LGBTQIA+ Student resources

Gender and Sexual Diversity

It takes no compromise to give people their rights...it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.  – Harvey Milk

Community Resources

The UP Center - Uniting Pride of Champaign County

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The UP Centeris a volunteer-run organization that provides support services to promote the health, well-being, and sense of belonging to individuals who identify as sexual and gender minorities. The UP Center advocates for individuals of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions through education, outreach, and partnerships with the broader community.  

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

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Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)is a national support, education and advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, their families, friends and allies. Our local chapter supports Clark and Champaign counties.  

UIUC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center

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The mission of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Centerat the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is to foster an environment that is open, safe, and inclusive for people of all sexualities and gender identities. Many of their programs and events are open to the public.

College Organizations

Parkland PRIDE!

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The Parkland PRIDE! student group supports, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual students and seeks to educate the Parkland community on issues related to the LGBTQIA+ population. Parkland PRIDE! is open to all students regardless of sexual orientation and to all students who wish to be allies.

Email: Parkland Pride

Parkland Ally Team

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The Ally Team is a network of faculty, staff, and administrators at Parkland College who facilitate education and advocacy on campus about issues related to sexual identity, gender identity, and gender expression. Allies include LGBTQIA+ people and their advocates who have completed the LGBTQ Ally Training facilitated by Parkland's Diversity Committee. 

Email: Erin Wilding-Martin

National Resources

The Trevor Project

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The Trevor Projectis the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.

Campus Pride

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Campus Prideis a national organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer college environment for LGBTQ students. Their Campus Pride Indexis a database of LGBTQ-friendly campuses who have come out to improve the academic experience and quality of life for LGBTQ and ally people on campus.

College Policies

Student Records and Privacy, including Chosen Names

As stated in the Student Policies and Procedures Manual, Students Rights and Responsibilities Section IV:

  • A student’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or transgender/gender non-conforming status is the student’s private information. It is the student’s choice whether to discuss these private matters openly, keep this information private, or a combination of both. No college employee may disclose any information that might reasonably indicate the student’s identity or status without the student’s express consent to do so. 
  • A transgender/gender non-conforming student should be addressed by the name and pronouns of their choice in most all communications*, verbal and written. A court-ordered name change is not required in these circumstances. (*Exempted from this expectation are correspondences that the college must use legal name for such as, but not limited to, financial aid documents, tax document, and transcripts.) The corresponding statement for employees can be found in Procedure 3.02.01 of the Parkland College Policies and Procedures Manual.

Students should contact the Office of Admissions and Records if they would like their displayed name to be different from their legal name.

Restroom Access

Parkland College strives to create an inclusive and supportive campus environment that values all members of our community, including visitors. One aspect of creating a comfortable environment is providing safe, accessible, and convenient restroom facilities.

The college affirms this commitment in the Student Policies and Procedures Manual, and Procedure 3.01.02 in the Parkland College Policies and Procedures Manual:

  • Individuals may use the restroom that corresponds to their gender-related identity. Gender-related identity refers to an individual's actual or perceived gender, including an individual's self-image, appearance, expression, or behavior, whether or not it aligns with that traditionally associated with the individual's designated sex at birth.

Gender-Neutral Restrooms

In addition, the College is committed to designating and maintaining a gender-neutral restroom in as many of its buildings as reasonably feasible. In some instances, a designated gender-neutral restroom may contain multiple stalls. Additionally, the College is committed to include at least one gender-neutral restroom in new buildings constructed on campus to the extent feasible. Gender-neutral restrooms are available in these locations:

  • M wing 1st floor lounge
  • B wing 1st floor lounge
  • U wing by cafeteria

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Reporting a Hate/Bias Incident

Parkland College is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy educational and employment environment that is free from discrimination, harassment, and misconduct on the basis of sex, which includes sexual orientation or gender-related identity.

The College has an affirmative duty to take immediate and appropriate action once it knows of any act of sex-based misconduct in any of its educational or employment programs or activities. Sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking by any member of the Parkland community will not be tolerated. The College will promptly and thoroughly investigate any complaints of sex-based misconduct in accordance with the procedures.

Reporting Complaints of Sex-Based Misconduct

Policies regarding Harassment and Discrimination of Students can be viewed in the Parkland College Policies and Procedures Manual, Section 8.26. The Harassment and Discrimination of Staff policy can be viewed in Section 3.01.