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Welcome to the Diversity Network blog, a source of information and resources for the Fleming community on issues of diversity, accessibility, equity and inclusion at Fleming College. Network members listed in the lefthand column are champions of diversity in their school or department and share information with their teams. To receive regular blog updates, become a blog "follower" by entering your email in the right hand box "Follow By Email". Resources can be found by clicking on the gold Diversity logo to the right.



Tuesday 24 July 2012

Positive Space

This summer, the Diversity Office and all our college and community partners are preparing to launch the Positive Space anti-homophobia awareness program. We are very excited about working with PARN (Peterborough AIDS Resource Network) again this year, and welcoming Anya Gwynne and Peter Williams back to Fleming to co-facilitate with the student team.

The Fleming Positive Space Education Program builds an inclusive and welcoming college where people of all sexual orientations and gender identities experience equity and belonging. The program helps students and employees to understand how homophobia and gender stereotypes perpetuate harassment and exclusion, and create unsafe spaces for people who define themselves differently than “heterosexual”.

If you attended the Law and Justice session last year during Day of Pink, then you have an idea of what Positive Space will be. This new educational series will be open to students and staff and will offer three levels of programming:

Level 1: Shifting OUTlook
An introductory 2 hour program that will be offered at all campus locations throughout the fall semester.

Level 2: Being an LGBTQ ally
A more advanced 2 hour program for those who want to be identified as an ally in building safe spaces on campus, starting in December.

Level 3: Train the trainer
A final 3 hour session for anyone who wants to become a Positive Space facilitator, later in the Winter semester.

Personally I am very encouraged by how many students and employees have contributed to the development of this program over the last year. Thanks in particular to the faculty in the Law and Justice and Social Service Worker programs who have contributed time and energy to making it happen. Funding from the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (Women's Campus Safety Grants) is also appreciated, and will help us provide professional and informative materials.

As an intro to the material, I'm adding an LGBTQ definition sheet to the wiki, taken from a Canadian source. As usual, just click on the Diversity logo to access the wiki.

If you want any info about the program, contact me at debharri@flemingc.on.ca

Next post ... how heterosexual privilege and ideas about gender have played out in my life, and why I have some hope "things are getting better" for my not-so-hetero, not-so-privileged friends.

Wednesday 4 July 2012

White like me

OK, I know I promised to move on from the theme on white identity, but I've received a couple of questions about what I meant when I said "professional middle class white culture". This term didn't seem familiar, as we don't often talk about our race and socio-economic class together.

The best way I can describe this cultural identity is to send you to a blog by a very funny young Torontonian (who is white by the way) because no one else captures it with so much humour! But I warn you, if you are white this guy may make you nervous!

Christian Lander is author of the popular blog Stuff White People Like and has 2 books filled with his quips.  Of course, before I set you loose on his writing, I have to make a disclaimer that he does not represent my views nor those of the Fleming College Diversity Office (but he sure makes me laugh). Here are some clips from his list of 134 things white people like:

Check out ... coffee
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/18/1-coffee/

Or ... appearing to like classical music
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/09/01/108-appearing-to-enjoy-classical-music/

Or ... grammar
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/12/99-grammar/

Or my favourite (which I read when I need a dose of laughing at myself) ... having gay friends
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/03/14/88-having-gay-friends/

Now clearly Lander is making fun of particular groups of white people, not just middle/upper-middle class professionals. However I think his keen observations touch on a nerve (90,000,000 views!) and many people, white and non-white, resonate with his light-hearted attempt to define white culture.

If you want to hear what he has to say about being white (and he is quite articulate), here is a video clip of him being interviewed by  Steve Paikin on the The Agenda. I'd use this in a class dealing with race, and it would work well with the Film About Races we discussed several posts ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEnwYMDj64Q

I haven't posted any further resources with this entry but watch out next week for the Positive Space series.