Introduction to Invisible Intersections

Queer identity is not something inherently visible, though through personal style, community markers, and active acts of visibility they are able to highlight and make public our positionality. This toolkit addresses the ways in which students may be faced with challenges and barriers on campus due to their queer identity, how those challenges may be invisible to those in positions of support and provides recommendations to address those barriers.

Statement of positionality

This toolkit was created in collaboration with folks of different genders, sexualities, and other intersections of identity both disclosed and undisclosed. The lead on this project, Taylah Harris-Mungo, is a Black, queer trans person, and brings that perspective to this toolkit.

At certain points, this toolkit speaks to the experiences of queer communities that the creators are not members of, and do not claim to represent. At every opportunity, the information on specific communities in this toolkit has been informed by research and knowledge sourced from those communities.

Language

The term Queer is used interchangeably with 2SLGBTQ+ in this toolkit. For more information on terminology found in this toolkit, please consult the glossary.

At various times in this toolkit the acronym 2SLGBTQ+ appears in many shortened versions. This is an intentional change to accurately reflect the research parameters of the studies being referenced. Unfortunately, not all studies that speak to the experiences of queer and gender diverse folks have the capacity or scope to include the full spectrum of queer identities.

Collaborators

This toolkit would not have been possible without help from our valued stakeholders. To ensure that this toolkit utilized a whole-campus approach, we collaborated with stakeholders in various campus roles. Their time and dedication brought this toolkit to fruition.

Thank you!

Oshin Kanda

Michael Woodford

Scout Swartz

Andrew Holmes

Margaret Nicholson

Osman Khan

Diana Pearson

Aanastasia Myers

Adanyi Phillip