'Behind the Blue': A Conversation With J’Lissabeth Faughn, UK’s New Director of LGBTQ* Resources
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 23, 2022) — 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.
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As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.