LGBTQ Campus Support and Resources
College can be challenging for all students, therefore finding ways to make connections with others who identify similarly can make a big difference. The American College Health Association estimate that at least 10% of college students identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, asexual, pansexual, or questioning. Although LGBTQ PRIDE is becoming more prevalent, the LGBTQ community often face additional pressures or concerns.
UF and its surrounding community offer resources and information to both help LGBTQ students navigate the college environment and make connections in a group setting. They are proud of their educational programming that incorporates the principles of social justice to reduce heterosexism, genderism, homophobia, and transphobia.
UF offers various discussion groups:
New to UF –closed to LGBTQ students who are new to UF or new to their identity – or both.
Trans at UF – for students who identify as transgender, gender variant and/or genderqueer, and their intimate partners.
OWEN – Queer Women Empowerment Network
QAPID – Queer Asian Pacific Islander Desi
HLXQ – Hispanic and Latinx Queers
The Pride Student Union (PSU) strives to provide and maintain a safe, open, and inclusive place for any student from the LGBTQQIAAP community. It is located on the 3rd floor (room 326) of the J. Wayne Reitz Union in the Center for Leadership and Development. Check their page to find out more about their various programs like the FRIENDS Training, an ally development program, or OUTspoken, advocacy, education, and outreach organization.
Students can also go to LGBT Affairs that works to provide university awareness, education, and outreach to the campus community on all things LGBTQQIAAP. It is located in the Multicultural and Diversity Affairs, 312 Peabody Hall. The Rainbow Room resource lounge for LGBTQ students is located in Peabody Hall in room 407.
The QTPOC Collective is a group of LGBTQ/TWO Spirit/Gender Nonconforming POC throughout the black, indigenous, desi, Asian, and Latinx diasporas.
Healthqueer Alliance is a group dedicated to community and education within the Health Sciences.
UF has its own Tamara Cohen Resource Library where students can check out materials via a student ambassador or staff member at LGBTQ Affairs.
UF has its own Trans Resource Network designed to understand and respond to the unique needs of transgender, transsexual, and gender non-conforming students.
The Center for Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies Research offers an interdisciplinary forum for the study of gender and sexualities, their intersections with race/ethnicity, class, and other sociocultural systems.
Locally in the Gainesville area, LGBTQ students may consider these community groups and organizations:
PCCNCF – Pride Community Center of North Central Florida
PFLAG – Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
TranQuility – for transgender individuals, their friends, families, and allies
UF also celebrates the achievements and contributions of graduating members of their LGBTQ community with Lavender Graduation held in addition to the traditional commencement services.
Students that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or queer should not only feel secure that they have a safe environment where they can thrive as a student, but they should also feel confident that there is a community that will welcome them to a place they can make connections. UF works hard to be sure that happens for all its students by promoting advocacy and education as well as creating opportunities for socialization and support.
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