Queer and Trans Council offers safe, welcoming space for LGBTQ+ faculty and staff

When prospective employees think about applying to work at CWU, they need to know they will be supported and accepted on campus, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community may not know what to expect when moving to a rural town like Ellensburg, which is why the existence of affinity groups like the Queer and Trans Council (QTC) is so crucial.

“Having groups like this is really important as we try to recruit and retain a diverse faculty and staff,” said Laura Brant, who serves as QTC co-coordinator, along with M. Eliatamby-O’Brien. “Especially when you consider our location; we’re in a pretty conservative area. We need to be able to show people who want to come to CWU that we are a welcoming place for people from all different backgrounds and identities.”

The QTC, known as the LGBTQ+ Council until 2021-22, currently has 25 members and provides LGBTQ+ faculty, staff — and their allies — with a safe space to discuss a variety of issues, share experiences, and plan community events.  

The monthly gatherings, held in various locations on campus and in the community, are intended to be social in nature, though the meetings often follow a formal agenda.

“We usually start off with a meet and greet before we get into campus updates and other issues for discussion, particularly for folks who fall under the LGBTQ+ umbrella,” said Eliatamby-O’Brien, an Associate Professor and Director of the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. “We usually talk about issues and events that have affected campus life. The conversation topics are often queer- and trans-focused, but we feel it’s important to be there for people of all different identities.”

Aside from the monthly meetings, QTC hosts quarterly mixers in the community, including two held at Iron Horse Brewing this year. The group also participates in two shared events every year with the Employees of Color Equity Council (ECEC).

“We just try to give people an opportunity to get together and talk,” said Brant, a Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Education and Compliance. “The meetings and social events allow people to connect with and be around people who have similar life experiences. Some people also feel safter talking about their experiences outside of work, and we are able to give them that outlet.”

Eliatamby-O’Brien added that QTC get-togethers are among the only spaces in town where LGBTQ+ faculty and staff can meet on a regular basis.

“Having a group like this is vital for us to build relationships,” they said. “There aren’t many avenues to learn what other members of the LGBTQ+ community in Ellensburg are doing, and these meetings and social events help us learn about experiences that others are having. They also provide spaces where people who want to engage with queer and trans folks can learn about current needs and opportunities for engagement. Bringing everyone together like this will eventually help us build and retain more LGBTQ+ faculty and staff.”

One of the challenges Eliatamby-O’Brien and Brant face is that QTC, like other affinity groups at CWU, isn’t directly affiliated with the institution. Unlike some other colleges and universities, affinity group coordinators at Central perform their work outside of their official duties.

As Eliatamby-O’Brien points out, QTC doesn’t receive any formal backing from the university.

“Laura and I just do this because we think it’s important,” they said. “It’s not part of our normative DEI work; most people are just volunteering their time and doing this on the side.”

Brant explained that QTC is part affinity group, part employee resource group.

“Employee resource groups are more structured, and I don’t know that we necessarily need to be that,” she said. “But we are filling that space to speak on behalf of queer and trans faculty and staff. That can be interesting to navigate at times, but someone has to do it.”

“We exist because we say we exist,” Eliatamby-O’Brien added. “Having legitimacy from the institution isn’t the be-all, end-all, but it would definitely help with sustainability. We just want to be sure there’s a place for LGBTQ+ faculty and staff to turn so we can try to provide a soft landing for them.”

Eliatamby-O’Brien is going on sabbatical for the 2024-25 academic year and will hand off their co-coordinator duties to Sociology Professor Griff Tester.

If you would like to learn more about the QTC at Central, email laura.brant@cwu.edu or griff.tester@cwu.edu