The roots of the Coalition for Sexuality and Gender Identities, CSGI, reach back to 1982, when a ground breaking idea called Opening the Closet Door was held at the 1983 convention.  The “idea” quickly grew into a Task Force in 1984 with Kathy Obear and Amy Reynolds leading the way.  In 1985, Mary McGhee went before the ACPA Executive Council and proposed that the Task Force become a Coalition (formerly “Standing Committee”).  The proposal was accepted, and the Coalition for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Awareness was born.  In 1998, Transgender was added to our name to more accurately reflect our goals and mission. Therefore, the title of the Coalition is formally known as Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Awareness (CLGBTA). In 2017, the Coalition was renamed to the Coalition for Sexuality and Gender Identities to more inclusively reflect the membership of the Coalition.

Statements of Commitment

• To educate the general membership of ACPA in order to increase their personal and environmental awareness of the social, psychological, health-related, political, economic, professional, legal, and spiritual realities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons.
• To work actively to eliminate the overt and covert oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons within ACPA and on college and university campuses.
• To protect and advocate for the basic human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students and colleagues.
• To provide support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members, as well as allies by reducing professional isolation.
• To appreciate the diversity within our membership and to work separately and in coalition with other groups to eliminate sexism, racism, classism, ableism, heterosexism, and other forms of oppression within our own membership, as well as within ACPA and on our college and university campuses.