UW Safe Zone will host a special topic session where the sole focus will be those members of LGBT community known as the plus group, or the lesser known members from across the globe.
Safe Zone will be conducting a special discussion session on the underdiscussed members of the LGBTQ community, Tuesday at the Wyoming Union, Room 203, 12:15 to 1:45 p.m. It is a session dedicated to recognizing some of the unacknowledged members of the LGBTQ community.
The session will be conducted by Safe Zone Coordinator Lindy Westenhoff.
“When we talk about the LGBTQIA+ community, a lot of people don’t have a lot of knowledge about the ‘plus’ part,” Westenoff said. “In our regular sessions we don’t have time to go in depth into this topic, which is why we have this special session.”
She has also invited various members of the LGBT community to come join the discussion.
“Many of these complex identities are non-Western, so we need to start exploring, recognizing them and talking about them, so that they can be celebrated in the U.S. as well,” Westenhoff said.
Safe Zone is a program geared towards creating an inclusive environment for the LGBTQIA community. This program allows for introspection and thought on various aspects of the LGBTQIA community via a discussion about tolerance and acceptance.
Underdiscussed members of the community count as diverse and culturally recognized individuals who have not been given recognition in the group. The main non-Western identities that they will explore are Hijras, Two-Spirit and Fa’afafine.
Hijras are transgender individuals who were assigned male at birth but embody male and female gender roles. They are largely located in South Asia, dominant in the Indian subcontinent. They were just in the last few years recognized as a third gender in Bangladesh and India
Two-Spirit is a term used to describe several different culturally distinct genders that are associated with many Indigenous North American tribes. Each tribe has a name associated with two spirit identities – this is more of an encompassing term. The mixed gender roles often mean that they wear clothing and perform work associated with both binary genders.
Fa’afafine are people who identify as a third-gender in American Samoa.They embody both masculine and feminine traits.
“I hope people are receptive of these concepts. We want them to know more and acknowledge that gender is not perceived the same everywhere and that identity is more complicated than just the binary roles we know,” Westenhoff said. “The reason we have this session is so that these underdiscussed members don’t have to categorize themselves under a label, but can be recognized as who they are.”
The purpose of the session is to inform the faculty, students, staff, and community of the various identities of the LGBTQIA+ community. Safe Zone has always worked toward creating more allies to establish a safe and inclusive society for members of the LGBT community so they may be able to have a safe haven.
“I think this session is a great idea for people to learn more about the members of the community, especially ones that haven’t been recognized fully,” an active participant of Safe Zone, Juan Diego Vintimilla, said. “I believe this session will be informative and will give all of us new knowledge on how to be more accepting of our community members.”
Those attending meetings have been open to new concepts of gender identity.
“Most people were pretty receptive in the last session,” Westenhoff said. “Some of our ground rules are that we want to have an open discussion, but you don’t have to speak if you don’t want.”
Westenhoff wants everyone to know that further discussion and view changes are openly accepted.
“Most importantly it is okay to change your mind, be overwhelmed or change what your initial preconception was,” Westenhoff said. “That is what I am there for, so you can speak to me after the session or via email about whatever it is you may want to discuss.”
Feel free to ask questions and join the discussion Tuesday.
“Come with an open mind and an empty stomach because we will be providing lunch, catered by Panda Express! We look forward to a lively discussion,” Westenhoff said.
