Briefly explain what your Staff Organization does or its mission:
LavenderCal works to build community and belonging among all LGBTQ+ staff, faculty, postdocs, and visiting scholars at UC Berkeley—inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression as experienced through the lens of race, ethnicity, disability, class, age, faith, culture, and other intersecting identities.
How does your Staff Organization benefit UC Berkeley staff?
LGBTQI+ UC Berkeley staff can find community at LavenderCal. Building community and networking helps make this big campus feel like a place where we belong.
How can UC Berkeley staff get involved with your Staff Organization?
On our website you can find the information to join the listserv. The listserv is where we share events and communicate with each other. We also have a LavCal bCal so folx can see events on their calendars.
In what kinds of events and/or outreach does your Staff Organization engage in?
Some of our recurring events include a monthly lunch gathering on campus, a monthly happy hour at restaurants near campus, and a monthly Zoom coffee break. Some events that we're trying to launch include a monthly dog walking gathering at Point Isabel and a Queer swim group gathering at the Berkeley YMCA.
What’s the best part of being in this Staff Organization?
Getting to build community, make friends and laugh together.
Name one thing you learned by being part of this Staff Organization?
While this campus has so many people on it, we can build a community of folx and you'll usually see a friendly face while you navigate the work day.
What are your Staff Organization's current and future goals?
Our goal is to grow our Staff Org. I'm not talking about numerical numbers. I'm talking about fostering a place where LGBTGI+ staff can find community.
Where can people find out about your Staff Organization:
https://stafforg.berkeley.edu/staff-organizations/identity-based-staff-orgs/lavendercal
