Liz Elsen (she/her), Petey Peterson (he/him), and two other featured panelists

For many Queer and Trans (QT) resource professionals, entry into this work is through a lens of advocacy. It is also true that the history of this profession is a legacy of activism. Anti-DEI state and federal government legislation has impacted our work, members, and Centers. As a result of anti-DEI initiatives, all of the panellists have lost their jobs in a variety of institutions, states, and contexts. This panel discussion features QT professionals subjected to sudden job loss levels at their respective institutions. They will offer insights on their experiences of unexpected and underserved job loss, healing from that trauma, and advice for those facing the same experience.

Workshop Option 1 - Queer Rage: What to Do When the Joy Is not There

Presented by Vince Tripi (he/him or co/co); Expanding Horizons

Amid exclusion, harassment, and trauma, joy can feel out of reach. LGBTQ+ people have every reason for righteous anger, but rage alone isn’t transformative—it can consume us. By releasing our rage, we reclaim our power, freeing ourselves from complicity in our own harm. This is how we sustain ourselves and build a lasting legacy.

Content Warning(s): Discussion of suicide

Workshop Option 2 - Queering and Sustaining Trauma-Informed Practices in the South Amid Anti-DEI Policies

Presented by Dr. Sarah Simi Cohen (they/them/theirs); Independent scholar and researcher; Research and Practice Coordinator for the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals

As anti-DEI policies continue to infiltrate Southern states, many institutions are scaling back or eliminating initiatives that support structurally marginalized communities. Many institutions in the North believed they would not be impacted, nonetheless, they are beginning to also reap the negative affects of these policies and the broader sociopolitical climate. However, trauma-informed approaches remain essential in fostering safety, trust, and empowerment—especially for queer and trans students, faculty, and staff. This session will explore how individuals can integrate trauma-informed practices within higher education despite institutional barriers, focusing on grassroots strategies that emphasize community care, mutual aid, and intersectional resistance.

Recognizing that resistance is deeply intertwined with grief, we will also hold space for how loss—of resources, safety, and institutional recognition—shapes our work. Drawing from queer and trans histories, we will explore how grief has long been a catalyst for collective care and organizing, offering strategies to navigate the emotional toll of these policy shifts while sustaining ourselves and our communities. Participants will engage with SAMHSA’s trauma-informed framework, discuss the impacts of anti-DEI legislation, and brainstorm ways to sustain support systems in restrictive environments. This session is particularly relevant for those committed to queering institutional structures, fostering resilience, and reimagining inclusive practices in the South and beyond.

Content Warning(s): Anti-DEI and oppressive legislation, trauma-informed/talks of trauma broadly

Workshop Option 3 - The Art of Coalition Building: Addressing Loneliness and Sustaining Change

Presented by Jimmy Luckman (he/him/his); Director of the LGBTQA+ Center at Pace University

How do we move forward when we are feeling an immense amount of change, fear, anger, and/or loneliness? Best practices within higher education point towards coalition building to generate change, however the art of coalition building must embrace a queerficiation in order to create an authentic, affirming, and safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. We must also redefine and reapproach the ways in which we engage in coalition building, that reflects the changes in policies, practices, and procedures on a local, state, and federal level. Often higher education has relied on coalition building for sharing resources and knowledge, but the art of coalition building needs to embrace love, while recognizing the hate, anger, and grief that brings people together to address concerns to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. This presentation will provide a historical review of coalition building, potential "best practices", personal vignettes from the presenter as they co-lead an LGBTQA+ subcommittee that is a part of a larger Federal Administration Transition Taskforce, and provide participants with creative ways to address coalition building that moves beyond sharing knowledge, ideas, and resources towards one that focuses on love, hope, and community building.

This session is open to all individuals, as coalition building is not just for those that are leading coalitions, committees, or taskforces. The intentionality of this presentation is for those that are currently leading, a part of, or aspire to create coalitions to address the needs, desires, and wants of the LGBTQA+ community. The ideal audience focuses on those that are interested and willing to engage in reflection and explore how they can transform their way of processing coalition building to curate a more inclusive and liberatory space in both the present and future.

No content warnings shared