LGBTQ+ Information for Graduate Students

The Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity provides advice and support to graduate students on personal, academic, and co-curricular issues. There are also a variety of ways for graduate students to get involved in LGBTQ+ initiatives and culture at Penn State. Within the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, you can access support, find connections, volunteer, expand your knowledge and find a home within the larger University community.

• You are invited to explore our programs, organizations, events, leadership opportunities and discussion groups which are all designed to support your academic and social success.
• Meet with our staff for one-on-one direct support and help navigating campus resources.
• Come to a discussion group and/or workshop to talk, listen and learn.
• Explore the ways our campus serves the LGBTQ+ graduate community and find supportive Allies everywhere.
• Join our graduate student listserv to stay current with upcoming events.
• Serve as a mentor in the LGBTQ+ Mentorship Program.

Graduate Student LGBTQ+ Workshops-Safer People Safer Places

Summer 2022 Dates Coming Soon!

Safer People Safer Places Foundations

Safer People Safer Places Transgender and Gender Inclusion 

(Reminder, you must have participated in the Foundations workshop prior to Trans and Gender Inclusion) 

Academically LGBTQ+

Penn State also has a number of different resources for people interested in the study of human sexuality and gender. The undergraduate minor in Sexuality and Gender Studies addresses human sexuality and gender as they have been conceptualized and investigated by diverse disciplines: humanities (including history and cultural studies), behavioral and social sciences, biological sciences, and visual and performance arts.

Courses in the minor require students to explore scholarship and research on sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender across the lifespan, across cultures, and throughout history. Courses in the minor cover theories of sexuality and gender; sexual orientation; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movements; the history of sexual norms; queer theory; gender identity; and impact of gender identities and erotic orientations on the arts; etc.

Student Organizations

Penn State has a variety of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer (LGBTQ+) oriented organizations. There is a wealth of student-run organizations that tackle both political and social issues affecting the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual, questioning students and their allies.