UHart Acknowledges Transgender Awareness Week

Transgender Awareness Week is celebrated annually from Nov. 13 through Nov. 19. Every year, the week ends on Nov. 20 which is recognized as Transgender Day of Remembrance. It is a crucial time to increase visibility of the transgender and gender non-confirming community, as well as amplify their voices and experiences through education, action, and allyship. On Transgender Day of Remembrance, transgender and gender non-confirming, as well as allies honor the lives lost to anti-transgender violence and injustices.

Together, we can build a community of respect, compassion, and acceptance. As a community committed to fostering inclusion, we encourage everyone to read the resources provided below. Let us continue working towards a more inclusive, understanding, and supportive community.

Here’s how you can make an impact this week:

Educate Yourself and Others: Take the time to learn more about transgender experiences and issues
Show Support: Use inclusive language and pronouns to affirm the identity of transgender peers
Get Involved: Attend events, participate in workshops, and amplify transgender voices
Advocate for Change: Support policies that promote inclusivity

Campus Resources

Professor Jane Horvath serves as the special Assistant to the President for LGBT issues and is a resource to the campus community; her contact information can be found here.

Campus community members can update their preferred name, gender identity, and personal pronouns via the “Personal Information” tab on Self-Service, which will populate this information in other campus systems such as Compass, StarRez, rosters, and Blackboard. More information can be found here.

Student Organizations:

Queer Student Union (formerly Spectrum) is a Student Organization that aims to serve the LQBTQ+ undergraduate student population here at the University of Hartford. For more information, email spectrum@hartford.edu or DM us on Instagram (@uhartspectrum) and a member of our e-board will get back to you.

The purpose of oSTEM is to provide a safe and welcoming environment to members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies in STEM fields. It will serve as a way to discuss inclusion and allyship within the university as well as in professional fields. It will also provide a place for members to make professional connections and learn about aspects of job searching and office environments that can be especially challenging for LGBTQ+ people. If you have any questions, are interested in joining, or want to contact us email ostem@hartford.edu. Everyone is welcome!

Educational Resources:

The Office of Inclusive Excellence and Inclusion seeks to bring visibility to the gender diversity that exists on our campus. The information below and this Gender and Pronouns Guide were compiled using several sources in an effort to provide a starting point of useful information for the community. These are not intended to be an all-encompassing or exhaustive guide to gender and pronouns, but a starting point for personal education and cultural transformation. We welcome feedback and input to further and/or improve this resource.

Websites

Videos

Podcasts

Movies

DISCLOSURE (available on Netflix)

More Information about Transgender Awareness Week

Celebrating Heritage Months and Identity Recognitions:

Throughout the year, UHart commemorates national heritage months and identity acknowledgments. These recognitions are an opportunity for all members of the community to continue our learning and engage in meaningful programming that recognizes, examines, and values historical legacies of all identities, celebrates its present, engages the diversity of lived experiences within our community, enhances our awareness, and raises visibility for communities across campus and beyond. Through community spotlights, guest speakers, panels, conversations, and research presentations, we foster an inclusive community at UHart.

Please see below for a listing of heritage months and identity acknowledgments. While these acknowledgments and recognitions are attached to a particular month, week, or day, honoring and learning about these identities is not time-limited. We hope this calendar is a helpful tool to ensure we’re inclusive of all members of our community

Sept. 15–Oct. 15: Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month
October: National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October: LGBTQ+ Heritage Month
Second Monday of October (Oct. 10): Indigenous People's Day
Third Wednesday of October (Oct. 19): International Pronouns Day
November: Native American Heritage Month
Nov. 13–19: Trans Awareness Week
Nov. 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance
Dec. 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Third Monday of January (Jan. 16): Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February: Black History Month
March: Women's History Month
March 8: International Women's Day
April: Arab American Heritage Month
May: Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month
May: Jewish American Heritage Month
June: LGBTQ Pride Month
June 19: Juneteenth
July: Disability Pride Month

Questions, comments, or suggestions? Contact Christine Grant, Assistant Vice President, Inclusive Excellence and Belonging (cgrant@hartford.edu; 860.768.4220) or Jordan Brown, Inclusive Excellence and Belonging Coordinator (jorbrown@hartford.edu; 860.768.4932)