The LGBTQ+ Education Institute provides trainings on understanding foundational terminology of gender and sexuality, developing approaches to LGBTQ+ inclusion, combating biases and assumptions of the LGBTQ+ community, and confronting the roots of anti-LGBTQ+ oppression. As a team, we want to dream a world where LGBTQ+ people are seen, celebrated, and embraced as who we are wherever we go. 

Scheduling a Training or Consultation Session:

Email Robin at [email protected] or use this link to set up a free 30-minute initial consultation. 

Non-profit organizations and government agencies: ask about our discounted non-profit/government rate!

More information:

We offer three tiers of standard trainings, LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Equity 101, 102, and Committing to LGBTQ+ Liberation as well as Training on Barriers to Care and Health Disparities. Additionally, we offer specific topics developed around our teams’ lived experiences and research expertise. Those offerings are listed below.

Virtual Individual Equity
101 trainings available

1st Mondays, 12:00-1:00 p.m. EST and 4th Mondays, 6:30-7:00 p.m. EST.
Click here to register and learn more

Virtual Rotating Topics in
Supporting and Advocating for LGBTQ+ Youth

3rd Thursday, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EST
Starting September 21, 2023

Each month our Education Institute will share knowledge and resources on an area or topic on supporting our youth. Trainings will be held online via Zoom. To sign up email [email protected]. These topics typically address concerns for different youth age ranges and will sometimes address, for example, middle school aged youth or teenagers. Look out each month for the topic!

• September - Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ+ Youth

• October - Coming Out for Youth / Letting People In

• November - Changing Pronouns Changing Names

• December - LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health 

• January - LGBTQ+ Youth and Substance Use Disorders 

• February - LGBTQ+ Youth and Dating Violence

• March - Supporting Trans Youth

• April- LGBTQ+ Neurodivergent Youth 

• May - Supporting Nonbinary Youth

• June - LGBTQ+ Youth Health 

• July - Celebrating and Centering LGBTQ+ Youth of Color 

• August - Supporting Asexual / Aromantic Youth 

• September - Supporting Bisexual / Pansexual / Queer Youth

• October - Online Space Safety for LGBTQ+

• November - Healthy Relationships for LGBTQ+ Youth

Training Topics:

Standard: 

These trainings run between one hour to an hour and a half based on group size and requested content. 

• LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Equity 101
• LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Equity 102
• Committing to LGBTQ+ Liberation
• Understanding and Removing Barriers to Care
• LGBTQ+ Health Inequities  

Specialized Topics: 

These trainings run between 45 minutes and 2 hours depending on group size and content. 

• Neurodivergent LGBTQ+ Communities
• LGBTQ+ Survivors of Domestic and Intimate Partner Abuse
• Nonbinary Identities
• LGBTQ+ History
  • Lehigh Valley LGBTQ+ History and Archives
  • Authors and Poets 
  • Trans and Gender Non-conforming People's Histories 
• LGBTQ+ Mental Health 
• LGBTQ+ Youth 
• Supporting LGBTQ+ People with Substance Use Disorders
• Supporting Bi+ Communities and Unpacking Biphobia 
• And more to come! 

Our dynamic trainings are well suited for human services, government agencies, school districts and educators, and healthcare providers, administrators, and so many more organizations. LGBTQ+ people live and exist everywhere and we believe in taking these educational opportunities wherever we can. 

Our team’s diverse professional and personal experiences make us adaptable to each organization’s unique needs. We will always tailor our trainings to address and specific areas of interest for your organization as well as providing time for Q&A at the end of the training. 

Training on Barriers to Care and Health Disparities: Healthy People 2020 defines Health Equity as "the attainment of the highest quality of health for all people" - a dream not yet realized by LGBT healthcare consumers. This training assists healthcare professionals and administrators in understanding the barriers to care that prevent the LGBT patient population from seeking services, screenings, treatment, and care. This training includes current localized data to demonstrate the hurdles LGBT patients are navigating and the disparities that exist for this population. The training includes promising practices for a high-quality of healthcare delivery for the LGBT patient population.

The standard length of this interactive training is 1 hour and is designed for up to 50 people. Length, time, data, and specific content can be adjusted to meet the needs of your organization. Trainings for larger audiences can be negotiated.

Policy Development and Consulting: We routinely assist small businesses, non-profits, universities and schools with policy development to help them reduce risk, maintain compliance with municipal non-discrimination ordinances, and to be on the leading-edge for LGBTQ+ workplace equality. In particular, we have assisted organizations with drafting the following policies:

• Non-discrimination policy
• Anti-harassment policy
• Restroom/Locker room usage policy
• Gender-inclusive housing policy 
• Name policies

We are not attorneys, and while we have unique and specific expertise in LGBTQ+-related policies, we recommend that organizations have our draft policies reviewed by their counsel before the adoption of any new policies.

Organizations Trained:

• AARP of Pennsylvania
• Albright College
• Allentown Health Bureau
• Allentown School District
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley
• Camp JCC Lehigh Valley
• Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley
• Care Patrol
• Casa Guadalupe
• Central York School District
• Da Vinci Science Center
• Department of Family Medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network
• Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries
• Discover Lehigh Valley
• East Stroudsburg University
• Erie County Department of Health
• Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program at Lehigh Valley Health Network
• Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Medical-Surgical Nurses
• Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors
• Hillside School
• Interior School District
• Jewish Family Services of the Lehigh Valley
• KidsPeace
• Lehigh Valley Drug and Alcohol Intake Unit
• Magellan Behavioral Health
• Meals on Wheels of Lehigh County and Northampton County
• Mid Eastern Association of Peri Anesthesia Nurses
• Molly's Restaurant and Bar
• Muhlenberg College
• Northampton County Student Assistance Program
• North Penn Legal Services
• Northampton County Re-entry Program
• Oxford School District
• Palisades School District
• Peer Star
• Penn State College of Medicine
• Penn State University
• Pennridge School District
• Pennsylvania Department of Aging Office of the Ombudsman
• Pennsylvania Department of Health
• Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
• Pyramid Healthcare
• Quakertown School District
• Recovery Revolution
• Reading School District
• Student Nurses Association at Cedar Crest College
• The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education
• Treatment Trends
• United Friends School
• United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley
• White Deer Run of Allentown
• Wildlands Conservancy

Educators: We value and center the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and to help explore our varied and rich experiences we try to have two trainers attend each training when possible. 

Robin Gow, MFA | Director of the Education Institute (they/he/ze/it/fae & el/elle) is an autistic trans poet and educator from Kutztown, PA. They earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Adelphi University where they also taught for two years as a professor of English. At their undergrad, Ursinus College, Robin served as the president of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance and the Coordinator of the Rainbow Resource Center, developing events and support services for LGBTQIA+ students and advocating for more inclusive policies. Robin has given trainings on creating more inclusive spaces for trans people to colleges, healthcare networks, and schools across the country. They are the award-winning author of three poetry collections, an essay collection, Young Adult, and Middle Grade novels in verse. Robin feels passionate about celebrating neurodivergent folks in the queer community. 

(More Trainers Bios Coming Soon!)

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