The LGBTQ community has faced renewed threats of erasure in the United States, where the Department of Health and Human Services has floated the idea of defining gender as the biological sex someone is born with, and around the world in places like Tanzania, where the government has threatened gender and sexual minorities with jail sentences.
LGBTQ students at the University of Memphis have found safe spaces they can seek out when things like this happen.
Victoria Jones, the outreach coordinator for the Counseling Center at the U of M, is leading a program at the U of M designed to help create a safe space for the LGBTQ community called Safe Zone. Safe Zone is a training program intended to help serve as a source of support and information free of judgment and hostility. The Student Health and Counseling Services hosts these meetings Wednesdays at 3 p.m.
“The LGBTQ communities need more support because of those threatening factors,” Jones said. “More individuals outside of the LGBTQ population need the education and awareness of this community to be better supportive and understanding of the threats, struggles and difficulties they face just by being in this community.”
The Trump administration has worked to remove the definition of ‘transgender’ and revert to identifying people by “a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth,” according to a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services obtained by The New York Times. The proposed definition, if adopted, would erase federal recognition for Americans who identify as a gender different than the one they were born with. The change would also mark a shift from the Obama administration, which expanded the legal definition of gender in several instances.
Last week, Tanzania regional governor Dar es Salaam vowed to set up a task force to arrest people suspected of being homosexual. Some African countries like Tanzania have strict laws against any practice other than heterosexuality. Being a member of the LGBTQ community in Tanzania could result in a 30-year jail sentence.
Jones said there are many threats when it comes to the LGBTQ community. Jones said a high rate of suicide and homelessness and increased susceptibility to hate crime or discrimination are all threats LGBTQ people face.
Stonewall Tigers is the registered student organization for LGBTQ students and the community at the U of M. The group was founded to promote LGBTQ education, safe sex education and activism education for all students at the U of M. Cody Averett, the president of the organization, said Stonewall Tigers has created a strong sense of community support.
“Nothing feels worse than not being accepted by someone,” Averett said. “For a lot of people, this is the first time that they have ever felt accepted as who they are in this organization.”
Stonewall is not exclusive to LGBTQ students. All students are welcomed to join regardless of any religious, ethnic, socioeconomic and racial background or involvement. Stonewall Tigers has 52 official members and works to inform students of their organization, whether it is doing more community service or attending any fair or event, Averett said.
Andrew Phifer, the vice president of Stonewall Tigers, joined the group in the fall of 2015 and said the best thing is the friendships and the relationships he made during his time being in the club.
“It makes me very proud to be a part of Stonewall and making a difference on campus,” Phifer said. “I consider everyone in this organization family.”
