Help us reach our $5000

Give Day 2026 Goal!

LGBTQ+ Western was established in August 2018. We strive to advance the holistic thriving of diverse LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff by collaboratively engaging the Western community with transformational knowledge, resources, advocacy, and celebration.

LGBTQ+ Western was hit with layoffs this year. Generations of LGBTQ+ leadership was lost, and our LGBTQ+ Western team is now down to one professional staff member. Queer and trans students at Western need us now more than ever. Your donation helps us keep our work going.

Visibility Helps us Shine

 We provide support for all students navigating their gender, sexuality, and other identities. Multiple student surveys have shown 40-50% of the student body identifies within the LGBTQ+ community, with 18% of them identifying as Trans or Gender Expansive. 

Students are choosing Western because we:

• Provide Gender Affirming Care
• Host the longest annual university drag show: 31 years!
• Have a Lived Name policy where anyone can update their first name in our systems without a legal name change--with a process to get full name in the future
• Over 10 LGBTQ+ centered clubs
• Affinity Programs to help students
• Pride Living-Learning Community in Residence Life
• Gender Inclusive Housing across the full Residence Life system
• Provide specialized mental health support for LGBTQ+ students
• Have affirming messages across campus
  

Our goal this year is $5,000!

Funds raised will support our students in the following ways:

• Providing emergency financial assistance, through financial aid and other monetary support as necessary, to assist LGBTQ+ students in staying enrolled and successful at Western in the event of unanticipated significant economic hardship.
• Supporting University programming that advances the visibility, understanding, and celebration of LGBTQ+ cultures at Western. 
• Supporting Western student, staff, and faculty participation in LGBTQ+ conferences beyond Western that advance leadership development and/or engage queer and trans intellectual and artistic inquiry.
• Redeveloping Western's Safe Zone program to train students, faculty, and staff on how to support students in the classroom, around campus, and in the community

Here are some examples of what your donation can help support:

• Your $5 donation supports a purchase of 10 or more stickers. Our stickers are affirming for students. Allowing them to show their pride with friends, family, and community.
  
• Your $10 donation provides admission for 1 student to our annual drag show! Allowing students with financial need a chance to attend the longest running university drag show in the country!
• Your $20 donation provides 5 students our annual Lavender Graduation cords.
• Your $50 donation covers the cost for food for an Affinity Centered Program meeting such as Trans Tea or Queer and Trans Students of Color. Our programs help affirm our students and build community--which has shown it helps retain our students at Western! We have food at these events to ensure students are having their basic needs met
• Your $75 donation covers common programming costs for our LGBTQ+ related clubs, part of the Queer Guild Council. These clubs such as the Royal Gambit Drag Club, Out in Business, Out in Education, and our incoming Out in Law club have provided spaces that affirm our students and help connect them with community beyond the walls of Western related to their interests and career aspirations.
• Your $100 donation provides base funds for one of our QT Gift Baskets. QT (pronounced cutie or Queer and Trans) Gift Baskets provide resources for students who had gender affirming surgery or other situations that impact their life.
• Your $150 donation provides emergency funds which can cover a variety of needs that are unique for each student such as food insecurity, a fee for campus services, supplies for academics, etc.
• Your $250 donation covers the cost of registration for students attending conferences to connect with communities centering gender and sexuality in our region such as Portland State University's Queer Students of Color Conference
• Your $500 donation provides compensation for a Safe Zone Facilitator role
•  Your generous $1,000 donation covers the cost for a graduate student to join our team for one quarter at 10hrs/week. This crucial staffing position would allow us to expand our services to meet student need

All donation levels support our mission of supporting the holistic thriving of Western students. Students of all sexualities, genders, races, and other social identities attend our events and use our services. 

Joanne DeMark Rainbow Scholarship

We honor Joanne DeMark with the re-designation of the Rainbow Scholarship in her name. Joanne was a key figure at Western in the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Council and the creation of Safe Zone training. Her advocacy helped create LGBTQ+ Western, and now her memory lives on in providing support for students. All students are eligible for the scholarship, and selection is centered on the student's commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community at Western and beyond.

We Need your Support

Students of all identities deserve a space to get support. Our students have had amazing successes while navigating challenging experiences in their lives. LGBTQ+ students across campus have identified challenges with food insecurity, housing, mental health, and other circumstances that can be a barrier to their personal well-being and academic success. Our office uses your donations to help alleviate some of these challenges.

We appreciate your donation of any amount. Thank you for giving back to the LGBTQ+ community at Western Washington University!

Learn more about our services on our website

-JoeHahn, LGBTQ+ Director and the LGBTQ+ Western team

JoeHahn, LGBTQ+ Director