SHU Hires Manager of LGBTQ+ Affairs

Kyle Humphreys brings life experience to his new role

Sacred Heart University has hired Kyle Humphreys as its first manager of LGBTQ+ affairs. Humphreys, who identifies as trans masculine and uses him/his/they/them pronouns, began the job Oct. 9, just in time for National Coming Out Day.

“SHU is on a journey to inclusive excellence, and we recognize that many people in the school community identify with LGBTQ+ in various ways,” said Maurice Nelson, Sacred Heart’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. “The manager of LGBTQ+ affairs is a designated professional who leads the new Sexuality and Gender Equity (SAGE) Center, offers resources and support to our LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff, and provides allyship education and community-building to everyone.

“Kyle brings a wealth of resources, expertise and lived experiences that make him perfect for this inaugural role,” Nelson continued. “In his short time at SHU, he has already begun to make a positive impact on the SHU community and is a wonderful addition to the office for inclusive excellence.”

In a question-and-answer interview, Humphreys shared his goals for his role at Sacred Heart.

Why is it important for SHU to have a manager of LGBTQ+ affairs on campus?

I think it’s important to have concrete administrative support for marginalized communities. The LGBTQ+ community has a lot of intersectionality—people who live with mental illness, who are Black, Latinx, Native American, even people of faith. They need to have a representative in conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion so that all students, staff and faculty are part of the greater mission of inclusive excellence.

What are your goals for this position?

My goal for this role is to establish partnerships that will enrich the greater Fairfield and Bridgeport communities, as well as the lives of our students, faculty and staff. A college campus doesn’t always prepare people for exposure to greater cultural differences and social inequities. That’s especially a problem at prestigious institutions with high financial barriers. You may not always meet people in positions different from your own. I want to expand the world view here by introducing topics and people the SHU community may not otherwise encounter.

I will accomplish this through programming and by speaking with students directly. I’ve spoken in a couple of classrooms already, and I’m hoping to be invited to more. We will have open, frank conversations about sex education, intersectionality, allyship and more. Of course, there also will be fun events like creative workshops and movie nights.

Community is also really important to me. I hope that by being in this role, I can continue to not only support the LGBTQ Pioneers, but also uplift them and others and empower them to make informed decisions, to establish and find their own community, to find their family, to find themselves and to be in a place where they are comfortable enough to come into their own—whether they are LGBTQ or not.

What drew you to work with LGBTQ+ college students?

I had been working in roles that didn’t align with my values and weren’t very fulfilling to me. They allowed me to develop valuable skill sets that I am glad to bring to this job, but I had been craving a role that gives me a greater sense of purpose for a long time.

Having been a student not too long ago, I remember quite clearly how important and valuable it was for me when a faculty or staff member came out and said they were gay, lesbian or trans. It was so important to me to see that there were older LGBTQ+ people who were not only surviving but also thriving—and they were living the kind of life they wanted to live.

I recognize the importance and value of me being openly LGBTQ+ and connecting with students, regardless of their proximity to the closet. They need somebody to talk to who has lived that experience and who can create programming and provide resources based on that understanding.

My one overall, guiding life goal has been to leave the world a better place than it would have been had I not entered it. I think this role will help me achieve that mission and continue spreading goodness—because goodness and kindness are all too uncommon in our day and age. You turn on the news and, more often than not, really horrible things are happening that you start to think of as normal.

What attracted you to Sacred Heart University?

It was very apparent to me that Sacred Heart is a growing college community, not only in terms of population growth, but also diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, as evidenced by the opening of the Multicultural Center in 2020.

I was especially drawn to the office for inclusive excellence. It was clear during the interview process that everyone I met is passionate and cares about what they are doing and their mission.

Even now, I continue to meet so many passionate, enthusiastic people who are proud to be Pioneers. And it is such a pleasure and an honor to call myself a Pioneer alongside them.