LGBTQ Center moves to Homewood Apartments

The LGBTQ Resource Center, established in Sept. of last year, will be moving into the Homewood Apartments, located near the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA).

The new center is larger than the old and will allow for more room to hold events, group discussions and programming. It will also include a lounge and kitchenette where students can spend their free time. The move occured in response to a needs assessment conducted last spring.

The intended purpose of this center, as stated in the LGBT Resource Center Proposal submitted in March 2012, is “to efficiently gather and organize Johns Hopkins resources across the various campuses and become the focal point for LGBT programming, research, outreach and education.”

Since its establishment, the LGBT Center has been used so much that many have requested more space.

“Diversity is a very important aspect of the Hopkins experience and we are highly committed to creating an environment that enables each of our students to fulfill their academic and personal potential,” Vice Provost for Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger wrote in a community-wide statement. “One of our priorities is to build community among a diverse group of students so they learn from each other’s backgrounds and are prepared [to] lead and work in diverse environments both within the University and after they leave.”

The office of LGBTQ Life opened last year as a result of the efforts of the Diversity Leadership Council (DLC) in conjunction with the President’s office and supporters throughout the University.

The DLC consists of approximately 50 members from across various divisions of the University. Together, the council works to advise President Ronald J. Daniels about concerns and issues regarding matters of promoting diversity at Hopkins.

The DLC has a mission statement on its website.

“Our mission is to recommend and promote policies, programs and other initiatives that will attract and retain a diverse mix of faculty, staff, and students, to examine formal and informal structures and processes that inhibit Johns Hopkins Institutions from being more inclusive and recommend changes that foster greater inclusion, to support diversity awareness education campus-wide, to support the personal growth and development of all individuals in the University and to establish a liaison with Baltimore community leaders to encourage greater community involvement by various divisions of the Johns Hopkins Institutions,” the statement reads.

Several LGBTQA student groups at Hopkins are also affiliated with the DLC, including the Diverse Sexuality and Gender Alliance (DSAGA), Out in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (oSTEM), the Peabody Gay-Straight Alliance at the Peabody School of Music and the Gertrude Stein Society - an organization for LGBTQA members of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (JHMI), including the Schools of Nursing, Medicine, and Public Health.

The creation of a separate group for graduate students at Hopkins is also currently in the works.

Recent initiatives that LGBT groups at Hopkins have undertaken include the Safe Zone Program and the OUTList.

The Safe Zone program aims to promote an environment where the LGBT community and their allies succeed intellectually, socially and emotionally. Established in 2012, the Safe Zone Program trains students, faculty and other members of the Hopkins community alike in order to help individuals become better allies for the LGBT community.

The intended goal of the mission is “to build a climate where everyone feels safe and accepted,” according to the official mission statement on the LGBT Life at JHU website. The Safe Zone training program runs for three hours, and although there are set training sessions, the times are flexible according to the schedules of the training applicant in question.

The OUTList is a list that contains members of the Johns Hopkins community that identify as LGBT. Members of the OUTList serve as mentors for the LGBT community at Hopkins, thereby creating an informal network that works to grow and support LGBT causes.

“The list is also intended to serve as a tool for recruiting and retaining the most talented people, to foster a culture in which everyone feels that their contributions are valued, and as another example of the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion,” the group’s mission statement reads.

In light of its recent advancements to the LGBTQ program, the University has acknowledged that there is still work to be done to further the aims of the LGBTQ community at all Hopkins institutions.

“Moving forward, the Office will also seek to strengthen networking between diverse groups on campus as well as the LGBTQ communities at our other campuses,” Shollenberger said. “Another priority is working to enhance our partnership with our LGBTQ alumni community, JHU Pride, co-sponsoring events with them at Young Alumni Weekend and Alumni Weekend in the spring.”