February 2012 Meeting

Posted on February 14, 2012 by kyle

We met Thursday (9 February) – here are the highlights:

  • There was much discussion about an assignment involving children and their ideas about gender. It also sparked conversation about the task force’s role in matters such as this.
  • Unfortunately, Terry reported that gender neutral housing will not be offered in the fall. The proposal hasn’t been shot down, but it hasn’t been approved. He’s hopeful that it will move forward for Fall 2013.
  • TEAM Trans* has made a lot of progress and will be tackling the NCAA policy on transgender athletes at the next meeting.

There’s WAY more than just that – read the full minutes (PDF) if you’d like.

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Cyberbullying and Its Consequences

Posted on January 31, 2012 by kyle

September of 2010 was a rough month, not only for our campus with the hate crimes, but also for the LGBT community. It was the month in which Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers freshman that had been electronically spied on by his roommate, took his own life. The media then seemed to report a number of LGBT youth completing suicides, one after another. While the soul-crushing events have their obvious downside, the increased media exposure and heightened awareness has lead to the It Gets Better campaign, empowering people to step forward and support those that may need a little extra help.

Next week’s New Yorker will feature an article detailing Tyler’s suicide and the trial of Dharun Ravi, the roommate that faces criminal charges in the case. The story fills in the events leading up to Tyler’s disappearance, showing the roommate’s [sadly all-too-common] point of view. The case also casts a dark and sinister cloud on the usual golden children of social media and technology.

Read the full story yourself, but make sure you have tissues close:
The Story of a Suicide by Ian Parker

Thanks to Jeff for the link!

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January 2012 Team TRANS* Meeting

Posted on January 29, 2012 by kyle

The TEAM Trans* group last Thursday (26 January) – here are the highlights:

  • The group discussed the Awareness Through Performance project at UW-La Crosse, which is a theatrical production based on social justice issues.
  • The social norming poster campaign is moving forward, as photos were taken over the holidays with some of the RAs [huge thanks to Ken Fager for taking the photos!].
  • The signage for the gender neutral bathrooms is ALMOST ready to go and will hopefully be in place very soon.

There’s way more than just that – read the full minutes (PDF) if you’d like.

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New Website: LGBT of Walworth County

Posted on January 29, 2012 by kyle

There’s a new website out there, geared specifically for the LGBT community in Walworth County. The website, aptly called lgbtwalco, has the goal to serve as a resource on LGBT issues in our part of the state. Jody Rendall, the creator of the website, is also currently doing a short survey to find out just what the website should include. Please take a minute to share your thoughts and opinions for the direction of the website.

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LGBT* Difficult Dialogues

Posted on January 21, 2012 by kyle

Would you like to have a better understanding about how to meet the needs of LGBT students on campus? Do you want to feel more comfortable discussing difficult topics regarding sexuality and gender identity? Have you had these topics come up in your classrooms and wondered how to model respectful discussion and turn it into a learning opportunity for yourself and your students? Cindy Anderton, Ph.D., LPC, NCC Assistant Professor and Jen Stubbs, Graduate Student, are offering an opportunity to engage in open dialogue and expand our knowledge about how to meet the needs of the LGBT students here at UW-Whitewater. They would like to invite you to the LGBT* Dialogues for Faculty & Instructional Staff initiative held for seven weeks during the spring semester on Thursdays from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. We want to welcome all who are interested in participating in a casual and welcoming environment for mutual learning. The dates for this unique learning opportunity are February 2, 9, 16, 23 and March 1, 8, and 15.

The group size will be held to 12 people. If you are interested in participating and can attend most of the dates please register online using your net ID. This workshop is listed under the LEARN Center. The room location will be UC 264. This is brought to you on behalf of the Chancellor’s LGBT* Taskforce, PB Poorman PRIDE Resource Center, and the LEARN Center. This is the first in a series of dialogues that will take place.

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