Safe Space

The upside-down pink triangle is a source of pride in the LGBTQI community.  Its origin dates back to Nazi Germany when gays and lesbians were persecuted and forced to wear the upside-down triangle on their sleeve in concentration camps.

Today, the triangle has been re-claimed and is now a symbol of pride.  With input from our LGBTQI student community and Eric Harsen (Graphic Communications), the decal displayed above has been personalized for SAC & SCC. 

When you see a decal, on a door, in a window, or in an office, you know that you have found a Safe Space Ally.

A Safe Space ally is a trained faculty or staff person who has signed a pledge to provide a positive, supportive, trustworthy and respectful place for SCC  lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) students. A Safe Space Ally is a person one can go to for resources and affirmation.  Furthermore, a Safe Space Ally provides a safe place for LGBTQI students to talk about their lives and, possibly, their sexual orientation. 

A “Safe Space” is a place where homophobic and heterosexist comments and actions are not accepted and where LGBTQI issues are addressed in an educational and informative manner.  Therefore, a Safe Space Ally serves to dispel myths and misinformation about LGBTQI individuals and provides accurate information in a respectful way.

How do I become a Safe Space Ally?
The SCC Safe Space Coordinators' goal is to provide faculty, staff, and, eventually, student leaders with the necessary knowledge and tools to serve as allies to the LGBTQI community on campus. The half-day training sessions, conducted by trained Safe Space faculty and staff from SCC, combine both informative sessions and experiential activities. At the training session, participants receive a Safe Space Ally Handbook that outlines important educational resources, such as an explanation of the process of coming out and what it means to be an ally. Participants also receive a “Resource Guide,” containing valuable online and text resources in addition to referral information for the campus and the community.

At the conclusion of the training, those who decide to become allies receive a Safe Space decal to place in their window, on their door, or in their office.
​Our goal is to provide students, faculty, and staff a safe and welcoming college environment. With our growing network of Safe Space Allies, we hope to do just that. Whenever you see a Safe Space decal, feel free to visit one of our Safe Space Allies, for they are happy to assist in any way they can.

Our Pledge to Safe Space Allies
Dear Safe Space Ally:

Thank you for your participation in the Santiago Canyon College (SCC) Safe Space Ally training! We are very pleased that you have chosen to support our efforts in making SCC a more welcoming campus for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex students, faculty, and staff.

As a visible ally on campus, you have the opportunity to be an agent of change and to improve your campus climate by openly supporting members of our LGBTQI community. We encourage you to network and support your fellow Safe Space Ally colleagues around the college.

We want you to know that we, along with other allies on campus, are available to support your efforts. If you ever have any questions or concerns about your role as an ally, please do not hesitate to contact us.

SCC faculty and staff can contact Corinna Evett at evett_corinna@sccollege.edu or Tiffany Gause at gause_tiffany@sccollege.edu​ 

​​and

SAC faculty and staff can contact Phi Loan Le at le_philoan@sac.edu or Susana Salgado at salgado_susana@sac.edu

Thank you again for the time and energy you have committed to the SAC & SCC Safe Space programs!

Sincerely,
The Safe Space Development Group
Santiago Canyon College & Santa Ana College

The Center Orange County                            
12752 Garden Grove Blvd., Suite 106           
Garden Grove, California 92943        
(714) 534-0862
(714) 534-0862 ext 330 – counseling hotline 
www.thecenteroc.org        

The Trevor Project
(800) 850-8078 -24 hour hotline
www.thetrevorproject.org

GLSEN - Orange County                              
Tustin, California 92781
orangecountyglsen@gmail.com
www.GLSEN.org
PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)    
PO Box 3687
www.pflag.org
Human Rights Campaign- Local Chapter
http://www.hrc.org/steering-committees/orange-county-long-beach-palm-springs

The LGBT Center OC
305 E. 4th Street, Ste 200
714.953.5428
http://www.lgbtq​centeroc.org
Pride Events:LA: http://www.lapride.org
OC: http://www.prideoc.com/
Long Beach: http://www.longbeachpride.com/
Palm Springs: http://pspride.org/
SD: https://sdpride.org/