LGBTQ+ Allyship with Safe Zone

The Center for Sexuality & Gender Diversity has spent the last year rethinking the Safe Zone training program. It aims to be more useful to the queer and trans (QT) community across campus by encouraging participants to do allyship rather than be an ally. This shift has led the SGD to radically redesign the program from the ground up.

They are proud to bring this new program to the KU community in a series of intensive 3-hour courses and a continuing education model of 1-hour, deep-dive sessions that can be taken across semesters by faculty, staff, and students. The new program engages you where you are, first building foundational knowledge (Level I). You can then think through QT intersectional identities (Level II), and discuss civic engagement and active allyship strategies (Level III).

Register for Level 1 Safe Zone Training

“As excited as we are to bring this program to campus, we need help to bring it to life and to best serve our community.”  Zach Parker, the program coordinator for the Center for Sexuality & Gender Diversity, notes that the Center is looking for interested people from across the university to help facilitate Safe Zone sessions. “We are currently hosting Level I sessions and need assistance continuing to offer it across campus as well as support our upcoming new sessions. Our hope is to always provide a humane, flexible facilitation strategy through a modular facilitation structure and regularly scheduling facilitators in pairs. We know this is exhausting work on top of all the other important work you do across the university, but this might be a great opportunity for you to practice leadership, no matter your current role.”

Call for Volunteers

If you’re interested in facilitating Safe Zone, please email sgd@ku.edu to talk through the training process and discuss any questions you might have.