UTICA  — In honor of Pride Month, Utica University’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Student Transitions is partnering with the Q Center at ACR Health to host a free public training on how to be inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The Q Center at ACR Health is a facility used to administer and educate those inquiring about health and safety of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The training will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, June 14 over Zoom; it is free and open to everyone. Those interested can register online at bit.ly/UUAllyship2022. Anyone who cannot make the full training is still encouraged to register, as further educational materials will be shared after the event via email.

“Gender and Sexuality: Creating an Equitable and Inclusive Environment for All,” the virtual training will cover topics such as the evolving language around gender expression and sexual orientation, pronouns and naming, disparities faced by the LGBT+ community in the legal and health fields, top tips for effective allyship, and more. Ashley Davis, central New York Q Center coordinator, and Michael Kelly, Q Center coordinator for Northern New York, will lead the training.

According to the announcement from Utica University, Pride Month commemorates the June 1969 Stonewall Inn Riots in Manhattan. Also known as the Stonewall Uprising, this six-day-long conflict was sparked after a violent police raid on a gay club in Greenwich Village. Stonewall was a catalyst for the Gay Rights Movement, which is ongoing to this day.

Utica University’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Student Transitions stated that it is committed to an equitable and inclusive Utica University community by engaging in long-term, ongoing antiracism and anti-discrimination work. Visit www.utica.edu/diversity for more information.