OUTstanding: Exploring LGBTIQ Diversity in Tennessee
We received this call for participation and conference announcement from our comrades in Tennessee; it sounds amazing, and we’re proud to support the efforts of the OUTstanding Organizing Committee, and we hope you will too. Read on for more info, and be sure to visit the OUTstanding website at http://outstandingseminar.wordpress.com/.
OUTstanding: A Seminar Exploring LGBTIQ Diversity at the University of Tennessee: October 22, 2011
Open Call for Proposals! Deadline is August 22nd, 2011. Submit to outstandingutk@gmail.com, or visit the “Call for Proposals” for more information.
LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning) issues are visible in a way never before experienced at the University of Tennessee. This focus on LGBTIQ issues nationally and locally coincides with the university’s “VOL Vision 2015” initiatives to nurture diversity.
For these issues, time is truly of the essence, on the University of Tennessee campus, in Knoxville and beyond. Devastating circumstances persist in our communities including a national epidemic of gay teen suicides and bullying, anti-gay sentiment surrounding the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and the fight for marriage equality. These struggles directly connect to local incidents and issues, such as a house fire of a lesbian couple in Lenore, TN, safety and wholeness of LGBTIQ students on campus, and the omnipresent conservatism of our region. The struggle for LGBTIQ equality also spans borders and continents, as local and global legislators continue to push and promote discriminatory, unjust, and utterly devastating bills. In Tennessee, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill is debated in our state legislature and Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill is fiercely fought on an international level.
On US campuses, the environment for LGBTIQ students, faculty and staff continues to be a struggle. A 2010 report issued by the Q Research Institute for Higher Education consisting of over 5,000 participants from all 50 states found that a “chilly” and unsafe environment persists for LGBTIQ students, faculty and staff in higher education institutions.
The OUTstanding Planning Committee are an interdisciplinary group of students, staff and faculty from across the university who have banded together to explore the visibility of diversity and LGBTIQ cultural issues in order to create campus-wide discussion, education, exploration and celebration of intersectional diversity of the community on campus and in general society. To do this, we have attempted to create a space where individuals and groups from UT, Knoxville, and the surrounding region, along with nationally recognized speakers and participants, can explore, celebrate, and facilitate discussions and networking surrounding these important issues. Feedback from the campus community has been sought through the use of focus groups attended by students, faculty and staff, with the intent of providing the most intellectually enriching and accessible experience to a broad set of attendees. The seminar themes and issues will be in the form of keynote addresses, presentations, workshops, panels, scholar forums, and inspiring entertainment from LGBTIQ artists. Presenters and participants alike will come from diverse backgrounds and bring creative and intersecting opinions, views, and issues to the table. Such issues for discussion include but are not limited to gender expression, class issues, race issues and ethnic LGBTIQ diversity, religion and community, disability within the community, campus environment, local history, and a special focus on how to foster continuing celebration and advocation of LGBTIQ rights and more.
The OUTstanding seminar has support and encouragement from the Commission for Blacks, LGBT Commission, Dean of Students, Student Affairs, the Feminist Action Collective, the Masters of Science in Social Work Organization, and several faculty and student organizations from multiple departments across campus. The support of groups, organizations, businesses, and individuals is growing every day.
One of the main goals of the seminar will be to encourage ongoing advocacy and engagement of students, faculty, and staff in LGBTIQ cultural issues. Attendees will gain insight and understanding of the LGBTIQ culture as stereotypes are broken down and the effects of discrimination are made clear. LGBTIQ attendees will have an opportunity to see the support available as well as become more knowledgeable about the history of struggles within their own culture. This seminar will explain terminology associated with the gender queer community and attendees will gain confidence in communicating about LGBTIQ issues. We strive to bring awareness to the difficulties in maneuvering social constructs of gender and breaking down stereotypes and displaying individuality and diversity under the LGBTIQ umbrella. Ultimately, we hope OUTstanding contributes quality, meaningful, and exceptional work towards a compassionate future for The University of Tennessee and other campuses, Knoxville and other communities, and the nation and beyond.