FIU LGBTQ Resources & Services

The term "coming out" (of the closet) refers to the life-long developmental process of a positive gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or Queer identity. It is a very long and difficult struggle for many people because they often have to confront many homophobic attitudes and discriminatory practices along the way. Many individuals first need to struggle with their own negative stereotypes and feelings of homophobia that they learned growing up.

Before these people can feel good about who they are, they will need to challenge their own attitudes and move from the lower end of the homophobic continuum (repulsion, pity, tolerance) to feelings of appreciation and admiration. But it often takes years of painful work to develop a positive gay or gender identity. Then, many individuals begin to make decisions about who to tell that they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Many of these people are afraid to "come out" to their friends and family.

Are you facing an unexpected financial emergency that is getting in the way of focusing on your education? Are you not able to make ends meet as a result of a financial emergency, such as:

An unexpected car repair?
Lack of food resources?
Difficulty paying utility bills or rent?
A medical emergency?
Another type of financial emergency?
We understand that unexpected costs and needs can cause significant stress and impact your academic success and personal well-being. FIU offers short-term resources to help you during these times of need.

Help may come in a variety of forms. Please see some of the resources that FIU has to offer below.

Whether you need a listening ear, someone to help you navigate the university or a solution for a personal conflict, we're here to help.

There are many resources on campus that can support you or your fellow Panthers during difficult times. Below you will find programs and services available.

Universities across the country are grappling with the issue of sexual assault on their campuses and FIU is no exception. While reports of sexual assaults at FIU are low, the safety of students is our top priority and we are committed to being proactive to prevent and stop sexual violence on our campuses. Preventing sexual assault at our university and in our society requires FIU students, staff, and faculty to act, collaborate, and speak out against sexual violence. Together we can educate our community about sexual violence, empower our peers to be active bystanders, and prevent sexual assault at FIU. It's on all of us.

An Executive Order signed in July 2012 granting temporary legal status to qualifying undocumented students. It is uncertain whether or not the new administration will revoke DACA as promised during the election campaign. If revoked, DACA students could potentially be subject to detention and deportation proceedings.

The Safe Zone program is geared towards developing awareness and training faculty and staff on campus to assist and serve as resources and support networks for the university LGBTQA community. Members of this subcommittee train new Safe Zone participants and further enhance and develop the University Safe Zone program. The University Safe Zone program requires interested members to keep the program up to date with scholarly knowledge and trends occurring within the community. The Safe Zone training focuses on the following four components:

Developing Awareness
Knowledge Building
Skill Development
Application
The training is rooted in a straightforward helping and listening model approach that includes: Basic understanding of issues the LGBTQ student community faces, knowledge of the basic LGBTQA terminology, the development and application of basic listening and helping skills and developing an understanding of community resources and referrals.

For more information please contact the Safe Zone Subcommittee co-chairs:

Francisco Fajardo: ffajardo@fiu.edu
Carlos R. Fernandez: fernacro@fiu.edu

As part of our ongoing commitment to promote a safe and healthy University community, FIU has implemented Sexual Assault Prevention courses, which address the critical issues of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. Please call 305-348-2797 if you are having issues logging in or getting your password.

Help someone before their situation becomes a crisis. Our team will interact with students to provide them with the resources they need to feel supported in their difficult time. Being able to identify students of concern is a priority to intervene early and appropriately. Sharing your concern supports a culture of care at FIU.

Step Up! is a pro-social behavior and bystander intervention training that educates students to be proactive in helping others. The training addresses the bystander effect and teaches participants how to intervene successfully using 5 Decision Making Steps and the S.E.E.K. Model (Safe; Early; Effective; Kind). Step Up! received a NASPA Gold award and was identified as a ‘Best Practice’ by the NCAA Sports Science Institute of National and International Scholars.

The purpose of the food pantries is to serve FIU students in need. The pantries are available to students on both campuses. The BBC Student Food Pantry, located in WUC 307 is run by the department of Healthy Living Program. The MMC Food Pantry, located in GC 319 is run by the Center for Leadership & Service. Both pantries are donations based, which means that all the food distributed comes from donations made by staff, faculty, members of the community, and student groups.