LGBTQ Campus Support and Resources
College can be challenging for all students which is why finding ways to make connections with others who identify similarly can make a big difference. The American College Health Association estimates that at least 10% of college students identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, asexual, pansexual, or questioning. Although LGBTQ PRIDE is becoming more prevalent, the LGBTQ community often face additional pressures or concerns, but the University of Georgia does a great job of inclusion, advocacy, and allotting resources for the LGBTQ community.
The Pride Alliance at UGA has an LGBT resource center built into it that is tasked with meeting the needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students. They create a safe environment for students while also promoting public service, aiding in political opinions, and helping students build relationships with one another. The Pride Alliance is located in Memorial Hall and can be reached at ugapridealliance@gmail.com. They also have social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as six different Listservs to choose from to get weekly and monthly updates on events, resources, opportunities, and more.
Ways to get involved on campus:
Become an LGBT Resource Center Ambassador, who are students that participate in a one-year leadership program centered on equity, justice, and social change. They plan educational, social, and meaningful events; while also being a resource and a guide for younger LGBTQA+ students at UGA.
Join and run for office within the PRISM community group, which is a dialogue group for students who identify as LGBTQ people of color.
Students who have a passion for the media can help with the program “Queeries”, which is a student-lead, multi-platform media content group created to open dialogue about the LGBTQ community within the UGA campus.
Get involved with Graduate Pride, a group for graduate and professional students of the University of Georgia who identify as LGBTQ to build community and relationships.
If you are still working through your sexuality and want to get encouragement and guidance, or once struggled with it and want to guide others through that difficult time, The Closeted & Questioning Support Group is the perfect place to get and give that aid. A student-centered support group co-sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center and CAPS at UGA that aims to support no matter how you identify, and regardless of if you are “closeted” or “out”.
The Student Volunteer opportunities are great ways to get involved and get to know amazing adults on campus that have the sole purpose of making sure everyone feels like they belong. Student Volunteers have worked on numerous projects in that past and will continue to serve UGA in many ways. There is a description of positions along with the application.
Women Loving Women supports all femme, female, and trans female folks to come together for family, fun, and fierce conversations.
The Trans and Gender Nonconforming Support Group is a group full of people who want to be there for each other and want to build community at UGA. It is student-led and gives tremendous support to students.
Be a part of the UGA Safe Space workshop which is training for faculty, staff, and students who are interested in learning about gender and sexual identity, anti-LGBTQ+ bias, heterosexism, and how they can provide support and work toward being an ally for the LGBTQ+ community.
UGA also has a category under clubs that is strictly tagged Gender, Sexuality, Relationships, and Community and lists all the clubs that cater to these topics.
Ways to get involved in Athens:
Athens has its own PRIDE group that is committed to creating safe spaces and building networks to help our LGBTQ+ family in the Athens-Area thrive. They offer different resources, plan events, and create volunteer opportunities for people within the LGBTQ+ community in Athens.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens is a group that believes that every person has inherent worth and should be treated with dignity and respect, and therefore have an open congregation policy. They strive to be an inclusive and safe community where every person can explore honestly and openly all of who they are.
The Athens Queer Collective is a group of local Athenians who are coming together to work toward building a stronger, more cohesive, and inclusive Athens queer community through education, outreach, community support, and advocacy. They also have tons of outside resources and have partnered with different types of groups to make sure that everyone finds a perfect fit for them.
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