Hundreds of faculty and staff are identifying as either an “ally” or “out” member of the LGBTQ community in an effort to create a safer and more welcoming environment on campus.
The initiative began shortly after the UNM LGBTQ resource center was established in 2010, and has grown each year. Alma Rosa Silva-Banuelos, program coordinator of the LGBTQ resource center, said the idea spread through students, faculty and staff, and now more than 300 staff and faculty have signed the list.
“We personally asked (people to pledge their support) and really it was word of mouth,” she said. “We had about 200 names on our first list (last year), and now we have grown to about 300.”
Faculty member Kristopher Goodrich said pledging his support as an out member is important for the health of the University.
“As a gay faculty member … I know of the importance of out, visible and supportive persons on campus,” he said.
Summer Little, director of the Women’s Resource Center, said she pledged her support as an ally to promote acceptance on campus. Little said she believes it is important for the success and safety of the campus that individuals who see and value people be easily accessible.
“I wanted to be publicly and easily identified as a safe resource for the LGBTQ communities on campus,” she said. “The types of discrimination that these communities continue to struggle against are unconscionable: denial of civil rights, harassment, hatred and violence.”
UNM student Campbell Scott, who identifies himself as gay, said the list makes LGBTQ students feel more comfortable.
“Students can seek help from those on the list,” he said. “Especially when they are seeking help in a specific department of the University.”
Silva-Banuelos said the list is an unusual way to show support within the community that other universities are taking interest in.
“I have presented on this initiative nationally, and when they found out that we were doing it, they were incredibly excited and wanted to implement it in their own universities,” she said. “I would say the out and ally list is something that is pretty cutting edge.”
The LGBTQ resource center provides many resources for the UNM community. The center offers one of the University’s gender-neutral restrooms, as well as free HIV testing once a month. One of the center’s most active programs is its “Safe Zone” program. This program involves individuals from different departments trained to listen to students’ problems, if need be.
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Silva-Banuelos said the center recently received a grant for $100,000 per year for three years from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This grant will be used to expand the center’s “Safe Zone” program to include a suicide prevention plan and the program will be relabeled “Caring at every connection.”
“We are trying to build a different culture here at UNM to where we really are caring for each other — regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, Silva-Banuelos said. “We want ‘Caring at every connection’ in every single department at UNM,”
