Under a new Student Government mandate, all paid SG officials are required to complete the Safe Space Sticker Program offered by the GLBTA Resource Center. Such a clear stride toward inclusivity and tolerance among the student body has inspired The Eagle to write an editorial that is unlike many we have written in the past: one that praises the SG.
For 10 years, the Safe Space Sticker Program has offered three-hour classes to members of the AU community that educate participants about issues facing the GLBT community and encourage them to combat discrimination. In doing so, those who complete the program receive stickers to post on their offices that read “Safe Space,” visually communicating that GLBT issues are recognized and respected within.
Such a movement toward mutual understanding and respect is especially warranted within the SG. As student officials, SG members have a responsibility to understand and relate to the student body they were elected to represent. Few who attend AU would disagree that the GLBT community embodies a sizeable demographic that deserves representatives receptive to GLBT issues. An SG consisting of officials who are understanding and informed makes for a more inclusive SG.
Some may contend that there is little need for such a program. AU does not have a reputation as a school that is ill-disposed to the GLBT community — in fact, quite the opposite. Why mandate such required training if there is no need?
Certainly, we are lucky to attend a university with policies that not only tolerate but celebrate those of all sexual orientations. AU even received a perfect score in the Campus Pride’s LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index. However, the administration’s accepting and welcoming environment does not mean that every individual on campus has such a familiarity with the GLBT community.
AU students and staff come from across the globe and from a wide breadth of backgrounds. We should remember that not all of these backgrounds involved such interactions as sharing a class with a classmate who was gay, being taught by a professor who identifies with the opposite gender or frequently hearing the term “bi-curious.” Without a proper introduction to the GLBT community, unfamiliarity can lead to unintentionally offensive and hurtful exchanges — something that is all too avoidable.
The Safe Space Sticker Program offers the awareness of GLBT issues needed to avoid such misunderstandings.
Nevertheless, others may ask why mandate training specifically for issues facing GLBT community? Why not require diversity training that touches on a number of communities with special needs within the larger student body?
We at The Eagle reject this argument as a false choice. Safe Space training is not part of a zero-sum game, where sensitivity to one community’s needs prevents the understanding of another’s. Indeed, we have editorialized previously that as American University becomes an increasingly diverse campus more programs will be needed to ensure more interactions between varied groups of students. Safe Space training is but one step in the right direction.
Ultimately, any movement towards mutual understanding between groups should be welcomed. Requiring Safe Space Sticker training for all paid SG officials is one example of this, and for this we applaud the SG.
