Association for Queer Employees continues to thrive

The group has been in existence for about 15 years.

ERGs help create an inclusive workplace by giving equity-seeking groups a formal structure to support their unique needs. QUAQE continues to receive funding from the Provost office and the Faculty of Arts and Science matches that funding. The group also received an anonymous donation last year to help continue to grow the group.

“As we are gaining that brand recognition, we are seeing more members joining us for the building of community and social space, says Alexandra Pedersen, member of the Faculty of Arts and Science EDII Implementation committee and the co-treasurer of QUAQE.

She says the group is working with other Queen’s community members on several advocacy projects, along with creating social opportunities to help build membership.

“For example, one institutional limitation we are trying to address is the time allocation for employees to contribute to an employee resource group. Staff who contribute to ERG efforts do so off the side of their desk,” she says. “Working at an institution that respects the time and work of their employees to improve that institution would support better work-life balance and job satisfaction for Queer employees engaged with QUAQE.”

Another institutional limitation QUAQE is trying to overcome is the immutability of individual netids in the current Queen's system. This can impact anyone who changes their names at Queen's, in particular transgender members of the community who currently are deadnamed any time they need to enter a netid which uses their previous (and now dead) initials and/or name.

The purpose of QUAQE is to:

• Supply information and resources for Two-spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ (2SLGBTQ+) employees of Queen’s at varying career and queer stages (new employees, newly queer/coming out employees, long-term employees, past employees).
• Developing a community from which to organize and advocate.
• Building a robust social and supportive community for Queer Employees at Queen’s which will act as a recruitment and retention strategy.
• Partnering with other ERG’s through mentorship activities for career advancement, networking, and community supports (recognizing our intersectionality as employees).
• Provide professional development support to 2SLGTBQ+ employees through guest speakers, networking, and skills.

“There has been a lot of new staff and many of them have never actually been to Kingston or Queen’s,” Pedersen says. “We’d get them coming out to our social times saying they were just hired, I’m looking for my community, where do I start? It’s great we have this group now for support. We also try to keep engaged with other ERGs, Yellow House, and Director, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenization (EDII) Elliot Chapple’s office so that way we are making ourselves know.”

Yellow House is a safe, comfortable, and accountable space for queer, racialized, and marginalized students to create community, to feel empowered, to empower others, to celebrate and to honour their histories.

"Employee Resource Groups like QUAQE play a key role in attracting and retaining diverse talent,” says Dr. Chapple. “Speaking personally, I reached out to QUAQE early in my employment at Queen's to find out what resources and supports were available for queer and trans employees. QUAQE played a key role in making my experience at Queen's a positive one. This kind of support and mentorship is key to creating a more inclusive culture that ensures that diverse hires are retained. In the future, it would be wonderful to be able to formalize those mentorship structures like the Queen's Women's Network has done. Working together with other ERGs is an integral part of creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for all people at Queen's."

For more information visit the QUAQE webpage or read the story: Queer support launched at Queen’s.