OUTLoyola

OUTLoyola is a group of faculty, staff, and administrators of all backgrounds who are interested in promoting equality for the LGBTQ+ members of the campus community and informed dialogue about LGBTQ+ issues at Loyola. The group meets regularly during the academic year to discuss issues of relevance for the LGBTQ+ community and to work on initiatives to enrich the experience of LGBTQ+ people and their allies at Loyola. View the Loyola University OUTList.

2024-2025 Meetings

A meeting schedule for the 2024-2025 school year is currently being created. Please check back later for updates.

Participants may join meetings in person or virtually.

OUTLoyola Aims

• Provide a support network for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) employees and their allies.
• Provide support for LGBTQ+ students.
• Promote a safe and respectful campus environment for all LGBTQ+ persons.
• Stimulate campus dialogue on important sexual diversity issues.
• Address equity and human rights issues relevant to LGBTQ+ persons at Loyola.

Based on a reading of Loyola's Core Values Statement, we believe that OUTLoyola's aims are linked to a number of Jesuit values:

1. OUTLoyola embraces the value of academic excellence by stimulating campus intellectual discourse on sexual orientation and gender, including discussion of the range of Jesuit Catholic perspectives on sexual diversity.
2. OUTLoyola embraces the value of focus on the whole person by recognizing the impact that employees' sexual orientation and gender identity may have on their experience as members of the Loyola community. Given the pervasive antagonism toward and marginalization of LGBTQ+ individuals in our society, many LGBTQ+ individuals feel unsafe and unintegrated in their workplace environments. OUTLoyola seeks to promote a sense of well-being, self-respect, and support among LGBTQ+ employees, students, and their allies.
3. OUTLoyola embraces the value of integrity and honesty by attempting to create a campus environment in which LGBTQ+ employees do not feel pressure to hide or mislead others about their sexual orientation identity or gender identity. Furthermore, by affirming the inherent worth of LGBTQ+ employees and students, OUTLoyola strives to increase a sense of wholeness and self-respect among LGBTQ+ members of the campus community.
4. OUTLoyola embraces the value of diversity by striving to increase greater understanding and affirmation of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities in the campus community. This is consistent with Loyola's goal of promoting “awareness of and sensitivity toward differences of race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, culture, sexual orientation, religion, age, and disabilities.”
5. OUTLoyola embraces the value of community by attempting to encourage a sense of connectedness, trust, and collegiality among employees and students of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
6. OUTLoyola embraces the value of justice by addressing equity and human rights issues relevant to LGBTQ+ persons at Loyola. Such issues can include the freedom to speak about sexual orientation and gender identity without fear of retribution, discrimination, or prejudice; institutional support for same-sex partnerships and families with same-sex parents; and hate crimes.
7. OUTLoyola embraces the values of service and leadership by providing Loyola employees with opportunities to offer their time, energy, vision, and talents toward the promotion of a campus in which all community members feel safe, valued, and respected, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
8. OUTLoyola embraces the value of discernment by stimulating members of the campus community to reflect on issues of sexual diversity in a deep and complex manner. Sexual diversity has emerged as one of the most visible controversial issues in the Catholic Church, and OUTLoyola seeks to provide resources and support that will allow community members to reach informed perspectives on matters related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
9. OUTLoyola embraces the value of constant challenge to improve by striving to engage in ongoing evaluation of the state of University affairs with regard to sexual diversity and by initiating and supporting efforts to more fully actualize Loyola’s core values with regard to sexual diversity issues on campus.

Contact

If you have questions, would like more information about OUTLoyola, or would like to be placed on the email list, contact out@loyola.edu or the current OUTLoyola Coordinator.

Michael Puma
Dean of Undergraduate Studies, OUTLoyola Coordinator
mpuma@loyola.edu