Menu
Menu
Safe Spaces creates a safe place, to research the LGBTQIA+ community. We provide credible, research-based information for those who are questioning their sexual or gender identity, participating or living in the community, and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. Each part of this site is based on the developmental stage you are in; DISCOVERY is for those questioning whether they are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, EMBRACING is for those beginning to come out as a member of the community, LIVING is for those who are living as a member of the community and SUPPORTING is for those who are family or friends (allies) of someone who is part of the community.
In each part of this site, the content will be based on where you are in the identification process. Provided is a glossary of terms, quizzes and discussions on sexuality, resources for students in school, stories of others and their process, and additional resources for further discovery. Parents and families will also find information and resources on how to talk to their children about their sexual and gender identity, your child’s educators, and helpful guidance on bullying.
As a former middle school and high school educator, Darci wanted to build something that would help students discover, embrace and live who they are. Originally, the four sections (Discovery, Embracing, Living, and Supporting) were based on student ages in school: middle (ages 10-14), high(ages 14-18), and college (ages 18-25), the fourth section was for parents and families. As the project progressed, she realized she was setting up the ages as a progression of LGBTQIA+ development, which is not dependent on age. So the original name of “Student Safe Spaces” was changed to “LGBTQIA Safe Spaces”.
Because her thesis project was originally based on the Middle School aged group, she spoke to middle schoolers as part of her research and built this site based on the feedback from these interviews. Some take-aways from middle schoolers: keep it short and sweet, videos are better than text, use TikTok and YouTube styles, and make it interactive where possible. Though the inspiration for design, content, and structure was for the middle school age group, she decided to keep the design throughout thus making all parts of the site available for any age.
Darci Santella is a multimedia designer, former middle and high school educator, and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. She has earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and a Master of Arts Communication (MAC). Safe Spaces was created during her final semester of her MAC and incorporate many original multimedia content and web design.
