Faculty and Staff

• In the Spring 2024 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Executive Summary of the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment III, 8.95% of the respondents were transgender and/or gender nonconforming
• This is similar to the rates of LGBTQIA+ identities at UW-Milwaukee that were captured in the UW System Free Speech survey in 2022:
  • 26.7 % identify as non-heterosexual​
  • 12.5% identify as non-cisgender​
• UW-Milwaukee does not collect self-select demographics on sexuality or gender diverse identities, so there is no way for us to know the exact number year-to-year

How do we compare to the national trend?

• • The Association of American Universities sampled more than 180,000 undergraduate and graduate students in a national 2020 survey, with about 17% identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, queer or questioning
  • In that same survey. only 1.7% of the sample identified as transgender, nonbinary, or questioning their gender

Each year, the Gender and Sexuality Advocacy Senate from Student Associate leads a LGBTQ+ Forum to take a snapshot of student experiences around feelings of inclusion (and exclusion) on campus. Here are the themes from Student Association’s LGBTQ+ Forum from February 2023.

1. Feeling unable or unsafe to be open about identity on campus​
2. Lack of representation in faculty and curriculum​
3. Feeling worn out from constant microaggressions and self-advocacy​
4. Number one request: mandatory or wide-spread LGBTQ+ competency training for faculty and staff
5. Wanting faculty and staff to be more open in supporting them​

There are several ways to get involved with the LGBTQ+ Resource Center and/or LGBTQIA+ advocacy and support for our students!

• Attend our flagship events, which we open to the entire UW-Milwaukee campus community
  • Coming Out Monologues – held around 10/11 (National Coming Out Day)
    • An annual celebration for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer identified people to share narratives of hope, support, and triumph
  • Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil – held around 11/20 (Trans Day of Remembrance)
    • An annual candlelight vigil to remember the lives and read the names of those lost to anti-transgender violence, including deaths by suicide. There is a reception afterwards for those who wish to be in community with others.
  • Lavender Graduation – held on the first Wednesday evening of May
    • An annual celebration of graduating LGBTQ+ students and their accomplishments at UW-Milwaukee

• Collaborate with us for an event, service, or internship
  • Some examples of our recent collaborations with faculty and staff
    • Fall Open House exhibit with the Office of Applied Gerontology and the Student Gerontology Association
    • Semesterly internship program with Women’s and Gender Studies
    • In-class resource fair tabling with the CHPS 100 Class sections
    • Two-day custom L.I.F.T. curriculum for the Athletic Training Master’s program (see our Educational Workshops page for more information)

• Join the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for LGBTQ+ Advocacy
  • The Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for LGBTQ+ Advocacy is the campus body that makes recommendations to the administration surrounding issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community, specifically around policy and campus climate. Our membership includes faculty, staff, and students. If you are interested in being a part of this committee, please contact Chair Ariana Natalie Myers at myersan@uwm.edu.

To address some of the concerns outlined by our students in the aforementioned LGBTQ+ Forum at UWM, please consider looking into these resources to build more inclusive classrooms.

Trainings

• In Fall 2024, there will be a new module focusing on LGBTQIA+ Advocacy in the established Racial Justice & Equity Program Canvas course. This module will serve as a primer for our educational workshops in the future, as it will cover basic terminology, concepts, and topics about LGBTQIA+ identities and communities.
• Request a workshop from the LGBTQ+ Resource Center staff, including a modular Allyship Training or a customized L.I.F.T. training!
• UW-Milwaukee’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) offers ongoing and unique workshops and series that center inclusive education practices
• CETL and the Division of DEI provide an Inclusive Teaching Toward Justice series, and they are developing a self-paced version

Inclusive Classroom Resources

Tips for building LGBTQIA+ inclusive classrooms:

1. Educate yourself and stay up to date on LGBTQIA+ topics, current events, and trends
2. Lead by example by offering your pronouns and using the correct name-in-use and pronouns for students
   • Along with introductions, you can include your pronouns in your email signature, syllabus, and nametag
   • To get the most current names-in-use for your student roster, pull the roster from Canvas
3. Address guidelines for discussion early and often in class, and correct problematic behavior immediately
   • Review the non-discrimination policy in your syllabus review
   • Create a classroom climate in which the perspectives of LGBTQIA+ and non-LGBTQIA+ students are valued
4. Include LGBTQIA+ stories in your curriculum, highlighting professionals in your field or intersecting topics
5. Strive for more inclusive language, such as “students” or “everyone”, instead of “ladies and gentlemen”
6. Avoid asking or depending on LGBTQIA+ students to speak on LGBTQIA+ issues (the same goes for other social identities and cultural issues)

Other resources:

• General inclusive classroom practices, including assumptions and considerations
• LGBTQ+ Inclusive classroom practices from GLSEN. Though the curriculum building aspects focus on K-12, the principles can be applied to the college level