTOC) research/advocacy collective (see 2012 report), conducting research and engaging in advocacy around the transgender and gender variant experience in higher education across Colorado. And in the past we've assisted with the 2009 Creating Change conference here in Denver (providing volunteers and Youth Space sponsorship), and helped coordinate the 2009 and 2010 state National Latino AIDS Awareness Day events.
For information on community (off-campus) support services, volunteer opportunities, social/business connections and more, see our Community Resources page.
Graduation Tassels (each commencement season)
Our office provides a FREE rainbow tassel for any DU LGBTIQ & Ally graduate each commencement season. While not appropriate for wearing on the graduation cap itself (international regalia etiquette is one tassel only, color-matched to the discipline of the degree), they can make proud accessories otherwise and ongoing keepsakes!
To request one for yourself, or to give to a soon-to-be-DU graduate you know, please email the following info to lgbtiqa@du.edu: Graduate’s name, degree (e.g., BA, MS, JD, etc), major/program (e.g., Accounting, Forensic Psychology, etc) and graduation month (i.e., June, August, November, March). (This information is for our reference only, and is not published/posted.) We will arrange for pick-up/mailing of the tassel and a congratulatory note.
HomeComing Out reception (fall)
Each year for DU's Homecoming & Family Weekend, we host a casual reception between the afternoon Parade and the evening Taste of DU event. All Pioneers and their family and friends are invited to drop by the Center for warm drinks, fall snacks and good company. No RSVP necessary. Watch our calendar and the Homecoming site for details each fall.
in-office resources
In addition to the other resources available at the CME building, our office also offers the following for FREE:
- hardcopies of many of the resource materials posted online
- a Resource Collection of books, movies and other LGBTIQ & Ally-related media for checkout during business hours. (Much more material is available centrally through Penrose Library. Check their holdings for classic and contemporary titles.)
- a Safer Sex Box of goodies to please and protect you and your partner(s)
- bulletin boards packed with info on community resources, current events and involvement opportunities
- private consultations with our staff: informal discussions, referrals and advocacy. While we’re happy to see drop-ins, we encourage you to call or email in advance to make sure someone’s available, or to schedule a definite appointment.
We welcome your suggestions for additional in-person resources we could offer. Contact us with your ideas!
online resources
This website provides information on various campus organizations and opportunities, links to on- and off-campus resources, and various downloadable references. See left side menu for overall headings, including Campus Resources for downloads and campus offices and groups. We welcome your suggestions for additional online resources we could offer; let us know what you would find useful.
Queer & Ally (Q&A) Training (formerly Safezone) and Network (ongoing)
Similar to "SafeZone" programs at various campuses and companies around the nation, Q&A Training provides 2-3hour interactive workshops to classes, campus organizations, offices and informal groups to increase awareness about LGBTIQ & Ally identities and increased inclusion of peoples of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions. Q&A was revamped in 2007 to be more up-to-date, more inclusive of the broad diversity within LGBTIQ & Ally communities, and more flexible in meeting the specific needs of audiences. Open-to-all and by-request office/organization-specific trainings are available, as are opportunities to be trained as facilitators.
The Q&A Network is composed of the campus-wide graduates of Q&A Trainings Levels 1 and 2, who display the Q&A placard in their office/room, maintain their awareness through regular educational opportunities, and commit to being a resource on LGBTIQA issues at DU.
Click the section header for more details; or see our calendar for upcoming Q&A Training/Network events. (If none are listed there, then none are currently scheduled. We rely on volunteer facilitators, and must coordinate their schedules with campus space availability--an ongoing process; please check back, or contact us to be notified as soon as the next trainings are set.)
Rainbow Know (occasional)
Our ongoing educational series, sharing current Pioneers', DU alumns’ and community members’ expertise on LGBTIQ-related worklife issues such as financial planning, legal issues, healthy relationships and more. Resources from past presenters are available; suggestions welcome for future topics and presenters. Click the section header for more details; or calendar for upcoming events.
Social Series (ongoing)
One clear theme in feedback from DU's LGBTIQ & Ally communities is a need for purely social time--opportunities to just be together, without a specific task or educational outcome. Recognizing the importance of this community-building and -maintaining process, we provide an ongoing series of low-key, lo/no-cost social activities. The first events each year are our Sweet Treat Meet & Greet (cupcake mixer) held at CME during the first week of fall quarter classes, and the annual Welcome Back BB"Q" kickoff. Our fall HomeComing Out reception, spring celebration Gala and summer Denver PrideFest presence are all great opportunities to re/connect! Check out our 2013 Summer Socials (PDF flyer)!
Other occasional socials have included a Queer Coffee Hour at Kaladi's, trips to see the film Milk at the Mayan Theatre and to the summer Colorado Renaissance Faire, Frosting the Pastry (a sounds-dirty-but-it's-not cake decorating workshop), and a Viewer's Choice movie night at DU Hillel.
See our calendar for upcoming opportunities. If you have suggestions and/or are interested in helping organize a simple social, please contact us.
Speakers Bureau
Our office receives regular requests for speakers to visit classes, campus meetings and community groups, to share their stories growing up, coming out, and working and living as LGBTIQ & Ally people. We are developing a training program and more formal scheduling process; if you'd like to help with or participate in that work, please contact us.
For a more formal presentation, consider our Q&A Training workshops. Or, if you are interested in having a speaker/panel visit with your gathering, please contact us with specific topic, requested date and time, audience size and description, etc.
Transgender Resources
DU has a small, but vocal and growing community of transgender, genderqueer, gender variant and ally students, employees and alumns. For 2012-13 we have started a confidential TransNetwork on campus, and rebooted the Trans/Allies working group to support full implementation of DU’s gender identity/expression inclusion commitment. If you're interested in either/both, please contact us.
Currently available DU resources include:
- campus all-gender bathroom list (interactive online or PDF)
- The DU GSPP Professional Psychology Clinic offers sliding scale fee individual and group counseling for those exploring or engaging in gender transition
- resources for families/parents of transgender/gender variant youth (a PDF compilation of readings and local support organizations)
In addition to adding weblinks and downloadable resources to this website (see Campus and Community Resource links at left), our staff are also working on a Gender Transitioning on Campus Guide and are available to assist with information on and advocacy with DU institutional policies and procedures. Please contact us with resource requests/suggestions and/or for a private consultation.
Welcome Back BB"Q" (annual, fall quarter)
Along with information flyers to all current employees and incoming students, and a Sweet Treat Meet & Greet (casual cupcake mixer), each fall we also host an evening social to welcome new LGBTIQ & Ally Pioneers, and welcome back returning students, staff, faculty, administrators, and alumns. In addition to good food (veggie-friendly) we also introduce campus and community resource organizations, programs and services. The BB"Q" is a great way to start the new school year by reconnecting with existing friends and making new acquaintances and connections! Fall 2013 BB"Q" will be 5-7pm, Tuesday, 17 September at the Leo Block Alumni Center. PLEASE RSVP.
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