It’s Pride Month and time to celebrate the 2SLGBTQ+ community and promote visibility and acceptance. You might not be aware, but Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber have specific 2SLGBTQ+ resources on campus and what better month to learn all about them than the month of June!

So, let’s learn about the resources available on campus to honour a monthlong celebration of love, diversity, acceptance and self-pride.

2SLGBTQ+ Resource Centre

Before we go any further, if you’re not aware, 2SLGBTQ+ is an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Two-Spirit. And guess what? Humber actually has a 2SLGBTQ+ Resource Centre.

It is an essential safe space for students on college campuses. It provides a comfortable environment for students to connect with the community, feel safe, and celebrate their identities.

Advocating rights and visibility on campus

Anna Rekhviashvili, the Coordinator of the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, discussed the Resource Centre’s role in advocating for 2SLGBTQ+ rights and visibility on campus. The Resource Centre also organizes large-scale events throughout the year, including the Trans Day of Remembrance and Trans Day of Visibility.

“Our main role is having this very specific space for students to come in and hang out and connect with the community and connect with [their] peers and feel safe and comfortable in where they are,” Rekhviashvili said.

This year, the resource centre organized a “Drag Show” aimed at involving the broader Humber community in 2SLGBTQ+ celebrations. And for this Pride Month, the centre has planned a whole month of programming, working with multiple departments at Humber to organize events that celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ identities on campus.

Rekhviashvili said the theme for this year’s celebrations is “Queer Joy” which emphasizes the importance of celebrating happiness and joy within the community as an act of resistance and political gesture.

“The idea behind ‘Queer Joy’ is…we want to…spread a message to the Humber community that in addition to…granting basic rights to 2SLGBTQ+ community…it’s also really important to celebrate happiness and joy of queer communities as an act of resistance [and] political gesture,” she said.

Understanding resources and being an ally

The Resource Centre provides resources for students to explore and understand their own LGBTQ+ identities, including information and activities that help students feel more comfortable in their skin.

Rekhviashvili highlighted that allies are welcome in the space as well as anyone who feels comfortable and respectful towards the needs of the community. They can get involved in multiple ways, including leading their events, participating in events, or tackling various advocacy initiatives.

Mental Health

The Resource Centre also works closely with Humber’s mental health services. For instance, SWAC is LGBTQ+ inclusive and the centre refers students to them when needed. These services have experience working with members from this community and can be an extremely valuable resource on campus.

The health and counselling services at Humber are confidential and available to all registered students. SWAC’s goal is to promote student success by providing care that also supports well-being.

Supporting unique needs

The centre acknowledges the significance of addressing and supporting the unique needs of students with intersectional identities such as race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. Rekhviashvili said, “We try to reflect on the differences within the Humber community, which has quite a high number of international students from different backgrounds.”

The Resource Centre also plans to bring back its program, Intersections, in September, which will provide further support to students with intersectional identities.

IGNITE your Pride! In honour of Pride Month, we offer a $1,000 IGNITE Pride Scholarship during the month of June. Each summer, five students from Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber’s 2SLGBTQ+ community will be awarded this scholarship.

IGNITE hopes to provide better support and alleviate financial hardships disproportionately affecting the 2SLGBTQ+ community through this scholarship. The applications will open from June 1 till June 30.

Happy Pride Month!

Header photo courtesy of Marta Branco from Pexels.

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