The Cal State Long Beach Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center will host its annual LGBT Diversity Week Monday through Thursday.
The annual weeklong event provides the community with education programs, forums, several guest speakers and panels designed to highlight and celebrate the sexual and gender minorities that make the university diverse.
“Diversity Week aims to raise awareness, acceptance and unity among the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning and Ally (LGBTIQA) community,” said Maria Carmen Hinayon, Associated Students Inc. secretary for LGBTIQA affairs and Diversity Week committee co-chair. “We would like to foster a safe, equal and inclusive university for all.”
Student Resource Center Coordinator Matt Cabrera also believes the LGBT Diversity Week and all other LGBT-related events are important to campus because they highlight and bring awareness of the LGBT community on campus.
“Through these events, we hope that more heterosexual allies come out, represent and support the LGBT community,” Cabrera said.
Monday
LGBT Diversity Week kicks off Monday with a panel on queer theory and LGBT political issues.
The event, called “Queer as F#@&!: An Insight to Queer Theory and Politics,” begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2 p.m. in the University Student Union, Alamitos Bay Room.
Five panelists will speak and respond to questions about the socially constructed nature of sexual acts and identities, primarily homosexual behavior as well as LGBT political issues in an effort to help raise awareness on campus.
A distinctive voice in the LGBT movement on campus, CSULB Professor Nichole Echen will speak and share insight on queer theory on politics. Echen currently teaches “Introduction to Queer Studies” in the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department.
CSULB graduate Benny Huang-Lemaster will also be a part of the Queer Theory and Politics panel. Huang-Lemaster’s academic and activist-based work is informed by radical queer politics. The activist was an original member and organizer of the Transgender Task Force at CSULB, a group that successfully changed the campus non-discrimination policy to include “gender identity” as a protected class.
Other panelists include Steven Tanaka, who has published many articles on Queer Theory and Gender and Sexuality Studies, and students Liz Meador and Jacob Levvy.
Kristina Southern, CSULB journalism student and Queer Ink member, invited students to attend and said she hopes that other students can learn theories, philosophies, and viewpoints relating to sexual orientation and gender identity that her queer studies have taught her.
“I feel that the queer movement has gone under the radar for quite sometime, and it is very important to discuss with it is, and why non-queer people should know about it,” Southern said.
Tuesday
On Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the LGBT community will lead a march of silence to raise awareness about anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender name-calling, bullying and harassment. Tuesday’s Silent March is a demonstration to symbolize how members of the LGBT community have been silenced due to bullying by other individuals or society.
“The march coincides with the celebration of the National Day of Silence, which is a nationwide condemnation of bullying and harassments of LGBTIQA individuals in schools and society,” Hinayon said.
Participators in the march of silence will wear black and cover their mouths with tape as they join the hands of their allies and walk through campus in silence. A demonstrator will break the silence toward the end of the event with a group scream and explain what the Day of Silence is intended to symbolize.
Wednesday
CSULB’s Queer Ink, an organization for gay and straight CSULB students interested in writing, will host Hear Queer Here: Author Reading and Open Mic. The event will be held at The Nugget on Wednesday from 6 p.m. to around 9 p.m. It will begin with a Queer Author reading by Patricia Loughrey.
Loughrey wrote the libretto for the first family-friendly musical featuring a same-sex parenting family, “The Daddy Machine.” She has written many plays for young audiences based on a range of topics including HIV and interviews with political leaders and gay activists. After the reading, Queer Ink and The Nugget will provide a venue for musicians, singer-songwriters, spoken-word artists and students in general to perform on stage during an open mic.
“I encourage everyone to share something, dance, sing, read or perform to express themselves,” Southern said.
Thursday
On Thursday, The Nugget will also host “DIVERSiTunes: A Queer Music Showcase” from 7 – 9pm. Students are invited to attend and support fellow queer music talents. The lineup includes singer/songwriter Sarah Green, punk-alternative rock group “We Are/She Is” and violinists “C-Note.”
LGBT’s Diversity Week is sponsored by the LGBT Student Resource Center, Student Life and Development, Division of Student Services, Associated Students, Inc., Delta Lambda Phi, Gay Straight Alliance and Queer Ink.
“In my opinion, events like these are important because it provides an opportunity for the LGBTIQA to put their advocacies and agendas out their for people to know and hear,” Hinayon said. “It also shows the strength and unity of the LGBTIQ community and allies in the campus. It helps people understand the beauty and diversity of our community. Our campus is known for its diversity, not only in terms of race and ethnicity but also, of gender identities and sexual orientation.”
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
