Learning about sexual identity

A single rectangular sticker can show lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people that they have somebody they can talk to about their sexual identity if they need to, said Kevin Hallgren, co-organizer of the LGBTQ Safe Zone training.

Hallgren said the sticker, an upside-down, rainbow-colored triangle with the words "Safe Zone" underneath, will also communicate that the person wearing the sticker is an ally to LGBTQ people.

Students received the stickers at the LGBTQ Safe Zone training, which aids them in gaining an in-depth understanding of how to connect with homosexuals.

Hallgren said more than 25 people attended the three-hour training sessions last week.

The training provides students with information about the LGBTQ community and definitions of what each letter of the abbreviation means. Hallgren said it's important for people to understand what each sexual identity is so they can know how a person describes him or herself.

"A lot of times, because of the way (the words) have been used, it has already been assigned a meaning that a person doesn't actually label themselves as," he said.

Student Jillian Beadle said the training is a great way to learn more about people she sees every day.

"I didn't attend the trainings, but I wish I could have," she said. "Sometimes I feel uncomfortable talking to these people, but just because I don't want to say anything to offend them or to let them know that I don't know that much about them."

The Safe Zone training was sponsored by the UNM Diversity Organization. The training was paid for by UNM's Feminist Research Institute, Graduate Association of Students in Psychology, and GPSA.

Hallgren said about 5 percent to 10 percent of people in a community are LGBTQ, but most people don't know how to talk to an LGBTQ person.

"Just the nature of it not really being talked about a lot means that we just don't grow up with the tool set automatically, and we have to try and learn," Hallgren said. "A lot of people want to be allies to LGBTQ people, but it's just not something that everybody knows how to do."

The training is designed to help participants unlearn stereotypes associated with LGBTQ people, Hallgren said.

These expectations need to be challenged to make a difference in communities, he said.

"We have these underlying assumptions that can apply to certain people's lives and affect an individual," he said. "The assumption that one person is making is affecting other people because they have such an impact on their lives."

Hallgren said participants also practice role-playing to learn to be supportive if friends decide to talk about their sexual identity.

"They can become more comfortable in helping somebody who might disclose information about their sexual orientation or their gender identity," Hallgren said.

Many times, LGBTQ people don't like to talk about their sexual orientation or gender, because they are afraid of what might happen when they disclose that information, Hallgren said.

According to the 1999 National School Climate Survey, two out of five kids did not feel safe at their school because of their sexual identity.

Hallgren said LGBTQ people sometimes have a hard time identifying the people around them who might be supportive. He said this is due to the mixed opinions associated with being LGBTQ.

"A lot of people just don't know, and they go through their life wondering, 'Oh, can I tell my family or my parents or my teacher or my roommate?'" he said. "It's hard for people to tell somebody because they don't know how they are going to react."

Hallgren said the Safe Zone training can be useful even to individuals who don't know any LGBTQ people.

"Everybody in their life at some point in time will encounter an LGBTQ person," he said. "That's why it's important. Even if somebody isn't LGBTQ, it helps build a better community in the long run and it's something that everyone can use."

For more info about future Safe Zone training events, e-mail Unmsafezone@gmail.com.