Q&A Training

Expand your awareness, knowledge and actions around gender and sexuality inclusion.

Attend/Request a Training

Check our Workshops page for upcoming Q&A Training/ Network events. If no Q&A Trainings are listed in near future, then none are yet scheduled; please check back! We rely on volunteer facilitators, and must coordinate their schedules with campus space availability--an ongoing process.

To request a training for your class, club or on-campus group, use our online form.

For additional information on Q&A Trainings, visit our FAQ page.

Purpose

As part of the University's commitment to DEI, the DU community is called upon to engage in opportunities to learn about diverse communities, and to develop skills as advocates for our own identity groups and as allies to communities to which we do not belong. All members of the DU community are invited to participate in the Queer & Ally (Q&A) Training as one such option in this ongoing effort to create an inclusive living, learning and working environment at DU.

Those who complete both Q&A Levels 1 and 2 are invited to be a part of the Queer & Ally Network at DU, demonstrating an additional level of commitment to sexual orientation and gender identity/ expression equity.

A wide range of related resources, including campus organizations and services, are available at the DU Pride Portal.

General Structure

Q&A Trainings are typically 2-3 hours in length and are led by trained co-facilitation teams. Q&A Trainings can be requested by/for specific groups (i.e. instructors, student organizations, University offices, etc.), and are also held in an open format throughout the academic year for any member of the DU community.

There are three Q&A Training Levels. Click to expand each description.

History at DU

Q&A began as the "Safezone Program" at the DU Graduate School of Professional Psychology, similar to that at many other colleges, universities and even companies across the nation. In 2007, the DU Queer & Ally Commission (QAC) developed a new identity and curriculum for the program as it administratively moved to the Center for Multicultural Excellence. Beyond making the program available to the entire DU campus, QAC also wanted to strengthen it in two ways, more:

  1. Inclusive Content: The original SafeZone curriculum was focused on sexual orientation (specifically, Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual issues), and included little on gender identity and gender expression. It was important that the curriculum be revamped to be more inclusive of both sexual orientation AND gender identity/ expression, as these are related but distinct identity categories in the LGBTIQ+ and Ally umbrella.
  2. Accurate Promise: There are also significant ethical and philosophical issues entailed with telling someone when, where and with whom they will be "safe," and with suggesting that any physical space can be guaranteed so. For example: Sandra, a first-year student at DU who identifies as a lesbian, sees a SafeZone sticker on a professor's door and decides to introduce herself. As Sandra and the professor are talking, Sandra overhears someone in the hallway making a homophobic remark. The space that was labeled as being "safe" for Sandra just became unsafe.

QAC recognized that we cannot guarantee and should not try to define others' safety, especially in terms of physical space; however, we can work at increasing knowledge and awareness of the people who inhabit our campus. Promising an exposure to accurate information, knowledge about helpful resources, and a willingness to discuss them, the "Queer & Ally" label more accurately presents the scope of the program.

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