Students met in the campus center for the very first peer Ally Safe Zone Training on Oct. 16.
“Ally peer training is for students at the college that are aware that LGBT people need their support, but don’t know how to offer their support in the best way,” said Lisa Thorne, adjunct professor of anthropology.
Thorne served as a consultant to Adrienne Thompson, supervisor of student life, for ally peer training, which was previously only open to staff memebers.
Those that attended listened to the experiences LGBTQI students on campus, as well as learn about LGBTQI terminology with a presentation lead by Thorne.
“LGBTQI is the acronym that we are using, it stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex,” said Thorne, “Our training also includes asexual, and we have plans to add in an A in the future.”
Students also participated in activities to give a glimpse into what LGBTQI might experience at school, at home and at the workplace.
“We sadly still don’t live in a society that all people are safe,” said Rita Rivera, inter club council vice president, “I know people who are my age that I talk to, who I realize still talk about people in an older, backwards kind of way.”
At the end of the workshop, students signed a pledge to be an ally, as well as being given a pin to show off their ally status.
“With the LGBT community, I think I learned a lot, with their definitions of who they are,” said Diane Martinez, ICC secretary.
“Citrus, their college community, should be safe place, it should be a place where they get support, it should be a place where they feel loved and and appreciated just like every other student,” said Thorne, “Hopefully through more training with faculty, staff and more students, we’ll be able to have a really big base of support for LGBTQI students.”
