'Behind the Blue': A Conversation With J’Lissabeth Faughn, UK’s New Director of LGBTQ* Resources By Kody Kiser and Ryan Girves
During the month of June, Americans come together to celebrate Pride Month.
A commemoration of the Stonewall Uprising that took place in June of 1969, Pride is about many things: acceptance, tolerance, equality and raising awareness of issues that have and continue to impact the LGBTQIA+ community.
At the University of Kentucky, acceptance, tolerance and equity are at the core of everything we do. With resources like the Office for Institutional Diversity and the Office of LGBTQ* Resources, housed in the Office for Student Success, the university works diligently to be a welcoming environment — a campus that celebrates individuals of all backgrounds, identities and perspectives.
While the university commemorates Pride Month in April during the school year with a week of events, during June UK takes the month to reflect and acknowledge the important and ongoing work taking place to achieve equal justice and opportunity for Americans who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Recently, the university hired a new director of the Office of LGBTQ* Resources, J’Lissabeth Faughn (she, her, hers). Faughn brings a rich history of advocacy and community building from similar roles in California, Iowa and Missouri. With a passion for social justice and student development, Faughn hopes to continue the office’s legacy of creating a safe, open environment for all.
In honor of Pride Month, on this week’s episode of "Behind the Blue," Faughn talks about how her journey of providing support to students led her to UK, her plans to continue the center’s legacy of creating a safe, open environment for all, and more.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of "Behind the Blue" can be downloaded from the show’s blog page. You can watch a video version of this podcast here.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.