MSU Resources

The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center

The GSCC is a center for education, resources, community and advocacy. It is located in the student services building and many of its services can be found on its website.

One of its main education programs is Quest, which is meant to help allies of the LGBTQIA+ community learn and develop skills to help them support the community.

Assistant Director Oprah Jrenal said the goal of Quest is to ensure that it is a program representative of how they talk about their community and the things that they need from allies who want to help work towards liberation. Anyone is free to sign up by filling out the enrollment form.

The center also holds workshops, including the Understanding Pronouns workshop taking place this fall. Groups on campus can also request a workshop by filling out the form on the GSCC website.

The GSCC also provides free resources for students such as safe sex supplies, menstrual health products, sharps disposal and a library. Their office is open for this type of assistance between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For LGBTQIA+ students in need of financial support, the GSCC provides two scholarships. The center also partners with the Office of Financial Aid to provide The Unconditional Love Fund for students who may need financial assistance in a timely manner.

According to the GSCC website, students can request personalized support from Gender and Sexuality Campus Center staff either through the support form or by contacting a member of the staff team.

The GSCC website also has a Trans Guide to MSU to help students find resources for things such as restrooms and housing, health and counseling, transition support, legal name changes and gender marker changes.

The center also hosts discussions and community groups for students, such as Color Me Queer and Pride POC, both of which are open to minority groups, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. A full list of LQBTQIA+ campus organizations can be found on their website.

The Alliance of Queer and Ally Students

Also known as “The Alliance," this student board operates through the Associated Students of Michigan State University, or ASMSU, and has existed for over 40 years.

According to The Alliance’s website, their mission is to “Advocate for and assist in the maintenance of the equality of all groups of Students at Michigan State University that are discriminated against on the basis of gender identity and/or sexual orientation.”

The Sexual and Gender Minority Clinic

The Sexual and Gender Minority clinic offers mental health services to LGBTQIA+ individuals. Their therapists specialize in providing cognitive behavioral therapy services on topics related to coming out, gender affirmation and intersectional identities.

Topics of discussion are decided by the individual seeking services and do not have to be related to LGBTQIA+ centered issues. Appointments can be scheduled by sending an email to clinic@msu.edu

Counseling and Psychiatric Services, or CAPS services

CAPS provides therapy specifically for members of the LGBTQIA+ community and other identity-based groups. Along with one-on-one sessions, they also offer a variety of identity-based therapy and support groups. 

The GIAA, or Gender Identity and Attractionality, is a confidential and small support group for LGBTQIA+ students. According to the CAPS website, this group “addresses life and relational issues related to romantic and sexual attraction, sexual orientation and gender identity." 

Beyond the Binary is a group specializing in peer support regarding gender identity, sexuality and relationships. It welcomes graduate and undergraduate students who are exploring their identity or identify as transgender, gender-fluid, nonbinary or gender-nonconforming.

Empower U is a group specifically for LGBTQIA+ students of color. It provides a space for these students to empower each other through their experiences and intersectional identities. Students who wish to join this group must schedule a consultation. 

The Olin Health Center website has a Trans Health page where students can find information about topics such as medical transition for gender affirmation, the process to start hormones and options for name changes.

Center for Gender in Global Studies, or GenCen

GenCen is a research, teaching and engagement hub for topics in gender and sexuality with a global perspective.

According to its website, the center’s mission is to "connect scholars, students and community stakeholders with feminist knowledge to advance social change.” GenCen is located in the international center. Students can visit their office or fill out their form to get more information.

Lansing Resources

Salus Center

The Salus Center was founded in 2017 and offers a space for LGBTQIA+ groups in Lansing to gather. It includes two meeting rooms and a kitchenette which can accommodate up to 70 people. Current programs running at the Salus Center include support groups for nonbinary individuals, transmasculine-identifying people and parents and caregivers of Trans people. They have programs that provide creative spaces for queer people. They also offer HIV testing. A full list of programs can be found on their website.

Lansing Association for Human Rights

Founded in 1979, the Lansing Association for Human Rights, or LAHR, plays a role in advocating for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, providing education about the community.

According to the LAHR website, their mission is "to pursue justice and equality for LGBTQIA peoples through community-led advocacy, connection and education.”

Resources and requests for training can be found by filling out their contact form.

Queering Medicine

This grassroots organization advocates to improve health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ people in the Lansing area. They have created a directory of “providers in and around the Lansing area who are either queer or queer-friendly and affirming.”

According to their website, Queering Medicine works with local healthcare providers to “generate new knowledge, disseminate information and help address barriers to healthcare access.”

Lansing Area AIDS Network, or LAAN

LAAN provides free services and programs to people in the Lansing area who are living with AIDS, such as early intervention services for newly diagnosed people, housing and financial assistance and anonymous HIV testing. They also dedicate resources to educating people about the virus through risk reduction education, information on navigating life with HIV, group support meetings and more.

Contact LAAN through a form on their website. 

Just B Yoga

Just B Yoga in Lansing hosts classes and workshops – such as trauma-informed yoga – that welcome people with sexual trauma, including gender-based and LGBTQ-based trauma.

"Trauma-informed yoga can be a useful additional tool in the trauma survivor’s toolkit," Just B Yoga's website reads. "Yoga is a practice that creates connection. Yoga’s focus on cultivating awareness of breath, body and mind and our reaction to them can help with self-regulation and healing from trauma and PTSD.”

Future clients can schedule a consultation to request more information about these classes.