[Editor's Note: Newsline asked the coordinators of DePaul's four cultural resource centers to introduce their programs to the university through a question-and-answer exchange. The second of these articles looks at the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center. The questions are Newsline's; the answers are those of the center's coordinator, Mycall Akeem Riley.]
How would you describe the role the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center plays in the life of the university?
The LGBTQIA+ Resource Center is a space for reprieve for all who are invested in the uplift and celebration for those who hold marginalized genders and sexualities. A common question I hear is, can I enter the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center even if I'm straight? The answer is, yes, anyone invested in uplifting and celebrating this community can use the space.
What are some of the unique opportunities available to students, faculty and staff only through the Resource Center?
Gender? is one of the center's most popular offerings. This discussion group for trans, nonbinary, two-spirit, agender, or questioning students to be in community with one another meets weekly on Thursdays. Another awesome offering is QPOC, in collaboration with the organization of the same name. This is an opportunity for queer and trans students of color to come together to celebrate the intersections and interplay of their identities.
What role does the Resource Center play in expanding the education that DePaul provides?
We've always worked very closely with the LGBTQ Studies minor. Little-known fact: DePaul was the first Catholic institution to have both a full-time staff member dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ students and a LGBT Studies program. The Resource Center is home to a variety of art from queer artists globally. Senior staff have also conducted a variety of trainings and facilitation including, but not limited to, Trans in the Classroom and our annual Safe Zone training, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity.
How has the Resource Center gone about developing a distinctive learning community within the broader university?
One of the relationships we've fostered and I'm most proud of is with the TransLife Care program at Chicago House, which provides support — financial and otherwise — so students looking to legally change their name can do so free of charge. We've also worked with organizations such as Brave Space Alliance, Howard Brown Health and many others.
What types of partnerships has the Resource Center developed around the university?
Firstly, we're always working collaboratively with the other cultural and resource centers, to find even better ways to build community with them. We've worked with a variety of offices ranging from the Office of Student Involvement, the Women's Center and the Center for Black Diaspora, as well as countless student organizations.
Mycall Akeem Riley is the coordinator for the LGTBQIA+ Resource Center.
Read the first article in the cultural center series: Step inside DePaul's Black Cultural Center