When Flo Perez, 27, first came to Elgin Community College (ECC) in March of 2015, all he had was a small support group to speak with about being a transgender man. Only a year later, he has had the opportunity to serve as the president of the reinstated Students Who Are Not Silent (SWANS) organization, which supports members and allies of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community at the college.

According to Perez, the opportunity to lead the club “fell into his lap,” and that he was “just kind of nominated.” He then went on to comment on the pressures of leading by example in the LGBTQ community.

“It’s hard for us finding people to look up to in general,” said Perez. “Not even just celebrities, but here in general. Most people don’t want to come out still, you know? So I think that because I’m so open about [being transgender], I think that’s a necessary skill to have as a leader and as president. To be comfortable and proud with who you are and advance the whole group… Without that, what would we do?”

Now, ECC’s Wellness Services are offering faculty the opportunity to take on a leadership role with the Safe Zone Trainings this spring, which aims to “increase knowledge of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) diversity and acceptance,” according to ECC’s website. By participating, ECC staff members can earn a Safe Zone logo for their office, recognizing their completion of the program.

Perez also commented that Safe Zones have helped the process of admissions with the addition of a gender-neutral options to ECC’s student applications.

One of the first to undergo the training was Associate Professor of English and Journalism Lori Clark, who has been volunteering in the LGBTQ community since 2004. According to Clark, while the training has been around for around 10 years, the community is just now starting to know what it entails.

“I feel like after gay marriage passed, people said, ‘Okay, that group is okay,’” said Clark in an interview. “But there are still a lot of issues to be solved and a lot of battles to be fought, especially for the transgender community.”

Clark believes that SWANS has been effective in increasing LGBTQ awareness at ECC, with events like Spirit Week and the Transgender Day of Awareness Candlelight Vigil strengthening the club’s presence on campus.

Most recently, SWANS has offered students the chance to learn about staying safe while spicing up relationships with their first ever “Kink 101” event in ECC’s E Building. With host speakers from Open Door Clinic of Elgin and Early to Bed adult toy store, the two-part meeting featured information about how to prevent HIV and AIDS, as well as an “Adult Toys Workshop” later in the evening, as described by the event’s Facebook page.

Both Clark and Perez stated that the best way to support and stay informed about the LGBTQ community is to attend SWANS meetings and events.
“Every member in SWANS is an open book, I’ve realized,” said Perez. “What I’ve seen from everyone is that they’d rather get questions than to have people assume things. That’s how you get informed, by asking questions. And that’s what SWANS is there for: To answer questions.”