Gender Inclusive Housing Community
Gender Inclusive Housing Community
Residence Life is proud to offer the Gender Inclusive Housing Community to first-year students seeking a residential community with gender-affirming spaces (e.g. gender neutral restrooms, mixed gender rooms, etc.) with students who identify as transgender, gender queer, nonbinary, agender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, intersex, queer, asexual, questioning (LGBTQIA+), and their allies. The Gender Inclusive Housing Community currently resides on the 5th floor of Spruce Hall.
The Gender Inclusive Housing Community is not intended for students to live with a romantic partner, and we discourage this choice for anyone applying to live our residence halls.
First-year students can opt-in to the Gender Inclusive Housing Community through the Residence Halls Application. If you opt-in, you will only be able to search for other roommates that also selected to live in the Gender Inclusive Housing Community. You will only be able to self-select a housing assignment within the GIH community on the 5th Floor of Spruce Hall.
Get Involved with oStem!
oSTEM is the official student organization at Mines for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people (LGBTQ+), as well as straight supporters & allies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the goals of the Gender Inclusive Housing Community?
The Gender Inclusive Housing Community does not have associated learning outcomes in the same way that many of the other Signature Learning Communities outline. We believe that students’ gender and sexual identities are not areas that Residence Life can (or should) facilitate learning around. You already know yourself best!
We do hope that members of the Gender Inclusive Housing Community can gather around a community goal of fostering an environment of inclusivity for those who identify with and wish to explore diverse gender and sexual identities.
Q: Do I have to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community to live in the Gender Inclusive Housing Community?
The Gender Inclusive Housing Community is, first and foremost, a gender-affirming community. All students who identify outside of the gender binary and students who identify with the LGBTQ+ community are welcome.
The GIH Community is also welcoming of straight and/or cis-gender allies; however, we strongly encourage allies to consider if their participation in the community will positively contribute to the community before deciding to join. Do you have a friend who is part of these communities that you would like to reside with? Great! Is your allyship to these communities a strong part of your own identity? Come along!
Q: If I opt to live in the Gender Inclusive Housing Community, do I have to live with someone of a different gender identity?
Nope, you get to choose who you live with! If you choose to live in the GIH Community, you will be able to search for other roommates that also selected to live in the Gender Inclusive Housing Community. You will see folks with similar and different gender identities from you, but ultimately you get to decide who you live with. You can choose to join the GIH community and still choose to live with someone of the same or similar gender identity to you.
Q: I’m not sure the Gender Inclusive Housing Community is for me. What other options does Residence Life have for gender affirming or mixed gender housing?
The Gender Inclusive Housing Community might not be the place for you, and that’s okay! Residence Life can provide mixed gender and gender-affirming spaces for you in most of our residential communities.
Please reach out to Residence Life (housing@mines.edu) and request to speak with the Occupancy Team regarding mixed gender and gender-affirming spaces outside of the Gender Inclusive Housing Community. We can help you find the community that’s right for you!
A mixed gender or gender-affirming space outside of the GIH Community might be right for you if…
- You are an upperclass students (i.e. sophomore and beyond)
- You don’t want to live in Spruce Hall
- You don’t want to live in the GIH Community (regardless of your own gender and/or sexual identity)
- You would like to live with a family member or friend who does not identify as the same gender as you, but not necessarily in the GIH Community
- You have a medical need for an aide to live with you who may not identify as the same gender as you
Q: If I want to live in Spruce Hall but don't want to live in Gender Inclusive Housing what do I do?
That’s fine! You don’t have to live in the Gender Inclusive Housing Community to live in Elm Hall, as the community is just on one floor. In your housing application, you should indicate that you do not want to live in GIH.
Q; If I want to live in Gender Inclusive Housing, do I have to share a bathroom with someone of a different gender?
The community bathrooms in Spruce Hall are all-gender bathrooms. All restrooms feature a bay of shared sinks with single-stall showers and toilets, made private with gap-free, no sightline partitions and doors. You can find photos of the bathrooms on Spruce’s website.
Q: Who can I speak with in Residence Life if I have further questions about this option?
Contact the Department of Residence Life at housing@mines.edu, 303-869-5433, or stop by the Campus Living Office to speak with our professional staff about these options!
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