Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy

Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy division

The Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy is apart of the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. You can find out more about on our divisional website: Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

 

Meet Our Team

 

 

Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy Mission Statement

The mission of the Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy is to create an environment where the intersectional experiences of trans and queer people are supported, celebrated, validated and affirmed

 

Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy Values

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Advocacy:
We unapologetically aim to lift up, center, and give support to trans and queer students, staff and faculty. We approach our work with an understanding, awareness and consciousness of the systematic ways oppression marginalizes members of our LGBTQIA+ community. While gender and sexuality are foundational, our broader commitment is to create safer spaces on campus and work in solidarity to build an inclusive and equitable environment where all members feel valued and have agency over their own experience. We serve as active engaged members of our larger WCU community and work within an ethical framework to not only provide resources for those who may not have equal access, but to stay accountable to supporting underrepresented and underserved community members.

Social Justice:
We are dedicated to celebrating and validating the intersections of one’s identities while actively working towards dismantling the structural inequalities that disproportionately affect communities that have been impacted by deep-rooted, systemic oppression. We recognize that social justice examines the interconnectedness of one’s social identities and the impact it has on their daily experience. Through education, action, advocacy and accountability we work to liberate trans and queer people from systems of oppression, so they can freely live their lives. Ultimately, we aim to work in solidarity to reimagine a globally and socially just campus environment and world.

Intersectionality:
We utilize an intersectional framework as a foundation. This word, though often misused, and over used, is rooted in Kimberle Crenshaw’s work that originally addressed the relationship between race and gender, particularly for black women. For us, intersectionality highlights how our social identities are woven and interconnected to power structures and systemic oppression that impacts people with marginalized identities. In order to obtain a socially just campus and world we cannot silo our work but must advocate for all people who have been impacted by our society's oppression.

Wholistic Wellness:
We are committed to the personal and professional well-being of trans and queer communities. We care about the entirety of their experiences and acknowledge the ways in which prioritizing self-care within marginalized communities is often overlooked, de-valued, and neglected, which is a direct result of systemic oppression. We believe the very act of reclaiming self-care is a radical, progressive action towards self-love. We offer opportunities to deepen one’s individual sense of wellness, and encourage communal engagement in learning, development, fulfillment, and academic success.