LGBTQ+ Program EOY 2022 by Quan Phan

CONTENT

Inside the Report

Content

Introduction

Welcome

About Us

By the Numbers

Curricular Approach

Personal Development

Well-Being

Community Impact

Queer Tour

Drag Bingo

Proudly Gleaming

QTBIPOC Mixer

Queer Love Week

Crimson & Queens

Student Learning

Highlighted Programs

INTRODUCTION

Welcome The LGBTQ+ Program is a function of the Gender + Equality Center. The program strives to work towards cultivating an affirming, educational, and diverse community for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff at the University of Oklahoma by providing engagement opportunities and educational resources.

Annual assessments are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the program’s work to achieve intended outcomes. The following report highlights important plans, goals, assessed outcomes, and future responses from the LGBTQ+ Programs, and the Gender + Equality Center at large. This report reflects the works that have been done within the 2021 - 2022 academic year.

Quan Phan LGBTQ+ Program Coordinator

INTRODUCTION

The LGBTQ+ Program supports the educational goals and missions of the Gender + Equality Center as well as the Division of Student Affairs. Through active engagement, University of Oklahoma students will contribute to caring communities, cultivate a holistic awareness of who they are, and develop confidence in who they can become. The divisional learning aims are integrated into programs, services, and initiatives that are offered by LGBTQ+ Program to ensure that our Program is working to achieve the same goals yet in a way that stems from the unique wants and needs of LGBTQ+ students at OU.

INTRODUCTION

About Us Our Center MISSION The mission of the Gender + Equality Center is to cultivate an affirming, educational, and diverse community by focusing on LGBTQ+ inclusion, interpersonal violence prevention, and advocacy for victims of gender-based violence.

EDUCATIONAL PRIORITY The Gender + Equality Center will empower OU community members to create affirming, violence-free communities and actively work toward a just and equitable society.

INTRODUCTION

OUR FUNCTIONS

The Gender + Equality Center has three (3) main functions: • • •

LGBTQ+ Programs Gender-based Violence Prevention Victims Advocacy

INTRODUCTION

Our Program LGBTQ+ Program has three (3) main involvement areas LGBTQ+ PROGRAM ADVISORY BOARD Our goal is for all students to feel safe, included, and empowered to succeed at the University of Oklahoma. We will reach this goal by maintaining an intersectional lens as we foster LGBTQ+ leadership, provide opportunities for community and build awareness of LGBTQ+ issues on campus. We host a wide variety of events, including Crimson & Queens - the largest drag show in the state of Oklahoma. MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

LGBTQ+ STUDENT ALLIANCE LGBTQ Student Alliance is a group of undergrad and graduate students that work to build community amongst LGBTQ+ individuals and allies. With weekly meetings and ongoing community events, there are always ways to get connected.

INTRODUCTION

We hope to connect undergraduate students to a supportive and affirming network comprising of peer mentors as well as faculty/ staff/alumni mentors so students can gather knowledge and resources to better navigate the collegiate environment as well as in their professional field.

INTRODUCTION

By the Numbers

INTRODUCTION

STUDENT LEARNING

Curricular Approach Our Philosophy

The value of co-curricular learning is well documented in higher education scholarly literature. This approach is critical in providing learning opportunities for and with our campus community. The Gender + Equality Center has adopted this approach in 2020, and now the division of Student Affairs have adopted this model as well. The divisonal learning goals were developed collaboratively with multiple departments across the division. These learning goals provide clarity and focus for all departments within Student Affairs, as well as for our center and LGBTQ+ Programs specifically.

STUDENT LEARNING

In alignment with the mission and values of the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Oklahoma as well as the Gender + Equality Center, LGBTQ+ Program is utilizing the curricular approach as the philosophy in our work & the services we offered. The curricular approach is an innovative approach to an old idea: learning happens everywhere on campus. We utilize the curricular approach to learning in our programs & innitiatives. This approach is aligned with the mission and strategic plan Live On of the University of Oklahoma as well as the goals of the Division of Student Affairs. We believe that engaging with LGBTQ+ Program is a transformative experience and our programs provide students those opportunities for growth and development.

Examples of programs, activities, & services for Personal Development: • • • • • • • •

Mentorship Training LGBTQ+ Trivia Ace in Space Trans Awareness Week Trans Progress in Oklahoma Warm Welcome Back LGBTQ+ Resume Workshop Student Leaders Retreat

• • • • • •

Aromatic Awareness Week QTBIPOC Mixer Queer Love Photoshoot Lesbian Visibility Day Trans Day of Visibility: Name Change Workshop Lavender Graduation

Personal Development Personal Development is a student’s process of gaining awareness and understanding of who they are as individuals. Personal Development includes understanding who they are in terms of values, beliefs, and purpose as well as their social group identities. Demonstrating empathy and compassion, especially for those with very different backgrounds and experiences, is critical in all relationships. By exploring their sense of purpose, abilities, privileges, and intersecting identities, students can learn to develop self-efficacy and agency to positively change their own lives and impact their communities. Students will be able to: • Articulate their identities. • Demonstrate empathy and compassion in relationships. • Describe how they can contribute to making positive change. • Demonstrate the competencies needed for their professional development. 10

Examples of programs, activities, & services for Well-Being • • • • • •

Queer Tour Drag Bingo LGBTQ+ Meet & Greet Proudly Gleaming Mentorship Ghost Tour Sweet Start to the Semester

• • • • •

HIV Testing Queer Love Photoshoot Queer Sex Education QTBIPOC Mixer Crimson & Queens

Well-Being Well-Being is a student’s holistic understanding of wellness; including the emotional, mental, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of wellness. Well-Being is conscious, self-directed and evolving, positive, affirming, and inclusive. Students will be able to foster their own well-being as well as communities of well-being. Students will be able to: • Define personal well-being. • Identify resources to support their well-being. • Integrate wellness strategies into daily life. • Foster communities of well-being. 11

Examples of programs, activities, & services for Community Impact: • • • •

LGBTQ+ Student Retreat Queering Access: A Discussion on Queer Accessibility LGBTQ+ History: Trivia Night LGBTQ+ History at OU

• • •

Understanding Pronouns social media campaign Trans Progress in Oklahoma Panel Trans Day of Remembrance

Community Impact Community Impact includes a student’s awareness of issues impacting communities and the world as well as their capacity and desire to take action to make positive, sustainable change. Both components are critical to collaboratively solving our world’s most pressing problems. Students will be able to: • Describe the impact of their actions on others. • Identify issues facing communities. • Collaborate effectively with others. • Advocate for positive change in their communities. 12

HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMS

Queer Tour Queer Tour is a guided adventure through campus that connects students to resources, allies, and queer-friendly spaces across campus. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to • Identify affirming resources on campus that will enhance their well-being • Connect with other students and foster a community of well-being

97 18

students participated

89%

faculty/staff participated

said they knew which office to go to when they face issues

86%

96%

said they were more likely to utilize those resources

said they felt more connected to OU

of participants

“I met lots of great people who are also part of the LGBTQ+ community so I felt like I could relate to them and be open. I made some great friends through it, and also got a chance to map out campus for myself. It was also very informational and helped me learn about the GEC and its resources.” “It was absolutely amazing and the first thing that made me feel like I belong at OU” 15

Drag Bingo Drag Bingo is a signature program during Camp Crimson. Students play bingo, win prizes, and watch free drag performances featuring local performers. BenDeLaCreme from RuPaul’s Drag Race will be our host for the evening! Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to • Better understand and gain more appreciation for the arts of drag • Connect with other students and foster a community of well-being

727

70%

students participated

said they met new people and make new friends

99%

75%

said they gained more appreciation about drag

said this was their first drag show

“The juxtaposition between professional-level drag performances and camp leaders doing the Granddaddy in the intermission is a special kind of welcome that I only expect from OU.” “My first drag show & publicly lgbt+ event! I’ve never felt so accepted and comfortable at in a large group of people before.” “Drag bingo was a magical experience. I’ve never really gotten to appreciate and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and being a part of it so openly and proudly before as I did at this event. Being in such a fun, lighthearted atmosphere filled me with a sense of belonging and content.”

HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMS

“[I] went into this event expecting a drag queen to yell out bingo numbers, left having seen 3 beautiful drag queens perform and with a new appreciation for the art, so happy i went :)”

Proudly Gleaming Since 2003, the GEC has hosted a formal dance known as the Pink and Black Ball in the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom as a fundraiser. From 2003 - 2009 all proceeds from the event went toward breast health because the office, then known as the Women’s Outreach Center, received grants for breast cancer awareness programming from Susan G. Komen for the Cure. After 2009, the GEC began using the event as a fundraiser for their programs. Also, since the event was initially meant for breast cancer awareness and wasn’t explicitly tied to the office or its mission, the GEC decided to transition from this tradition to something new. The first Proudly Gleaming is an annual fundraising event to raise money for the Gender + Equality Center. It replaced the Pink and Black Ball and provide a new and updated experience that aligns better with the office’s mission. As an official part of CAC’s Homecoming, this event created a specific, intentional space to uplift and support our LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff, and alumni as a recognized part of the OU family in one of our oldest campus traditions.

$8,810

.00

raised from Proudly Gleaming

328

community members attended 18

QTBIPOC Mixer With partnership with our partners in Multicultural Programs & Services at Student Life, LGBTQ+ Programs and the Gender + Equality Center hosted the first QTBIPOC Mixer. This event is focused on bringing together the Black, Indigenous, People of color members of the LGBTQ+ community to foster relationships in a space that is centered around their needs & experiences. At this event, students may socialize with each other and get to give feedback to the center on how to better support students who are at the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality.

60% 100% said they have met and connected with people who shared the same identity or experience.

said they felt affirmed in this space and would recommend this event to students who share the same identity.

Queer Love Week Queer Love Week is a series of events that celebrates different types of love, kinship, and relationships between queer individuals. LGBTQ+ Program partners with OU Health Services to deliver programs and training to students. The list of events were: • • • •

Free & confidential HIV Testing #RelationshipGoals Workshop Celebrated Queer Love: Photoshoot Sexpert: Queer Sex Ed

Some examples of learning outcomes were: • • • :

•

Locate affirming resources regarding HIV testing Identify red flags and healthy signs of relationship Articulate different types of relationship and kinship within the queer community Identify safe sex practices between queer couples 21

The Gender + Equality Center and the Union Programming Board were proud to once again host Crimson & Queens, the largest annual drag show in Oklahoma. The show was live and in-person again for the first time since 2019. This year, to acommodate the grow crowd size, the show found its new home at the McCasland Field House. The show features not 1 but 2 headliners from Rupaul’s Drag Race: Utica Queen & Crystal Methyd. Along their performances, there will be 12 incredibly talented students and local performers, who have worked hard to deliver this show to you.

850

participants attended Crimson & Queens 2022