IGNITE!Texas Tech's Program for LGBTQIA Allyship

IGNITE! is our educational program that seeks to educate people both in and out of the LGBTQIA community on inclusive practices for all identities. We do outreach and education for students, faculty, and staff here at Texas Tech and beyond!

Through IGNITE!, we seek to help answer the questions you may have about different experiences related to the LGBTQIA community.

As part of these educational sessions, we encourage you to be open-minded and willing to learn from others! Sometimes the best way to learn is by learning from another human's experience.

Take a look at our available events below! We offer classroom/staff trainings, edu-socials, and our presence at tabling events for anyone who is interested!

Request a Presentation

You want us to come give a presentation for your classroom or staff? No problem! Make sure to fill out the form here.

Click HERE for descriptions of our available sessions!

Allyship Trainings Throughout the Semester:

These are a series of trainings available to all who wish to attend, if you've seen a class/staff presentation and want to know more, or if you simply would like to further your understanding. For those who complete two or more trainings, you will be given allyship cards and other swag to show that you are a certified ally!

All of the trainings will be held in MCOMM 168.

Training 1 - Understanding the LGBTQIA Community
Thursday, January 19th | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Training 2 - Home for the Holidays
Thursday, February 9th | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Training 3 - Current Policy & Impacts
Thursday, March 9th | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Training 4 - Advanced Active Allyship
Thursday, April 13th | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, please direct your questions to Kaity Swecker.

IGNITE! Edu-Socials

Looking to learn about different topics related to the LGBTQIA community? Look no further! With an emphasis on the idea that we learn best when we learn from each other, edu-socials are meant to be a way for people to come together, learn, and discuss topics with each other. 

Spring 2023 Sessions:

Holocaust: Those We Left Behind
Thursday, January 26th | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
We talk about those who were also considered wrong under Nazi rule and put in concentration camps: the LGBTQIA community. Here we have a brief presentation at the beginning to introduce the topic, then spend the rest of session discussing the intersection between being LGBTQIA and how we are continually forgotten or left behind in world events.

Register here. Only offered via Zoom.

 

The Feeling of Romance: Aromantic Awareness Week
Thursday, February 23rd | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
This discussion topic centers on the asexual/aromantic experience of feeling attraction in a variety of ways, and how our society views that as something being inherently wrong with those who experience varying levels of romantic or sexual attraction. There will be a handout with different terms and definitions related to this topic.

Register here. Only offered via Zoom.

 

Trans Activism: How Can We Change Policy?
Thursday, March 30th | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Here there will be a brief presentation on current legislation on the state and national level that impact trans individuals. This discussion fosters an open conversation on how we can do our part to help our trans siblings through a variety of actions, from protests to contacting our local and state representatives.

Register here. Only offered via Zoom.

 

Sapphic: "They Were Close Friends"
Thursday, April 27th | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
This discussion begins with a brief intro into how lesbians have historically been represented in textbooks and literature alike. The discussion will then open up to how past views have bled over into present views, highlighting the large difference between how gay versus lesbian couples are seen by society at large.

Register here. Only offered via Zoom.

Asynchronous Sessions

After viewing an online session, please email Office of LGBTQIA to request a commitment form that provides guidance on promising practices in Allyship.

Allyship is not an Identity; It's a Practice!

Additional Resources

Featured 
Sessions

To increase access to our IGNITE! Programming, the Office has developed select content into sessions you can view online:

• Faculty & Staff Panel: Supporting LGBTQIA Students
• Living Authentically: Promising Allyship for Transgender & Gender non-Conforming Identities.

Nominate an Outstanding Ally

The Ted Jim Dotts, Jr. and Betty Shewbert Dotts Ally of the Year Award

 

Tabling Events

If you would like our presence at a tabling event, please email rianne.swecker@ttu.edu.