The office of student affairs first at Linnaeus University to be LGBTQ certified
During September and October, the office of student affairs will take part in a training programme comprising, among other things, living conditions and health situation of LGBTQ persons, norm criticism and heteronormativity, violence and honour.
The certification is meant to improve the reception of and work environment for LGBTQ persons who suffer a greater risk of being afflicted by different forms of illness than the population in general.
"How members of staff interact with their visitors and with each other is important from a health perspective", says Marie Brorsson, head of department at the office of human resources.
The office works to make sure that the student is in focus and meets a lot of students in many different contexts.
"Once we have been LGBTQ certified, students will know that the staff at the office of student affairs have knowledge about these issues, which is valued by LGBTQ persons", Brorsson continues.
The ambition is that other departments and offices at Linnaeus University should also be LGBTQ certified. At the moment, no higher education institution in Sweden is fully LGBTQ certified, but several institutions have launched similar training programmes.
LGBTQ is an umbrella term for homosexuals, bisexuals, transgender people and people with queer expressions and identities
Source: RFSL Riksförbundet för homsexuellas, bisexuellas, transpersoners och queeras rättigheter