Increasing Pride at Western
Improving and understanding the diverse needs of Western’s 2SLGBTQIA+ through student research, community events and needs assessment.
Project Lead: Partnership between Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Indigenous Student Centre
Project Status: In Progress
Increasing Pride at Western will enhance our understanding of the diverse needs of Western’s 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and more sexual and gender diverse identities) community, especially of often under-served groups: international students, students who are not able to be ‘out’, students who are exploring their identities, and gender-diverse students. This project will explore these communities’ needs for space, services, supports, and programming through the work of a student researcher, community events, and needs assessment.
One element of the project is the development of a Pride Guide: a resource guide that provides the Western community with neutral language, introductory knowledge on gender, sex, and identity, and resources to further 2SLGBTQIA+ allyship on campus. The guide serves as a centralized space to house accessible resources for mental health and well-being, community resources, student groups, and counselling services.
In summary...
- 2 2SLGBTQIA+ student groups – Spectrum and Pride USC – have been engaged in the development process to gain a general understanding of students' needs.
- Staff, faculty, students, and community partners will be actively involved in the ongoing review process to ensure we are including various perspectives and to understand the needs of various user groups on campus.
- The Pride Guide will use pre-existing data and research developed on campus around the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and identity.
- The Pride Guide will launch for the 2025 academic year.
