Students who want to become better allies of the LGBTQ community will get a chance to educate themselves at a Safe Space Training seminar Tuesday. The seminar will be held at 5 p.m. in room 309 of the Kent State Student Center.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Center and PRIDE! Kent are co-sponsoring the event. Roxie Patton, program coordinator of the LGBTQ Center, developed the program based on the Safe Space Training program in place for faculty and staff.

“A lot of students kept asking me how can they be an ally and they wanted to know how they could support the community but they weren’t sure where to start,” Patton said. “I developed this program for students so they can be knowledgeable about the LGBTQ community, share their stories from their voices and hear how they can better serve and better be supportive friends or just supportive student leaders on our campus.”

The program will include an activity about the “coming out” process, a review of vocabulary terms such as gender identity and sexuality and a student panel that will share their personal experiences and answer questions. At the end of the presentation, attendees will have the option to sign a pledge to become an ally. Those who sign the pledge will receive a wrist band that says “KSU LGBTQ Ally.”

Patton said that she is optimistic about the impact the event will have on the students on campus.

“I’m really excited,” Patton said. “I think no matter how many students we have show up it’s going to be an incredible success because those students are going to be very well-equipped to go out and be allies to our community on campus.”

Students who wish to attend the seminar are encouraged to register prior to attending the event. Registration will be open until an hour before the event. For more information and the link to register, contact Patton at 330-672-8580 or [email protected].

Contact Kelsey Leyva at [email protected].