With comfortable couches, a plentiful candy supply and a well-stocked library, the UW’s Q Center looks just like any other student lounge on campus. The difference, however, isn’t visible: The Q Center is considered a 100 percent safe space for students in all stages of the coming-out process to hang out and be themselves without any fear of judgment or intimidation.

Celebrating its fifth birthday this year, the Q Center calls Suite 450 of Schmitz Hall home. According to its Web site, its mission is to “build and facilitate a queer (gay, lesbian, bisexual, two-spirit, trans, intersex, questioning, same-gender-loving, allies) academic and social community through education, advocacy and support services to achieve a socially-just campus in which all people are valued.”

According to Q Center Director Jennifer Self — also a doctoral student in social work — the center is working to end oppression of not only the LGBTQ community, but all groups, including racial minorities, the disabled and religious groups, and encourages students to empathize with the oppressed in all walks of life.

“One of our core values is anti-oppression, with a multi-oppression focus,” Self said. “We have to focus on more than homophobia and trans-phobia, but to also think about anti-Semitism, anti-disability mindsets also. We have to take all of these things into consideration so that we’re creating a space that’s not just free of homophobia, but dismantling those kinds of oppression as well.”

The Q Center hosts a variety of student-led discussion and support groups, including a bisexual discussion group, a queer men’s group, a partner’s coffee hour for the partners of transsexuals, a Chinese interest LGBTQ group known as ChiQ, the Queer Straight Alliance (QSA), Queer People of Color Alliance (QPOCA) and Transformers, a group specifically for transgender, gender-variant and gender-questioning students. The center also hosts an arts and crafts night, intended as a time to unwind and be creative, from 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays.

“I think the Q Center is very awesome because it cements a location within UW campus that is specific for LGBT people and their allies; it’s really great to have that kind of visibility and support for people who are gay, coming out or just allies,” said freshman Kyle Rapinan.

Rapinan makes regular use of the Q Center as a resource and as a center of community. He said that there are many opportunities to get involved, so much so that there’s often more to do than his schedule permits.

Besides discussion and support groups, the Q Center also puts on events throughout the year.

“Spring quarter is really focused on the Lavender Graduation and on celebrating the end of year and the students who have put in a lot of work and time at the UW,” Self said. “It’s about focusing on them and making sure they have a great party to celebrate their time at the university. People often ask, ‘Why is the graduation so important?’ and ‘Why do you have a graduation?’ I always say that it’s not just about gender or sexuality; it’s about honoring people who feel like they are not often able to be who they are in a particular space. It’s about having a time and space to celebrate every part of them.”

Lavender Graduation is one of the center’s biggest events of the year. All graduates — LGBTQ or allies — are allowed to participate, and this year’s ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. June 10 at the Don James Center at Husky Stadium.

Unlike the all-school Husky Stadium commencement ceremony, the Lavender Graduation is more of a light-hearted affair. Instead of marching in to “Pomp and Circumstance,” graduates stride — or dance — in to a song by the likes of Madonna or Kylie Minogue. Caps and gowns are optional, although many choose to wear them, and the crowd itself tends to be more raucous, Self said.

“It really is more like a party,” she said. “Yes, we have a keynote speaker and a student speaker that is chosen in a vote by the students themselves, but ultimately, it’s about having a blast. We really want them to go out with a bang.”

Also on the spring agenda is Trans Awareness Week, which takes place this year from May 4 to May 8. The event is very important to the overall mission of the Q Center in terms of establishing awareness and understanding of transgender issues on campus, said Q Center student programmer Eric Vernon-Cole.

“Trans issues are just as important as any other queer issue, but they’re just so not in the psyche of the general population that when they are thought about a lot, they get a lot of [negative attention],” Vernon-Cole said. “It’s amazing what trans students go through. Something as simple as needing to use the bathroom, that we don’t even think about, is a big deal for them because they often don’t feel comfortable going into the restroom of their identified gender. It’s a big problem.”

To help transgender students, the Q Center’s Web site features a campus map that shows the location of all unisex bathrooms on campus, which Vernon-Cole said is a “lifesaver” for many. Trans Awareness Week will feature a variety of workshops on topics such as identities, transsexuality and a social event, as well as increased tabling.

Tabling on a more regular basis and an increased campus presence are high-priority goals of the Q Center, Self said. Other goals include establishing a mentor program for freshmen and younger students, as well as hiring a full-time director and creating a speaker bureau to send regular speakers to classes, residence halls and campus events. Unfortunately, Self said, with the budget being so tight, lack of funding is a big problem.

“The problem is that we’re not a fully-funded program,” Self said. “I feel like our demand has grown past our ability to meet it, and that’s really unfortunate. It’s so essential that we are able to be there and serve as a support system for UW’s queer population, many of whom are so vulnerable. I hope that it won’t be too long until we can get more funding and make all these dreams a reality.”

Reach reporter Katie Paff at features@dailyuw.com.