http://www.uvm.edu/llcenter

B.A.S.I.C

(Building A Safe, Inclusive Community)

Mission Statement: By educating ourselves about current sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination issues across our campus, community, state, country and globally, we will empower ourselves to fight homophobia and trans-phobia. By educating others, we hope to create awareness and develop a safe, inclusive community to which all can feel accepted, appreciated, and valued.

OVERVEW

BASIC is a safe living space for any student who identifies with any sexual or gender orientation, including but not limited to heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered. This program is meant to foster a sense of community among students with a shared interest in the history of and current happenings within the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, Questioning, Intersexed, and Ally (GLBTQIA) community locally, nationally, and globally. The program will also offer a safe space where students can feel free to learn about themselves and support one another in their quest for self-knowledge. We will become active on the UVM campus and throughout the community. We will work in conjunction with Free To Be, the LGBTQA services, Outright Vermont, RU12?, and other local colleges’ ally groups. With the help of these organizations we will bring in speakers, performers, and host events/activities to create awareness and unity across our campus and community. We will inform ourselves about national and global occurrences by reading newspapers, books, and by watching films and documentaries on issues pertinent to discussion topics. We hope that be participating in the program students will feel more comfortable with their sexual/gender orientations across our campus and community.

Program Faculty Advisor

Dorothea Brauer

Learning Objectives

We will learn about the many different sexual orientation and gender identities.

Action Steps

We will use speakers to speak to us about their sexual orientation or gender identity. We will each research a different orientation or identity, to allow us to peer teach the group by doing a small presentation. We will also watch movies about different orientation or identities to start discussions on related topics. Books will be interspersed through-out the year to give us the opportunity to learn through literature.

We will research influential events in the GLBTQIA culture, through different local media groups.

Action Steps

We will work in conjuncture with Outright Vermont, RU12?, PFLAG, The VT Freedom to Marry Task Force, Out in the Mountains, and Friends in Vermont. Some topics include: Civil Unions, Coming Out Discrimination, H.I.V. and A.I.D.s, Religion, Legal Rights and Safe Sex.

We will educate the UVM community on GLBTQIA issues by giving presentations, providing shows, and hosting events.

Action Steps

All who feel comfortable, will participate in these events. All who would rather help plan rather than participate are welcome to do so. Most events will be held either in the Living and Learning Building or on campus in a more appropriate setting.