Small Steps, Big Impact Episode 1 – LGBTQ+ Identities in the Classroom

Written by Stephanie Guzman on October 11, 2021.

Back to Small Steps, Big Impact homepage.

Our guest is Elliott Kimball (he/him/his), Assistant Director of the Intercultural Engagement Office here at UNCG. Our conversation today focuses on the importance of acknowledging and understanding LGBTQ+ identities in the classroom.

Link to full transcript available here.

Music, A Short Walk, from Zapsplat.com

Quote from the Episode

Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from trying (to be inclusive).

About our Guest

Elliott joined UNCG’s Office of Intercultural Engagement Team in July of 2016 to work with LGBTQIA+ outreach and advocacy. Elliott came from UNC Asheville, bringing more than five years of work in higher education across areas such as residence life, fraternity and sorority affairs, sexual violence prevention and education, commuter student programs, and student engagement. Elliott holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Appalachian State University, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of South Alabama. Elliott also enjoys being involved in the local community with LGBTQ+ focused organizations such as the Guilford Green Foundation and LGBTQ+ Center, Triad Health Project, The Triad Pride Performing Arts, and Greensboro Pride. Elliott enjoys spending time with his dog Harvey, and is constantly traveling to be with friends and family. Elliott is the 2019-2020 recipient of UNCG’s Outstanding First Year Student Advocate Award!

The Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award recognizes and celebrates the efforts and significant contributions of UNCG faculty and staff who provide leadership in creating a positive transition to college and a successful learning environment for first-year students.

Feel free to reach out to Elliott via email if you have any questions at erkima2@uncg.edu.

Resources from the Episode

The UNCG office of Intercultural Engagement has created a variety of resources to help faculty

Elliot wrote a blog post for the ACPA Commission for Social Justice Education: More is More: Strategies for Including Gender Diverse Students

Stay up-to-date about UNCG’s EDI initiatives: https://diversity-inclusion.uncg.edu/making-excellence-inclusive/

A great resource for learning more about how to avoid binary expression in our classrooms is this resource from Vanderbilt University: Teaching Beyond the Binary in the University Classroom

Vanderbilt University also has a great resource about pronoun guidance and using inclusive language in our classrooms.

Read this brief article posted on Presence by Jodi Tandet (2019): 7 Easy Activities That Encourage Students to Open Up About Identity and Privilege

Elliott mentioned Stacey Waite’s 2017 book, Teaching Queer: https://www.staceywaite.com/teaching-queer