The LGBTQ+ Movement is growing. In the last 20 years young people who identify as LGBTQ+ have nearly doubled. As the movement continues to grow it is essential to begin to grapple with LGBTQ+ identity, and learn what it has to offer to society. This course will provide some insight on the beautiful range of identities that make up the LGBTQ+ community, from the founder of the Friendly City Safe Space, the first public LGBTQ+ Safe Space in Harrisonburg. The course will provide a beginner's overview of LGBTQ+ identity, vocabulary, history and the Movement for LGBTQ+ Liberation as it stands today. The
course will work to decenter privileged identities from the conversation about LGBTQ+ history, and to center the experiences and voices of Black and Brown LGBTQ+ leaders both historically and in the modern Movement. Additionally, participants will be invited to engage with stories of local LGBTQ+ individuals to come into a deeper understanding of the lived experience of LGBTQ+ people in the Shenandoah Valley. If you aspire to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, and want to learn more about
what the Movement has to offer, this course is the perfect course for you! Folks currently in the LGBTQ+ community are also strongly encouraged to join, as this course will hopefully have something for everyone.

Hyacinth Bellerose (they/them) is the founder and director of the Friendly City Safe Space, the first public LGBTQ+ safe space in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They are passionate about community building, liberation from binaries and systems of oppression, and social healing, and have devoted their life to learning more about how to positively impact their community through liberation and movement work.