Creating A Safe Space LGBTQ+ 101 Cultural Sensitivity Training

Want to be an Ally, but not sure how (or maybe you just don't want to offend anyone?)?

Curious what the letters of the LGBTQIA+ alphabet soup actually mean (and thats not even all of them)?

Wondering what even is gender, really - social construct or lived experience (You guessed it: Both!)?

Perhaps you'd like to know if its ok to change your sexual orientation over time (Hint: 100%)?

If any of these topics pique your interest, come join us at Full Spectrum in welcoming anthropologist, gender theorist and mental health advocate Justin Kalinay, M.A. to the Center for an engaging, entertaining, and educational workshop that weaves together Justin's academic research into gender and sexuality, his personal experiences as a queer, poly, kinky pup, and the social justice-informed curriculum of the Safe Zone Project.

The Safe Zone Project (SZP) is a free online resource providing curricula, activities, and other resources for educators facilitating Safe Zone trainings (sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ+ education sessions), and learners who are hoping to explore these concepts on their own. Co-created by Meg Bolger and Sam Killermann in 2013, the SZP has become the go-to resource for anyone looking to add some Safe Zone to their life.

In this session, hosted at the Center on Saturday, October 19th, 2:00-4:30pm, Justin will walk us through not only the Safe Zone Project curriculum, but also some key metrics of understanding and comprehending the spectrums of identity and meaning that we categorize as gender identity , gender expression, sexual orientation, and sex-assigned at birth (i.e., the Genderbread Person, the Kinsey Scale) to educate ourselves on how to best create inclusive and affirming spaces for the queer folks in our lives, whether they be friends, family, coworkers, employees, or students.

This work is essential, as a considerable amount of research has shown that the lack of a safe space - a space where people can be themselves, share their experiences, and connect with others - contributes significantly to rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

As such, we will engage in variety of different activities, group discussions, and roleplay scenarios with the goal of equipping you with knowledge, comfort, tools and resources to create your own safe space(s), along with a Safe Zone sticker that will serve as a tangible symbol of your support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

As anti-conversion therapy activist Anthony Venn Brown states:

“The richness, beauty and depths of love can only be fully experienced in a climate of complete openness, honesty and vulnerability.”

Let's work together to create such a climate, one space at a time, in which everyone can feel safe, feel respected, feel loved!

Queer polymath with eighteen years of experience in the fields of Education, Mental health Services, Hospitality Services, Event Planning, Project Design and Program Management.

Education (Academic Perspectives):

College of Wooster - Anthropology (B.A.), Classical Studies (B.A.)

Simmons University - Gender & Cultural Studies (M.A.)

Research Areas & Interests (Ask me about):

Symbolic Anthropology, Queer Theory, Invented Traditions, Social Emotional Learning, Comic Book Studies, Mental Health Education, Kink & Spirituality, Metacognition

Professional Fields (Social Position):

Care Coordinator - Cadence Care Network

Head of Community - Mind Blossom

Community Engagement Director - Full Spectrum Community Outreach Center

Personal Labels (“I am (A)…”):

Queer; Nerd; Guncle (x4!); Poly; Anthropologist; Cis Man; Eastern European Mutt; Pagan; Neurospicy; Kinkster; Feminist; Antiracist;

Host or Publisher Full Spectrum