The Metropolitan State LGBTQ ally training program began in spring 1996 and has trained over 200 students, staff and outside community members to be allies to the LGBTQA community. An ally is a person who works toward combating homophobia, biphobia and heterosexism on both a personal and institutional level. Members of the university community who want to become recognized allies can either attend a three hour workshop OR may complete the certificate program as follows:
The certificate program:
- Offers participants a theoretical framework for understanding the multitude of genders and sexualities
- Helps participants develop necessary skills to become better allies to the LGBTQ community
- Invites participants to become part of an identifiable and university-wide network of allies in training.
Workshops
To receive an Ally Training certificate and sticker, you must complete the following:
- Required workshops
- Gender and Sexualities 101
- How to be a better ally
- "Elective" workshops (must complete one or more)
- LGBTQ in the classroom
- Trans Ally Workshop
- Supporting QTPOC
Full Ally Development Training
Includes Gender and Sexualities 101 and Moving from Actor to Ally with additional content determined by the prospective audience.
Genders and Sexualities 101
What do all those letters mean?! As our identities shift and morph, so too does the language we use to describe them. In order to gain a better understanding of the experiences of the LGBTQIA community, it is important to learn basic vocabulary used to describe different genders, gender identities, and sexualities. If you have never done an Ally training before or it has been a few years (remember: language changes!), please attend this workshop first.
Moving from Actor to Ally
What does it mean to be an ally? This workshop introduces participants to the concept of being an ally and what it means to work toward access, inclusion, and support for LGBTQIA students, staff, faculty, and community members.
LGBTQ in the Classroom
Educators know that in order for meaningful learning to take place, students must feel safe and supported in their learning environments. Designed with faculty and instructors in mind, this workshop will help participants identify strategies they can employ to create a more open and welcoming classroom.
Being a Trans Ally (Cis-gender Privilege Workshop)
This workshop is designed to help participants develop awareness and skills to best support and advocate with and for students, staff, and faculty who identify with marginalized genders such as Trans, gender-expansive, non-binary, and/or intersex identities.
Supporting Queer and Trans People of Color
The experiences and oppressions of LGBTQIA+ people of color (QTPOC) are often misunderstood as only being about race or only being about gender/sexuality. By discussing issues such as gendered racism and violence targeting queer people of color, this workshop explores how various forms of oppression can intersect and intensify each other. It will also help you identify ways to better support QTPOC.