Editorial: Safe-Zone training is vital
Last week, two editors of Pacer Times attended the Safe Zone training seminar held by the Office of Diversity Initiatives.
At USC Aiken, Safe Zone training educates attendees on how to both acknowledge and support LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff. Diversity Initiatives director Hoss Brown led the session, providing information on correct pronoun usage, intersectionality, bystander awareness and coming out.
Using proper pronouns can ensure that students feel respected and validated when we quote them. Understanding the correct usage of gender non-specific pronouns is not as complicated as many people make it out to be.
English grammar– as well as AP, APA, MLA, Chicago and many other styles– account for the singular they. The honorific for many gender non-conforming individuals is Mx (pronounced ‘mix’).
“When Mx. Grant goes to the grocery store, they typically pick up their favorite ice cream. They might even invite a friend to enjoy it with them.”
Though members of our office have been certified in the past, continuing to educate ourselves on LGBTQ+ issues is of vital importance. The newspaper’s job is to inform and entertain the students of USCA, which cannot be successfully done without consideration for every student.
We attended Safe Zone training in order to better serve the campus and to support LGBTQ+ students in the student body and within our staff.
Though sometimes written by a single member of the board, editorials reflect the opinion of Pacer Times as an organization and the leaders that manage it. Letters to the editor may be emailed to Editor-in-Chief Cecilia Maddox at cmy@usca.edu and will be published at the editorial staff’s discretion.
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