STAND OUT! SPEAK UP!
If all people are to get the same opportunities and rights, then everyone must Stand Out! Speak Up! Societal norms seem to be shifting, queer rights and other GLBTTQQIAAP issues are becoming more prevalent in American politics. There have been legal victories, but there’s still a long way to travel on the road to egalitarianism. Join PRISM – People for the Rights of Sexual Minorities – and the James Farmer Multicultural Center to celebrate the courage to stand out and speak up for one’s beliefs and values.
GLBTTQQIAAP Kickoff Celebration
October 19
4-6 p.m., Ball Circle
(Rain location: Great Hall,Woodard Campus Center)
PRISM welcomes the entire campus community to share in a kickoff celebration that fuses food, live music, and fun. Read “PostSecret” style coming-out stories and be inspired by the experiences, struggles, and victories of your peers.
In this corner….. Fight for Your Rights Panel Discussion
October 20
6 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
Join faculty, staff, and students as they discuss the many issues facing queer students at UMW. Learn about resources and tools that encourage positive change so you’ll be equipped to Speak Up!
PRISM Prom – Rio Carnival
October 22
8 p.m., Great Hall,Woodard Campus Center
Cost: $3
(Formal attire strongly encouraged)
Standing out at the high school prom might have made for a bad memory, but the memorable PRISM Prom can help undo all that. Look great and proudly stand out while you enjoy all the prom’s trappings – music, dancing, photos, and refreshments.
Changing Time, Changing Policies?
Debate on Protected Classes
October 24
6 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
UMW students debate whether sexual orientation and gender identity should be protected classes in Virginia and whether they should be included in the non-discrimination policies of Virginia’s colleges and universities. Stand out and speak up on the issues that affect your community.
GLBTTQQIAAP Cultural Celebration Keynote Performer: Andrea Gibson
October 26
7 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
A powerful live performer, Andrea Gibson is the winner of the 2008 Women’s World Poetry Slam and has placed third in the world on two international poetry slam stages. With Gibson, the personal is political. Her themes deconstruct gender norms, sexuality, class, patriarchy, and white-supremacist capitalist culture.
Queer Film Festival
Featuring Milk and The Birdcage
October 27
6 p.m., Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center
(For mature audiences)
Milk tells the story of American gay rights activist Harvey Milk and his struggles as the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California.
The Birdcage illustrates how standing out and speaking up can be difficult. A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to their son’s request to put up a straight front when his fiancée’s anti-gay, moralistic parents come to call.
About Brynn Boyer