LGBTQ+ Initiatives

The Office of Multicultural Affairs works to enhance campus inclusion and provide support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and ally students, staff and faculty through intellectual and leadership development, building community, outreach and visibility. We recognize that sexual orientation and gender identity and expression work through and are influenced by race, ethnicity, gender, culture, age, ability, class, faith and other social characteristics. In keeping with the ideals of Stephen F. Austin State University Office of Multicultural Affairs we commit to social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion for all persons in all of our endeavors. Some of the inclusive programs and initiatives that we have at SFA are Safe Space trainings, Safe Space Train the Trainer trainings and the annual National Coming Out Day Celebration.

LGBTQ is an acronym that means:

L - Lesbian

G - Gay

B - Bisexual

T - Transgender

Q - Queer or Questioning

People usually use LGBTQ or LGBTQ+ to mean all of the communities included: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, pansexual, agender, genderqueer, bigender, gender variant, and pangender.

COMING OUT

"Coming out" is a process of exploring your sexual orientation and sharing that with others. The first step in the process is usually coming out to yourself, to other LGBTQ+ individuals, and to heterosexual individuals. Coming out is a journey that can be rewarding, but also may be a negative struggle. It's important to talk to safe others and recognize that there is a community out there that can support you.

National Coming Out Day is celebrated annually on October 11th in the United States. Though not everyone can safely come out, many people use the day to share their own personal coming out stories, support those who choose to keep their identities a secret or come out themselves.

Pride Month

LGBTQ+ Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as "Gay Pride Day," but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the "day" soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBTQ+ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.

In 1994, a coalition of education-based organizations in the United States designated October as LGBTQ+ History Month. In 1995, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBTQ+ History Month within a list of commemorative months. National Coming Out Day (October 11), as well as the first "March on Washington" in 1979, are commemorated in the LGBTQ+ community during LGBTQ+ History Month.

ON-CAMPUS RESOURCES