About the Gender & Sexuality Commons
Macalester strives to provide a campus environment in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, asexual and queer students, staff, faculty, and alumni have equity in every respect. The Gender & Sexuality Commons is hosted by the Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice as part of our mission to integrate and affirm the peoples, discourses, thoughts, and experiences of marginalized people into the fabric of the Macalester community.
Following the 2024 General Election, we have compiled this list of non-exhaustive resources. Please note that these may move to a new page within the next few weeks.
Minnesota Resources:
Transgender, Intersex, Gender-Expansive Revolutionary Resources & Services (TIGERRS) – TIGERRS is a nonhierarchical collective dedicated to delivering programs and resources that build solidarity and safety among transgender, intersex and gender-expansive Minnesotans.
Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition – The Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition is committed to improving health care access and the quality of health care received by trans and gender non-conforming people through education, resources, and advocacy.
Family Tree Clinic – Offering varied resources from gender affirming care, legal help, reproductive health, and access to community healing and education spaces.
MN LGBTQ+ Therapists’ Network – We were established in 1988 as a grass-roots group of LGBTQIAPGE2S+ mental health professionals who wanted a way to safely network, support and educate each other and the community about issues related to LGBTQIAPGE2S+ mental health and wellness.
Gender Justice – Gender Justice envisions a world where everyone can thrive regardless of their gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Step by step, we’re creating that world by dismantling legal, structural, and cultural barriers that contribute to gender inequity. We work to ensure that people of all genders have a meaningful right to bodily autonomy, safety, health, and opportunity.
National & International Resources:
Advocates for Trans Equality – Advocates for Trans Equality fights for the legal and political rights of transgender people in America. Leveraging decades of experience on the frontlines of power, we shift government and society towards a future where we are no less than equal.
Point of Pride – Life-changing access. Life-saving affirmation. Point of Pride provides financial aid and direct support to trans folks in need of health and wellness care.
National Transgender Resource Map and International Transgender Resource Map – This free website shows how to make a gender transition. It tells about gender identity and gender expression, as well as the social, legal, and medical ways to make a transgender transition. It has lists of people who can help. You can also learn how to pay for transition.
OutRight International – Outright International works with partners around the globe to strengthen the capacity of the LGBTIQ movement. We document and amplify human rights violations and advocate for inclusion and equality.
Transgender Law Center – Transgender Law Center is the largest national, trans-led organization working to set all people free. We champion the right of all transgender and gender-nonconforming people to make their own choices and live freely, safely, and authentically.
PFLAG – PFLAG is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. This resource can be helpful for parents, families, and friends of LGBTQ+ folks and is a national resource.
Physical Spaces:
Queermunity – Queermunity is a small business committed to bringing the LGBTQ2SIA+ community together in Minneapolis. Opening November 9th.
Quatrefoil Library – Quatrefoil Library is a community center that cultivates the free exchange of ideas and makes accessible LGBTQ+ materials for education and inspiration.
Gender & Sexuality Commons (GSC) in the Lower Level of Kagin
Macalester Resources:
Queer / Trans Campus and Community Resources crafted by the Hamre Center
The Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice
Hotlines for Immediate Care (these resources do non-carceral outreach):
Call Blackline (800-604-5841) – Call BlackLine® provides a space for peer support, counseling, reporting of mistreatment, witnessing and affirming the lived experiences for folxs who are most impacted by systematic oppression with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens. Call BlackLine® prioritizes BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). By us for us.
Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860) – Trans Lifeline is a grassroots hotline and microgrants 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.
Wildflower Alliance Peer Support Line (888-407-4515) – A peer support line (sometimes referred to as a ‘warmline’) is a private phone line that you can call to: Get support, ask about resources, connect with another person who can relate or has ‘been there’, and to just talk.
Thrive Lifeline (313-662-8209) – Thriving Harnesses Respect, Inclusion, and Vested Empathy: A text-based crisis line staffed by people in STEMM with marginalized identities.
LGBT National Help Center (888-843-4564) – The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) National Help Center, founded in 1996, is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that provides vital peer support, community connections, and resource information through helplines and online chat rooms.
GSC Mission
The Gender & Sexuality Commons (GSC) is a student-powered, exploratory space initiated by student organizations and supported by the Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice.
In creating the GSC, we aim to create a stronger culture of resistance against all forms of oppression by making resources more accessible and by bringing people together through empowering, transformative, and revolutionary meetings, discussions, and events.
We want to pursue being inclusive while recognizing that for the space to feel safe and fulfill its purpose, the space cannot be open to everyone at all times.
We oppose all forms of oppression, domination, and exploitation, including sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, and colonialism, among others.
We operate along the principle of “from each according to their passions and abilities, to each according to their needs and desires.”
Interested in getting connected to LGBTQ+ community or resources at Mac? See below for a list of student organizations, identity collectives, and on-campus resources.
Contact Information
Kagin Commons, Room 018 (lower level)
651-696-6243
[email protected]