LGBTOUT: Queer CommunityWho We Are
LGBTOUT stands for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Trans People of the University of Toronto. We are an officially recognized group at the U of T for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, queer students and others who are marginalized on the basis of their sexual orientations and/or gender identifications. We have been fighting for queer rights and visibility for more than 30 years!
LGBTOUT offers spaces to explore our diverse identities both socially and politically, where people can develop a wide range of skills and learn more about our communities.
Check out our timeline to learn more about LGBTOUT's history.
Our Mission
We seek to fulfill a broad mandate, including:
- providing a place for LGBTQ students, staff, faculty and alumni to socialize
- providing opportunities for our members to get involved in political action and community building
- working with other groups to challenge oppression and discrimination, and to promote equity on campus and in society
- fighting heterosexism, sexism, transphobia, lesbophobia, biphobia, and homophobia in as many ways as possible, no matter where they appear or how they present themselves
Fighting Oppression
Oppression is something that LGBTQ people have to deal with every day, just by virtue of being queer. It takes many different forms and is experienced differently depending on whether a person is lesbian, bisexual, gay, transsexual, transgender and/or queer; their gender identity, age, race, ethno-cultural background, physical abilities, class, religion, etc. In fact there are as many different forms of oppression as there are oppressed people.
At the most basic level biphobia, lesbophobia, transphobia and homophobia are about fear and hatred of people who transgress society's expectations about gender and sexuality. These societal biases and assumptions about what is "normal" form the basis of heterosexism, the idea that heterosexuality is inherently superior to other sexualities, and the assumption that everyone is heterosexual by default.
People who are the target of oppression can face derisive remarks, harassment and physical violence. Systemic discrimination and oppression by institutions can limit opportunity and restrict freedoms. Sadly, sometimes this occurs within the LGBTQ community itself. The fundamental long-term goal of LGBTOUT is the improvement of the learning, living, and working environments for LGBTQ people on all three U of T campuses, to the point where we are free from harassment, discrimination and hatred.
Coming Out
A generalized definition of "coming out" involves recognizing your sexual or gender attractions, orientations, or identities -- an acceptance of yourself as lesbian, gay, transgendered, bisexual, and/or queer, and sharing that identity with others. Coming out is an ongoing process and a challenging one! Even people who are fully out all the time end up in places where they have to come out all over again - it is something that LGBTQ people live with every day. Even though it can be difficult, it can be fun and rewarding as well!
There is no single correct way to come out. It begins at different ages for different people, and everyone experiences it differently and at their own pace. People come out in a variety of ways; it could be as direct as telling a family member or friend, or as subtle as holding a partner's hand while walking down the street. It can be made easier or more difficult depending on an individual's environment, race, perceived as well as lived gender, age, physical abilities, religion, etc. At U of T, the level of LGBTQ positivity at your campus, department, faculty, college and/or residence may also influence your coming out experiences. Because coming out is both an internal and an external process it's often helpful to share it with someone else - your friends, your peers, other LGBTQ people, a counselor, a family member, or someone at LGBTOUT or the Lesbian Gay Bi Youth line.
What LGBTOUT Does
LGBTOUT works to improve the lives of LGBTQ people on campus and in our community by:
- Ensuring that our drop-in centre is a comfortable and inviting space staffed by friendly and well-informed volunteers
- Working in solidarity with other campus groups fighting oppression like the Women's Centre, the Sexual Education Centre, the Graduate Students Union and OPIRG
- Maintaining connections with other LGBTQ organizations, like RyePride, TBLGAY at York, the Toronto Bisexual Network, Supporting Our Youth and others
- Organizing social events including Homohops, Hussihops, readings, film screenings, discussion groups, bingo nights, boys' and grrls' nights out and other fun stuff
- Undertaking political actions including kiss-ins, demonstrations and poster campaigns to raise visibility of queer issues on campus
- Representing the interests of LGBTQ students on and to other campus committees and organizations
- Educating people through panel discussions, awareness events and by just being ourselves
The LGBTOUT Drop-In Centre and Sussex Office
Thanks to the generosity of University College, LGBTOUT has a space on campus where LGBTQ students and their allies can drop in and hang out for information, support and fun.
For their schedule or more information, check out our drop-in centre and Sussex office page.
Volunteering with LGBTOUT
We love our volunteers! Without them, this organization could not exist. LGBTOUT is managed by a board of volunteer "executive" coordinators (Social, Political, Financial, Internal, External, and University Affairs) who are elected in April. An "exec-at-large" is elected in the fall. Under the direction of the general membership, the executive strives to make LGBTOUT a friendly, welcoming organization with events and activities that serve the needs of our communities.
For more info, check out the volunteer page.
We always need volunteers to help out at the Homohop and Hussihop, to staff the drop-in centre, and to work on our many committees. For example, the Visibility Committee creates poster campaigns and helps advertise our events, the Discussion Group Committee plans topics for the discussion group and arranges panel discussions, and the Zine Committee designs and edits the LGBTOUT Zine, "Outlet". During the school year, we hold general meetings every two weeks, where decisions about what we do and how we do it are made. All members of the U of T community can be a part of that process.
LGBTOUT's Listservs
LGBTOUT maintains a number of electronic mailing lists (listservs) that we use to keep our membership informed. Depending on how much email traffic you're comfortable with, and what sort of information you want, you may want to sign up for:
- The "General Discussion" list: this is our busiest list. Postings of events on campus and in the community, and open chat/discussion on queer issues. Sometimes contentious, but rarely dull.
- The "LGBTOUT and Community Events" list: This is a read-only list which sends out announcements of queer and/or social-justice related events happening both on campus and in the broader community.
- The "LGBTOUT Events" list: a read-only list that sends out announcements of only LGBTOUT events and activities, including the Homohop.
In addition, most of our committees have their own listservs. If you'd like to be added to any of our lists, send an email message to internal@lgbtout.com and tell us which one you're interested in.