The Office of Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State awarded Washington State University $15,000 to organize a three-day, train-the-trainer workshop in India on LGBTQIA+ allyship.
Director of International Admissions Daniel Saud applied for the grant through the U.S. Mission India Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program administered by the Hyderabad Consulate. Saud’s proposal addressed the program’s priority of promoting a better understanding of diversity and inclusion and LGBTQIA+ rights, among other human rights.
Saud and WSU’s Campus Climate and Community Building Director Matthew Jeffries are now developing a sustainable training program to foster conversations related to equality and justice. This fall, they will travel to Hyderabad to instruct 30 professionals from three states on promoting a better understanding of diversity and inclusion and becoming LGBTQIA+ allies. In turn, those 30 master trainers will teach another 2,500 people on the topic. They want to increase comfort levels of participants regarding issues faced by members of the LGBTQIA+ community and work toward a more equitable company, university, and society for them.
The Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad oversees a range of cultural and educational initiatives throughout the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha that are supported by the U.S. government. The goal is to foster stronger bilateral and regional ties through programs that promote greater understanding of the U.S. and foster people-to-people ties, reinforce shared values between the U.S. and India, and ensure mutual prosperity.
“We’re excited about training Indian citizens to support LGBTQI+ leaders. With this grant we aim to help create safe spaces within business organizations and corporations in the world’s largest democracy,” said Saud.
