Presidential Commission on LGBTQ Initiatives held a welcome reception for Kennesaw State faculty and staff on Thursday, Sept. 13, in order to welcome and thank KSU staff and faculty that have been supportive of LGBTQ initiatives.
Associate Director of Cultural and Community Centers Brandon Jackson said that faculty and staff who have been supportive or were looking to support LGBTQ initiatives were invited to attend the welcome reception.
Jackson said that the reception was a “celebratory event,” and he felt that the event was successful in being welcoming and inclusive for all involved.
The Presidential Commission on LGBTQ Initiatives was formed to advise KSU President Dr. Pamela Whitten on matters regarding the LGBTQ community on campus, Jackson said. In the past, KSU faculty and staff have assisted with the creation of programs to create a more welcoming campus for KSU’s LGBTQ community.
Jackson said the commission’s Preferred Names initiative allows for students to use their preferred names on D2L rather than having to use birth names that they do not identify with. The University System of Georgia Health Insurance policy recommends that the university contact the USG to request that health insurance covers gender transition surgeries and gender dysphoria.
The LGBTQ Initiative has also helped build unisex bathrooms on campus for students who do not feel comfortable in single-sex bathrooms and for students with disabilities, Jackson said.
Additionally, faculty and staff in past years have given out campus climate surveys to assess how LGBTQ students feel while on campus. In a campus climate survey from 2014, LGBT students “indicated that they experienced both subtle and overt discrimination based on their sexual orientation,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the commission hopes to improve that statistic by continuing to promote diverse and inclusive tactics that ensure the safety and welcoming of LGBTQ students at KSU.
“There’s always work to be done,” Jackson said.
