Resources on campus for sexual diversity and gender equality
Moving away from home can be both scary and exciting. It’s great to be able to – pardon my cliche – spread your wings and fly, but it can be daunting to move to a new place, away from your friends and family and the comfortable zone you have lived in for the last 17 or 18 years. It can be especially intimidating to figure out how sex, sexuality, and gender identity fits into you move into adult life. At the University of Guelph, there are several services, clubs, and support systems available to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, inter-sex, queer, two-spirit, and ally students.
OUTline is an amalgamation of several of these services and resources, and the organization runs several of its own initiatives, as well. Ask OUTline, a question-and-answer based blog run by the organization’s volunteers and staff members, allows students to submit questions anonymously on an online forum. The Support Phone Line, which is confidential and anonymous, offers a way for students to connect with LGBTIQQ2+ identifying volunteers for support, questions, or just general conversation. The OUTline website also links to two separate hotlines – the Distress line and the LGBT Youth Line – for students who are seeking immediate assistance.
OUTline also participates in awareness events and hosts several workshops and training sessions on the barriers and challenges of the LGBTIQQ2+ community for on- and off-campus organizations, looking to engage not only students with questions but the community as a whole.
There are also several other resources available to students on campus and in the greater Guelph community. The Guelph Resource Centre for Gender Empowerment and Diversity is a student-funded resource centre for “people of all or no genders.”The Student Help and Advocacy Centre (SHAC) offers support to LGBTIQQ2+ students who feel that their rights may have been compromised. SHAC is also responsible for coordinating the annual Queer Identities Week hosted on campus. Guelph Queer Equality was created to provide a safe place for students of all kinds – LGBTIQQ2+, questioning, or ally. Guelph Queer Equality hosts several events over the academic year, open not only to the university community, but to the general public, as well.
Making the leap into student life is certainly an exciting and terrifying leap to make, no matter your gender or sexual identity, but know that at the University of Guelph, there will always be someone who knows what you’re going through and is willing to listen. You are definitely never alone here, and the many amazing services available to students makes adjusting to campus life a little bit easier.