Safe Space

The Safe Space workshop is designed to reduce homophobia and heterosexism on our campus and thereby make our campus a safer and freer environment for all members of our community. This spring the DEC is rolling out a new tiered model. These workshops create an educational experience through which students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to explore their personal identities, cultural identities, stereotypes, privilege, and what it means to be an Ally and Accomplice. The program is also designed to understand how these issues impact the UNO and global community. After attending the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Safe Zone workshops participants have the choice to sign the Safe Space Pledge and take a Safe Space placard.

Tier I focuses on learning terminology and gendered pronouns, as well as, to give participants tools to initiate their own further education.

Tier II is designed to understand a broad scope of the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals, the cycle of oppression, and how you can be a more effective ally and accomplice

Request a workshop

At this time all in-person workshops will be put on pause.

You may request access to the tier 1 moodle course by emailing diversity@uno.edu

An ally/accomplice is...
- Someone who is committed to providing visible, tangible support for the LGBTQIA+ community
- Someone you can go to for day to day advice, and know that your sexuality or gender identity is not an issue and is not something you have to worry about concealing
- Someone who is committed to providing a confidential (within limits) safe zone for members of the LGBTQIA+ community
- Someone who is available as a reference for anyone with questions about sexuality or gender identity issues. An ally may not always have an answer but should know where to find it.
- Someone who has agreed to continually improve their knowledge about the LGBTQIA+ community and issues via in-service or continuous training sessions and campus programs
- Someone who agrees to combat homophobia and heterosexism on a personal level.
- Someone who believes that our campus is enriched and enlivened by the diversity of LGBTQIA+ students, faculty and staff
- Someone who can comfortably use inclusive language, avoid stereotyping, and be actively aware of heterosexism
- Someone who agrees to support other allies

An ally/accomplice is not...
- (necessarily) A licensed, professional counselor, but an ALLY can offer someone a menu of alternative sources for help
- A spokesperson for the LGBTQIA+ communities at large, but an ALLY is an individual that can speak for themselves from their experience
- An expert on the "coming out" process, but an ALLY is someone who is sensitive to and concerned for individuals during this process. An ALLY can offer someone a selection of others to whom they can speak.