LGBTQ+ Support & Resources at Weiland Health Initiative
Queer people have been building networks of care during times of need throughout history– the AIDS crisis, Harlem Renaissance Drag Balls, the creation of national gay and lesbian organizations that offered solace when society would not welcome us. These networks rely on a connection to vital resources, compassion and collective caretaking. It is in the spirit of our queer and trans ancestors that Weiland Health Initiative offers the LGBTQ+ Preparation Toolkit to students.
We need each other and take care of each other!
Queered Services
Maybe you have visited the Weiland Health Initiative website and seen our mission statement: to promote mental health and wellness across the spectrum of gender identities and attractions through education, training and clinical services at Stanford and beyond. We often refer to our services as Queered Services: a spectrum of services for a spectrum of experiences. We pride ourselves in centering queer experiences within all of our services and have found ourselves particularly interested lately in creating guides and materials that emphasize community and self-care in equal measure. Armed with knowledge and information, community and chosen family, we believe we can traverse our intersectional lives with agency and pride, which supports us in our journeys towards acceptance and being grounded in our truths.
We, as queer folks, exist in a tumultuous time where our self-determination and our trans, non-binary, and gender/queer bodies are under attack from many directions and many levels. This impacts not just how we navigate the larger arc of our gender journeys but our day-to-day lives, our mental health, our sense of self, and our sense of belonging and comfort.
By making the LGBTQ+ Preparation Toolkit, we wanted to honor what it looks and feels like to navigate gender and sexuality at this particular time and offer ideas for support both on and off campus.
In times of uncertainty and fear, LGBTQ+ students often face unique challenges that require thoughtful preparation and resilience. While by no means comprehensive, we hope the guide provides a place to ground and feel more empowered. We hope to support you in navigating the coming weeks and years as safely and confidently as possible. Additionally, by continuing to add to this toolkit, we hope to engage in conversation with students about the reality of their lived experiences. It is this intergenerational conversation that can also ground our responses and our actions. We trust your ability to care for each other and find your way!
Trans, queer, genderqueer, gender non-conforming folks have been here for centuries, and we are not going anywhere! It is in the spirit of our queer and trans ancestors that Weiland Health Initiative offers this preparation toolkit to students. We stand on our ancestors' shoulders and invite their wisdom to guide us, reminding us that we have been here before and survived.
Written by: Deb Schneider & Marissa Floro, Weiland Health Initiative
Being queer saved my life. Often we see queerness as deprivation. But when I look at my life, I saw that queerness demanded an alternative innovation from me. I had to make alternative routes; it made me curious; it made me ask, “Is this enough for me?”- Ocean Vuong
Resources
Stanford Resources
- LGBTQ+ Preparation Toolkit: A collection of resources on and off campus to help guide queer folx toward supports as we prepare for the possibility of increased legislative and larger institutional harm. While by no means comprehensive, we hope that it provides you a place to start and feel more empowered.
- Branching Out Guide🌲: This guide was created as a way to support current (and prospective) students to navigate information and resources as queer, trans, non-binary, and gender questioning students at Stanford. This resource guide is a constantly evolving collaborative effort between members of Stanford’s queer and trans communities, staff, and the many offices, services, programs and organizations at Stanford committed to supporting them.
- Umbrella Assistance Fund: a program designed to support students' medical, legal, and mental health fees associated with areas related to gender and sexuality.
- Therapy is Like Gardening🪴: a guide that provides clear, succinct information about mental health, self-care, therapy, and more. Each concept will be described, corresponding elements will be named, myths will be busted and resources will be given if you’d like to learn more and apply these concepts to your life. While this guide is not a substitute for mental health care, we hope it will empower you in your own healing and self-care journey!