You are safe here. Safe Zones provide a safe space or refuge where campus community members can turn when their safety is immediately threatened, and/or they are experiencing bigotry of any kind.

Becoming a Safe Zone participant is voluntary and requires a serious commitment. The absence of a Safe Zone sign does not mean that an individual is “unsafe” but rather that circumstances have prevented them from committing to the formal Safe Zone Program. Visit online to register for an upcoming Safe Zone Training.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Participants’ knowledge will increase on the difference between sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
  2. Participants will reflect on how sexuality and gender can change over lifetime.
  3. Participants will learn the importance of creating an inclusive space.
  4. Participants will know how to encourage a space that learns, un-learns, and prioritizes security & awareness.
  5. Participants will understand how Trans and non-binary people experience the world.
  6. Participants will have an opportunity to build a framework for creating change to alleviate challenges and spread awareness such as; advocating for the visibility and needs of marginalized identities in the LGBTQ+ community.
  7. Participants will explore how terms and definitions vary in an individual experience.
  8. Participants will understand the theoretical framework of intersectionality.
  9. Participants will be able to define oppression in the context of gender, sexuality, and race and their interplay.
  10. Participants will participate in interactive activities such as role-play scenarios, Case studies, etc. to supplement the learning outcomes listed above.

Meet the Facilitator

Mycall Akeem Riley is a liberatory-inclined educator and style consultant based in Chicago, Illinois. Currently serving as the inaugural LGBTQIA+ Resource Center Coordinator within the Office of Multicultural Student Success, Mycall works closely with OMSS to uplift and support those who hold marginalized genders or sexualities.

Mycall also is an adjunct faculty in the LGBT Studies minor program. The interplay of gender identity, sexuality, and Blackness continues to be a major focus in his work. Outside of the academy, Mycall works to continue to uplift marginalized communities rather than consulting or creating.

A significant focus has been the Blaq Agenda Project a multiform project highlighting Black Queer experiences. Mycall can find joy in thrift shopping, conversations on taboo topics, artfully curated playlists, and striving for a re-imagined world.