At Eastern Michigan University, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resource Center (LGBTRC) aims to foster students’ sense of belonging and contribute to a culture of equity through its programming, advocacy, and education. Their goal is to serve all students with underrepresented gender, romantic, and sexual identities as they foster rich, dynamic experiences.
There will be events throughout the month that will be hosted by the resource center. The planned events range from a showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," Pumpkins on the Patio, Soup with Substance: Allyship, and more.
Emma Wuetrich was hired as the coordinator of the LGBT Resource Center this past May. She aims to guide the resource center at EMU. Wuetrich previously worked in a similar position overseeing Marquette University’s LGBTQ+ Resource Center in Wisconsin. Through the social events, she can gain a better grasp on what the students want, their necessities, and how to reach them.
“I have great staff of students,“ Wuetrich said. “It’s a staff of six of us and I am leaning on their expertise as they are current students. We're going to see what new things people take a liking to,” Wuetrich said.
The graduate assistant, Britt Teliin, describes the resource center as a hub for information, education, and an overall safe space for anyone within their life journey.
“It’s a place to be able to just exist -- to just be yourself,“ Teliin said. “You don’t have to hide anything.”
The resource center encourages students to stop by their office, even if it’s just to relax.
“That’s what we’re [the resource center] here for,“ Teliin said. “You don’t even have to come in and have a conversation about anything. I have loads of students who come in and they just sit down and they have somewhere to chill and just have a good time.”
The resource center has a network of affinity groups to build community ties between fellow students. The affinity groups range from asexual and aromantic (ACE/ARO), trans nonbinary in question (TNQ) and queer trans people of color collective (QTPOCC).
“Community is what the resource center is at its core and everyone knows having a community is very important,” Teliin said.
Along with the affinity groups, the resource center is home to the Gender Affirming Clothing Closet. The Gender Affirming Clothing Closet has an array of donated clothes. This includes binders, high heels, and other items for students to take home. If a student is in need of a binder, an article of compression clothing that flattens the chest, there are opportunities to get measured and place an order through the resource center.
For more information, visit the LGBT Resource Center located on the third floor of the Student Center in room 354. The hours of operation run Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout the week. Or, contact the resource center via email at lgbtrc@emich.edu.
