The countdown to Valentine’s Day is on, and Georgia Tech is elated to spread some love, awareness, and positivity around the campus. The LGBTQIA Resource Center is hosting its inaugural Queer Love Week to celebrate and educate students around various types of relationships and encourage them to make new connections. The Center is partnering with Health Initiatives; the Center for Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE); and Pride Alliance. 

“Queer Love Week provides educational opportunities and safe spaces for students to virtually celebrate love,” said Lisa Medford, Pride Alliance member. “Growing up, I didn’t have a place to learn from and meet others whose love looked like my own. Students should attend Queer Love Week because it provides a virtual community and safe environment for students to learn about and discuss safe sex, differing sexualities, non-monogamy, and self-love. I am very excited about Queer Love Week. As a polyamorous pansexual, parts of how I love are continuously depicted as incorrect or ill-advised. Queer Love Week will be the first time I experience validation in an educational environment regarding how and who I love."
 

During Queer Love Week, students can participate in the following events: 

Monday, Feb. 8, 6 – 7 p.m.: Dating ACE
In this virtual session, we will provide space for asexual and/or aromantic folks to talk about dating and relationships. The conversation will include dating, consent, communication, and other topics brought up by participants. 

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2 – 4 p.m.:HIV Testing With Health Initiatives
Health Initiatives is providing Free HIV testing for students, faculty, and staff in partnership with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 5 – 6 p.m.:Safe and Sexy With Health Initiatives
This session will explore fun, healthy, and pleasurable safe sex methods for queer and trans folks. 

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 6 – 7 p.m.:Friend Finding With Pride Alliance
In partnership with the LGBTQIA Resource Center, join Georgia Tech's Pride Alliance for a Queer Love Week event where you get the chance to virtually meet, chat, and connect with amazing students within our community! We'd love to see you there!

Thursday, Feb. 11, 9 – 10:30 a.m.:Level Up: Non-Monosexual Identities
In this session, we will learn about non-monosexual orientations that are often erased from discussions of queerness – asexuality, bisexuality, and pansexuality. We will learn about what these different terms mean, how our understanding of them has changed over time, and how and why erasure occurs in queer communities.

Thursday, Feb. 11, 1 – 2 p.m.:Queer Black Lives Matter: The Power of Self-Compassion and Self-Love
Explore what it means to love yourself and show yourself compassion as a Black, queer, and/or trans person.

Friday, Feb. 12, 10 – 11:30 a.m.:Ethical Non-Monogamy: Polyamory and Beyond
Learn how to navigate polyamory and different types of non-monogamy. Hosted by Amber DeSadier from GTRI. 

If you would like to learn more about Queer Love Week, please visit lgbtqia.gatech.edu/spring-2021-events.