via the Chronicle of Higher Education: How to Be Welcoming
This is an insightful guide for colleges and universities, based on the writer’s personal experience with these institutions’ attitudes towards LGBT faculty and staff members. Worth a read – whether you work at a college, attend college, or care about LGBT issues in general!
November 20 is the International Transgender Day of Remembrance. Today, we honor the 120 transgender individuals whose murders were reported in the past year, and those whose murders may not have been reported to police or the news service.
For a complete list of names and more information, visit the official Transgender Day of Remembrance site here.
If you are on campus, please take a moment to visit our memorial in the Campus Center. There you can see the faces, names, and stories of those who lost their lives this year due to violence, transphobia, and hate.
Yesterday was the fifth annual Celebrate Intersex Awareness Day.
Some context from the Queers United blog:
“On October 26, 1996, intersex activists from Intersex Society of North America (carrying the sign “Hermaphrodites With Attitude”) and our allies from Transexual Menace held the first public intersex demonstration in Boston, where American Academy of Pediatrics was holding its annual conference. The action generated a lot of press coverage, and made it difficult for the medical community to continue to neglect our growing movement.”
Since then, activists have used October 26 as a day of grass-roots action to end the shame and secrecy surrounding intersex individuals, as well as the unwanted genital cosmetic surgeries that are performed on intersex children (with or without the parents’ knowledge and consent).
For more information on intersex conditions and issues, check out the Intersex Initiative or one of the other Rainbow KnightLight links.
Last night, I decided to not get married…
at least, not until every American citizen has that right.
The National Marriage Boycott is a student driven movement to urge Congress and President Obama to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). If you believe that same-sex couples deserve to be as valued in society as heterosexual couples, you might be interested in participating in the boycott. Particpants sign an online pledge, and you can purchase an equality ring for $10 (plus shipping, if necessary) to symbolize your commitment to true equality. All profits are used to help further the fight for LGBTQ rights.
I chose to sign the pledge because I believe a commitment to equality is more important than the legal recognition I could have access to in a heterosexual relationship. My identity as a member of the LGBTQ community comes first, regardless of the gender of my partner. I recognize that marriage is a privilege, not a right—and I’m proud to be part of the fight to change that.
Happy Celebrate Bisexuality Day!
If you go to school or work at St. Norbert, stop by the Campus Center at 7:30 for our Bisexuality Discussion Panel. If not, show your bi or ally pride by celebrating wherever you happen to be.
Some background info about the day:
Celebrate Bisexuality Day has been observed on September 23 since 1990. The day is an opportunity for bisexual, fluid, pansexual and generally queer-identified people and their families, friends and supporters to recognize and celebrate their history, community and culture and the contributions bisexual/pansexual people have made to both the greater LGBT Community as well as to and mainstream culture.
This celebration of the bisexual, fluid and pansexual community in particular, as opposed to general LGBT events, was conceived as a response to the prejudice and marginalization of the bisexual and pansexual persons by some in both the straight and greater LGBT communities.
It features events ranging from picnics and house-parties to discussion groups and poetry-readings . There are dinner parties and dances in Toronto and a large masquerade ball in Queensland, Australia. At Texas A&M University, the week featured discussion panels and question-and-answer sessions. Princeton University celebrates this day each year by throwing a party at its LGBT Center. It has also been celebrated in Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
(source: BiNet USA)
Especially if you can’t make it to the panel, try taking Scarleteen’s Bisexuality Quiz to “check your Bi-Q!”
Tammy Baldwin and Jerrod Nadler have introduced what they call the Respect for Marriage Act, which will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Please read the following communication from Fair Wisconsin and consider using their form to ask your congressperson to support this legislation.
________________________________________________________________________
Fair Wisconsin is thrilled to share with you some exciting news from the Equality Federation, the national coalition of state-based LGBT advocacy organizations of which Fair Wisconsin is a proud member. So often we share with you what is happening right here in the Badger State, such as domestic partnership protections, the legal challenge or our local events; however, LGBT advocacy on the national front is just as crucial to securing legal protections for same-sex couples.
This week, our very own Representative Tammy Baldwin, along with Representative Jerrod Nadler of New York, introduced the Respect for Marriage Act in the United States House of Representatives. This bill will repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and ensure that legal marriages of all couples are recognized by the federal government.
Take action! Ask your Representative to cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act! We need your help to persuade all members of Congress that this bill is critical for families across our country.
Please contact your member of Congress today and ask him or her to cosponsor The Respect for Marriage Act of 2009.
In Fairness,
Katie Belanger
Executive Director, Fair Wisconsin
Hey, its my first post! Yes, I finally posted something. So, hello. It just came to my attention that there is an online LGBT database to find information on the SNC library website. I found this very interesting, a nice highlight of researching for my Social Research Methods course. Well, it made my day! Anyhow, here’s the link to the basic search for the database entitled “LGBT Life” http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/search?vid=1&hid=8&sid=8f28bed3-855b-4821-804b-270d7ccc2b29%40sessionmgr10 . I apologize if everyone else knew about this, and I didnt. My intention is that this may aid in some searching for articles and other such literary materials.
Via Feministing, a photo essay at JPG entitled A Series of Questions.
In these simple, yet striking images, self-identified people of transgender and transsexual experience hold signs depicting questions that have been posed to them personally. The goal is to invert the power dynamics inherent in these questions, prompting the viewer to think about the invasive nature of what may seem (to some) to be “logical” questions.
This short article deals with the concept of outing, as highlighted by the recent film festival release of the film Outrage which claims to out several political figures working against LGBTQ rights. It makes a link between the denial promoted by shame or societal forces and denial in the biblical accounts of Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion. Thoughtful article, worth a read.
I rate this article
“In the closet, denying ourselves” – National Catholic Reporter
As far as I can tell, the goal of a blog is simply this: to be useful and interesting in some way. With that in mind, I’m going to be posting links, sharing articles, announcing events, and blogging my own reactions to what I see, hear, and experience regarding LGBTQ issues. While some posts may be more useful/interesting to you personally than others, the underlying themes of identity, equality, and empowerment in the face of discrimination and violence affect all of us. Whether you identify as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or another identity, or you believe in transcending the limitations of labels, you are in some way affected by others’ perceptions and opinions of gender and sexual orientation.
I hope the other RKL bloggers and I can shape this site into an amazing resource for the St. Norbert College community, and for anyone else who seeks information about or a connection with the LGBTQ community. Thanks to Ryan for setting up the site, and for showing those of us who are less computer-literate how to maintain it. I’m excited to help create what I know will be a great space for members and allies of SNC’s Rainbow Alliance to share ideas, news, events, information, and opinions.
Stay tuned…
- Gretchen Panzer, Rainbow Alliance President
