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The President’s Advisory Committee on LGBTQIA+ Initiatives

Mission

The President’s Advisory Committee on LGBTQIA+ initiatives is a cross-campus collaboration between UT Austin faculty, staff, and students. We promote the thriving of all LGBTQIA+ people on campus and assist UT Austin in honoring its commitment to diversity by developing and presenting actionable recommendations, informed by the needs of LGBTQIA+ campus community, to the Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement and the President of the University.

Vision

We envision a UT Austin that is inclusive, equitable, and accessible to all LGBTQIA+ people, and we envision a constant, symbiotic relationship between LGBTQIA+ communities and university administration.

Background

The President’s Advisory Committee on LGBTQIA+ Initiatives was founded in 2010. Since our inception, we’ve been able to successfully advocate for key changes to UT Austin’s campus over the years. Some of them include: the formation of the LGBTQ studies program, Gender Inclusive Restrooms around campus, and establishing an option to put pronouns on canvas pages. Our current committee has representatives from the Counseling and Mental Health Center, the Gender and Sexuality Center, LGBTQ Studies, the Pride and Equity Faculty Staff Association, Queer Graduate Student Alliance, Queer and Trans People of Color Agency, Queer and Trans Student Alliance, and a myriad of others.

2021-22 Committee Members:

Name Pronouns Affiliation Organization
Jorge Perez He/Him Co-chair Faculty
Sarah Schoonhoven She/They Co-chair Staff (PEFSA, Pride Alumni Network)
Lisa Moore She/Her Ex officio LGBTQ studies/Faculty
Liz Elsen They/She Ex officio GSC/staff
Helen Wormington She/Her Liaison DDCE
Betty Jeanne Taylor She/Her Member DDCE/staff
Sarah Sloan She/Her Member Faculty
Joey Hannah He/Him Member CMHC/staff
Quynh-Huong Nguyen She/They Member GSC/staff
Tasnim Islam She/Her Member Undergrad student (QTPOCA rep)
Grayson Hunt He/They Member LGBTQ Studies/staff
Beth Chinchester All Member PEFSA/Faculty
Jesus Ortega He/Him Member Dell Medical School/Faculty
Isaac James He/Him Member Undergrad student (VP of Student Senate)
Adrienne Bergfeld They/Them Member Undergrad student (QTSA rep)
Meg Bishop They/Them Member Grad student
Sarah Simi Cohen Member Grad student/GSC
Sidney Garner Member Grad student/GSC

Contact

Have questions or want to speak with this committee directly? Email lgbtqia+initiativecouncil-request@utlists.utexas.edu and a member will respond as soon as possible.