LGBTQ Community: Share Your Story to Make a Better CTA

(GayWebSource.com) September 27, 2012 • Chicago, IL – Affinity Community Services, the Gender and Sexuality Center at UIC, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance and The Civil Rights Agenda are pleased to announce a new initiative that invites lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community members to Share Your Story to Make a Better CTA athttp://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C5Q68N3.

 
The four organizations are working with the Chicago Transit Authority to make the transit system and workplace environment more inclusive and safe for all individuals and help prevent discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.  The LGBTQ and allied community are an important part of the CTA’s ridership and staff, and we are working with CTA to increase the quality of service the CTA provides to the LGBTQ community.  By asking LGBTQ Chicagoans to provide feedback on their experiences related to discrimination, the organizations will work in partnership with the CTA to make the CTA a model of LGBTQ respect.

The CTA has partnered with the four organizations to roll out a training program, designed by the organizations, to all of their approximately 10,000 CTA employees in 2012-13.  This training program will educate the staff on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, providing guidelines for inclusive employment practices and progressive social understanding of the LGBTQ community. This training aids employers in ensuring their compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act, The Cook County Human Rights ordinance and the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance which protects individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.  The stories that are submitted will help bring a human element to the training and share real stories of how the LGBTQ community interacts with the CTA on a daily basis. They will also help to provide real examples of the discrimination that the LGBTQ community faces as riders of the CTA.

To assist Affinity Community Services, the Gender and Sexuality Center at UIC, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance and The Civil Rights Agenda in this initiative and to Share Your CTA Story, please fill the survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C5Q68N3.

About The Civil Rights Agenda
The Civil Rights Agenda’s mission is to maintain and increase individual rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) citizens in Illinois through inter-generational volunteerism and community-driven project-based education, statewide coalition and network building, and leadership in supporting underserved. Please find us online atwww.jointcra.org or email us at  info@jointcra.org.

About Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance)

The mission of the Alliance is to promote safety, support and healthy development for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, in Illinois schools and communities, through advocacy, education, youth organizing and research.  The Alliance provides professional development to 3,000 school personnel annually, supports the network over 140 Gay-Straight Alliances across Illinois, and empowers youth to be agents of change in their own schools and communities.  For more information, please visit www.illinoissafeschools.org.

About the Gender & Sexuality Center at UIC
The Gender & Sexuality Center at UIC provides and facilitates education, outreach, research, and support related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and ally (LGBTQA) issues in order to create a more equitable and inclusive campus and world.  The GSC has over ten years of providing interactive Safe Zoe trainings designed to heighten awareness of LGBTQA issues around the region.  The GSC is one of the six Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change at UIC.

About Affinity Community Services

Affinity is a social justice organization that works with and on behalf of Black LGBTQ communities, queer youth, and allies to identify emergent needs, create safe spaces, develop leaders, and bridge communities through collective analysis and action for social justice, freedom, and human rights. Affinity’s focus areas are civic engagement, health and wellness, immigrant justice, and leadership development.

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Media Contact: Anthony Martinez, Executive Director – The Civil Rights Agenda

amartinez@jointcra.org     312-863-9632 – mobile

Media Provided by the www.GayWebSource.com – Gay Media and Press Network.