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About Us: The Collective


­Looking for the club constitution? Click here [updated for 2010-2011].

Commonly Asked Questions about SC:OUT:­

Who joins SC:OUT? [top]

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The collective consists of students of all ages, colors, genders, ethnicities, and sexualities, though most identify as things like lesbian?, gay?, bisexual?, transgendered, two-spirited, genderqueer, questioning?, or queer?. In addition, Allies (friends of LGBTQs who support us) find friends and ways to express their support. SC:OUT recognizes that there are many other student events, clubs, and opportunities for involvement on campus, but they are not necessarily welcoming to those who identify as LGBTQ? nor may they provide services with a friendly focus on sexuality? or gender? diversity. To that end we provide a safer space that supports and environment of inclusion, support, and community.

How much does it cost? Where do I sign up? [top]

There are no costs to joining SC:OUT.

In fact, there isn't any official membership. Students join as they wish, participate when it suits their schedule, and get from the Club what they need. There has never been a list of students who have joined nor will there ever be. If you want to stay connected to our events and get in on student discussion and community-building, you can sign yourself up to our LGBTQ@UTSC listserv, a near-anonymous group e-mail system (only your e-mail address is displayed).

In addition to the listserv we also have two Facebook groups which we use to hold discussions and post events.  The first is an "open" group, which means it will appear on your profile and everyone will know you are a part of it.  If you are comfortable, the link is here.  If you are not comfortable in the open group, we also have a private group.  It would not appear on your profile and the only people who know you are a part of it are the members who are already in the group.  If you wish to join the private Facebook group, simply message one of the SC:OUT Coordinators.

UTSC is so culturally diverse ... does your group reflect that? [top]

Not only do we reflect sexual and gender diversity, but also cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity. The students that join, the events they participate in, and the venues we attend reflect these interests. SC:OUT recognizes that UTSC's cultural diversity is a strength that we ought to identify and promote, and our events reflect this. These efforts also include the kind of language used, the types of topics discussed, the kinds of food we serve, and the nature of our events. It's all about being inclusive, and it's all about making a community of respect and acceptance amongst ourselves. If you have any special requirements or considerations, please let us know!

Why should I take part in your events? [top]

SC:OUT's primary objective is to generate community at UTSC for those who feel marginalized due to their sexual or gender identities. Involving yourself in our events is a great way to help us build our community, develop our events, and share your ideas and, in turn, to let us learn from you and your experiences.

Besides expanding your mind by learning about queer history, or taking part in AIDS Awareness Week events, donating time to manning an info booth or stuffing frosh kits, helping with the administration of the group, or maybe acting as a representative in a school function, the most rewarding thing students report from joining SC:OUT events is that they've made great friends (our tri-campus parties are pretty fun, too!).

We invite you to take part in our events for yourself, and see what you choose to get out of it!

I'm not out ... what should I do? [top]

It's alright that everyone has different levels of outness. Our members' privacy is of the utmost importance. We recommend adding yourself to our LGBTQ@UTSC listserv to just listen and get a feel for what's going on, who's in the group (or at least, who's posting), and when/where we hold our events.  In addition to this, you could join our private Facebook group.  It's classified as a "secret" group so it will not appear on your profile.  Simply ask a SC:OUT Coordinator to invite you to the group.  You could also send us an e-mail if you have more specific concerns or questions about our group that we might be able to answer to help you feel more comfortable with us. Finally, you can browse our internet links for youthgroups/youthlines if you feel that you need to chat, feel lonely or isolated, have questions, or whatever. There are several services that you might find beneficial taking advantage of. We'd be happy to help direct you to some services if you have specific needs. Let us know how we can help.

Being queer can be a difficult thing sometimes, and we understand that. Ultimately, LGBTQ@UTSC recognizes that you understand what your situation in life better than anyone, and so only you can make choices on how to live your life or what you need to be happy. We will support you in your decisions and are strong advocates of self-identification, self-discovery, and self-fulfilment.

How political? is SC:OUT? [top]

We recognize that individuals know what's best for them and can make their own decisions. To this end we advocate for self-responsibility and ownership of decisions, and above all else the freedom to choose how we want to live our lives.

From time to time SC:OUT is involved in projects or campaigns which are political in nature, for example, in battling instances of homophobia? or exclusion in student government. We also advertise for events which many find distasteful, such as polyamory? workshops, or the downtown group's Boys Night Out. We proudly advertise and support these events because we feel that labeling some topics or choices as "dirty", "immoral", or "an embarassment to our community" is often quite arbitrary; indeed, to many heterosexuals, the existance of a Queer club itself is distasteful.

Although not always possible, SC:OUT tries to create a sex-positive environment in which the range of human sexuality is not something we can place value judgements on -- all sexual practises between consenting individuals are alright. This can cause some controversy, and will continue to do so in a society with many taboos around sex.

As mentioned above, SC:OUT values inclusivity. The language we encourage our members to use is that which reflects an
awareness of the power? of language and the historical use of various phrases, implications, or expressions to expresspower over another group (e.g. slurs against women, people of colour, immigrants, etc.). We recognize that there is much diversity within the queer community and that to avoid marginalizing people even further, we ought to be aware of the impact of our language or structure on those who do not always have the power to speak up or challenge those making decisions.

What if I'm not very political? [top]

That's just fine! We all do what we feel comfortable with -- some members in our group feel comfortable lobbying student councils on queer issues, some members facilitate discussions, and some simply attend meetings. Some only talk on the listserv, and that's alright too! We don't require members to be activists or to be spokespeople for queer issues, though we do ask that you respect others' desires to do so, and that you respect the club's mandate to uphold an inclusive, anti-oppressive atmosphere, as mentioned above.

What's with all the "politically correct" language? What some describe as "politically correct", we might reframe as having an awareness of how diversity affects us all very differently. In addition to understanding how being LGBTQ changes how others may treat us, what services we have access? to, or what kinds of representation we have in media or the government, we also understand that people are more than their sexuality; people are affected by many things about themselves, including race, class, ethnicity, size, religion, gender, citizenship, ableness, age and a million other things. Ignoring diversity within our own community only serves to propagate historical inequalities, something our marginalized community certainly understands quite personally.­