Speaker Series: Straight Up–Preview Pt. 2

Hi again!

Just a reminder that our last Speaker Series: Straight Up is this Wednesday at 8 p.m. We have a great panel lined up representing many different voices in the allied community, including Linda Hellman, a board member of PFLAG NYC.  Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is an organization dedicated to supporting the LGBT community by supporting its greatest potential supporters–the parents, families, and friends of people in the LGBT community.  So don’t miss out on this Wednesday’s Speaker Series and your chance to hear what Linda and our other great panelists have to say about being an ally!  In the meantime, check out these great videos about PFLAG, including one in which Obama tells the organization’s story to a roaring crowd!

“Tonight somewhere in America a young person, let’s say a young man, will struggle to fall asleep–wrestling alone with a secret he’s held as long as he can remember.  And soon perhaps he will decide it’s time to let that secret out.  What happens next depends on him, his family, as well as his friends, and his teachers, and his community–but it also depends on us.  On the kind of society we engender, the kind of future we build.”

Speaker Series: Straight Up, a real talk about allyship

Hi everyone!

I know you’re all looking forward to this week’s First Friday: The Vagina Ball but come on, let’s be real–I know you’re even MORE excited for next week’s Speaker Series!

This month’s event will be next Wednesday, December 8th, at 8 p.m. in 702 Hamilton and will focus on the ins and outs of allyship.  We have a great panel lined up, and as a sneak preview I wanted to share an article about one of our wonderful confirmed panelists, Hudson Taylor.  Hudson has just recently joined the coaching staff for Columbia’s Wrestling Team, and is known for being a strong and vocal ally–just the way we like them!

This article is a little old, but definitely captures Hudson’s attitude toward LGBT rights: passionate and excited!

Read it here; find some of the highlights below:

“For me and my generation, [LGBT rights] is a pressing issue,” said Taylor, 23, a native of New Jersey. “I believe that whatever history I’m a part of, I’m responsible for. If I feel something is unjust or unequal, I feel a responsibility to do something about it.”

While Taylor spoke positively about his teammates, he will challenge them if he hears language demeaning of gays. “A common way to degrade a teammate is to call them a ‘fag,’ ” said Taylor, who hesitated even saying the word in our interview. “This is not unique to wrestling, but a common discourse for many male sports teams. It’s important to address it publicly and say something in front of the team.

If this sounds interesting to you, come out to next Wednesday’s Speaker Series: Straight Up to hear Hudson and others discuss the importance and complexities that come with being an ally.

There are, though, those breakthrough moments when he and a teammate will have a meaningful dialogue and “I think I make a difference.”

 

Speaker Series Brainstorm

Hi everyone,

Thanks to all of you who came out to this month’s “Speaker Series: Where’s the T in Media?”–hopefully you learned everything you ever wanted to know about transgender, transsexual, and intersex representations in the media!

As informative as it was, now it’s time to start thinking about next month’s Speaker Series, and I need your help!  We’ll be spending a few minutes at the CQA general body meeting this Sunday (at 2 p.m. in the Intercultural Resource Center) to brainstorm possible topics for next month’s discussion, but I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments as well!  Is there a question you’ve always wanted to have answered but never knew how?  Is there someone you’d really like to bring to campus?  Is there an LGBT issue you feel is under-represented, misunderstood, or just deserving of some Speaker Series love?  Post your thoughts in the comments, or feel free to email me, Claire (cmd2187@columbia.edu) with any thoughts!

Thanks so much in advance for all your wonderful help

CQA’s Speaker Series THIS WEDNESDAY!

Come join CQA, QuAM, and MAGNET (Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People) for a night of discussion and exploration of the (mis)representation of transgender, transsexual, and intersex people in the media.

The event will consist of a panel discussion followed by Q&A with the audience. Light refreshments will be available.

Our panelists are:

Ashley Love – Organizer of MAGNET (Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People)
Noah Lewis – Staff Attorney at Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund
Deb Sprague – Writer-Producer: Premiere Radio Networks
Kyle Lukoff – Barnard alum

In honor of Gender Rights Week, this discussion will focus on the depictions of transsexual, transgender and intersex images in the media. Come out to hear our panelists discuss the presence, representation, and misrepresentation of the entire gender spectrum in the media and beyond!

Where: 304 Barnard

When: 7pm on Wednesday, October 13

RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1096260247#!/event.php?eid=167056236638349&index=1