LGBT news and On Campus News
Rainbow Graduation 2012
We hope you will join us on May 11, 2012 from 6-7:o0pm
for our annual Rainbow Graduation Ceremony (Paresky Theater).
Outstanding Queer Alum Award: John Malcolm ’86
This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate LGBTQ Williams graduates and allies.
Fill out the participation form below
Frequently asked questions:
1) What is Rainbow Graduation?
· This ceremony congratulates and celebrates the achievements of LGBTQ and ally seniors. It’s basically an opportunity for us to thank you for your contributions to the LGBTQ community and/or the Williams Community in general. In addition to the seniors we will be handing an award to an alumni who contributed to LGBTQ life either on campus or once they left.
2) Why should I participate?
Rainbow Graduation rewards you for your accomplishments while a student at Williams. It also serves as a formal “goodbye” to the community. You will be able to serve as an example and inspiration to the Williams community, particularly fellow students.
3) Who attends Rainbow Graduation?
Everyone is welcome! Students, faculty, staff, and alumni all attend the ceremony. If you have individuals you would like to invite to watch you participate, simply email justin at jla1@williams.edu and he will send them an invite. We also have invitations/envelopes available in justin’s office should you want to formally invite guests.
4) Do I have to be an LGBTQ leader or extensively involved with LGBTQ issues?
No, you do not. Rainbow Graduation is held to celebrate all sorts of achievements by LGBTQ and ally students.
5) What should I wear to the ceremony?
Don’t worry: no caps and gowns for this ceremony! Most participants in the past have chosen to dress “business casual,” but you are welcome to dress as you wish.
How to Participate:
Please fill out the form below
(NOTE: This information will be read aloud at the ceremony):
Ephs respond to homophobia – It is a time to be an ally!
Dear Fellow Ephs,
Today, we are reminded that our community is far from ideal. The homophobic graffiti found in Brooks House serves as a reminder that many of our peers struggle daily against discrimination and alienation because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
It is a particularly trying moment for our friends, classmates, and teammates in the queer community. We are in the midst of Queer Pride Days, and the Twentieth Anniversary Celebration of the Dively Committee on Human Sexuality and Diversity begins this Friday. This should be a time to celebrate and validate our lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and queer-identified friends. It is a time to reach out to our fellow Ephs. It is a time to be an ally.
This week, let us take time to respond to the needs of our community. Let us take time to support the queer community’s hard work and creativity by showing up to the Queer Student Union’s general meeting, by attending the Sex Week programming, and by sitting in the audience at Dively events Jiz Lee and Sister Spit this weekend.
If you want to be an ally to the LGBTQ community, or if you need space to process recent events, we welcome your presence at any of this week’s events. All are open to the entire Williams community, and we extend an invitation to you all.
MONDAY:
5pm: Join justin adkins for Fabulous!, this week open to the entire community. Fabulous! is a safe, inclusive discussion group for students, staff, and faculty who identity somewhere on the trans* continuum or outside of the gender binary system. This week, Fabulous! will meet in justin’s office on the 2nd floor of Jenness House.
8pm-10pm: Members of the Dean’s Office and the Chaplain’s Office will be in Jenness House to mediate a safe space for all members of the Williams community. Additionally, a safe space (with snacks) will be facilitated by and for students in Brooks House at the same time.
TUESDAY:
7-8pm: As always, the Minority Coalition will meet in Jenness House for their regularly scheduled meeting. We will discuss our response to the homophobic graffiti and discrimination at Williams more broadly. Like every meeting of MinCo, this is open to the entire campus.
8pm-9pm: As part of Sex Week at Williams, the Queer Student Union invites you to a discussion on asexuality in Hardy House.
WEDNESDAY:
6-7:30pm: justin adkins will lead his workshop, “Words Have Power,” in Baxter Hall. Words can be used to help, to sooth and to hurt. In this workshop we explore various identity words for sexual orientation, biological sex, and gender identity and expression. We especially welcome anyone and everyone who strives to be an ally to the LGBTQ community.
6-7:30pm: In Paresky 210, the latest Queer Dinner Series, on fat bodies as queer bodies, will feature Colleen Fitzpatrick ’12 discussing her senior honors thesis in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Bring your dinner, and come ready to listen and ask questions.
8-10pm: In lieu of W-Talk and Anything But Straight in Athletics, justin adkins will hold open hours at his office on the 2nd floor of Jenness House for anyone and everyone to stop by and connect as a community.
8:30-9:30pm: As part of Sex Week, join the Women’s Center for their Collective meeting on polyamory inHardy House.
THURSDAY:
9-10pm: The Minority Coalition invites the entire Williams community to attend an open forum in Greylock Dining Hall. We will take this time to ask ourselves, “Where do we go from here?” Our goal is to identify concrete areas of positive change within our community.
FRIDAY:
7-8pm: In celebration of the Dively Committee for Human Sexuality and Diversity’s twentieth anniversary, the Dively Committee and the Queer Student Union invite you to a screening of selections from the work of Jiz Lee, a genderqueer porn star and the recipient of multiple Feminist Porn Awards—at Paresky Auditorium. This event is 18 and over only, so please bring a valid ID with your birthdate!
8-9:30pm: Still in Paresky Auditorium, Jiz Lee will deliver a lecture entitled “Queer as Porn,” followed by a Q&A. This event is 18 and over only, so please bring a valid ID with your birthdate!
SATURDAY:
1-2:30pm: Join the Dively Committee for a faculty colloquium on Queer Studies, Past, Present, & Future: At Williams and Beyond in Griffin 3.
3-4pm: Dr. Lisa Capaldini ’78 , pioneering TiTiAIDS activist and physician, will deliver a lecture on her work and receive the third annual Outstanding Queer Alumni Award, also in Griffin 3.
8:30-10:30pm: The Dively Committee concludes its anniversary festivities with Sister Spit, a queer feminist spoken word and performance art collective featuring Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Michelle Tea, Kit Yan, and more. All at Paresky Auditorium!
20th Anniversary Dively Events!
Williams College
Dively Committee for Human Sexuality and Diversity
20th Anniversary Celebrations
April 27-28, 2012
Our festivities will begin on the evening of Friday 27th April when from 7:00- 9:30pm we will host Jiz Lee, a genderqueer performance artist known for work with The Crash Pad series. In “Queer as Porn,” consisting of a film screening, a talk, and a question and answer session, Jiz will address personal experiences with porn and its relationship to personal empowerment and visibility in queer and trans communities. Following the evening’s events there will be an opening reception in the new venue in town, Hops and Vines, on Water Street.
On Saturday we will reconvene from 1:00-2:30 for a faculty colloquium on “Queer Studies, Past, Present, and Future – at Williams and Beyond.” The panel will bring together various faculty members from Williams, including Greg Mitchell, a transnational queer theorist recently hired by Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, as well as Professors Chris Waters, Brian Martin, Denise Buell, Katie Kent, and Anna Fishzon, with librarian Emery Shriver moderating.
After a break for refreshments we will have a lecture from Dr Lisa Capaldini ‘78, recipient last year of the third annual Oustanding Queer Alum Award. Coming out during her senior year at Williams, Lisa has enjoyed an illustrious career in San Francisco, where she teaches medicine at UCSF and since the early 1980s has focused on the care of people with HIV. She was voted ‘best doctor’ in 2007
in a San Francisco Bay Guardian’s readers’ poll and continues to be praised for her work on quality of life issues and the doctor-patient relationship.
Following cocktails and dinner at Mezze from 5:30-8:00, we will enjoy the work of “Sister Spit” (Paresky Theater, 8:30 pm), a queer feminist performance art collective that will bring their national tour to Williamstown for a multimedia showcase of fabulous novelists, film-makers, poets, performance artists, and much more. Michelle Tea, the queer poet and founder of Sister Spit, will host the evening’s performance, introducing Justin Vivian Bond (a Tony-nominated cabaret performer and actor), Kit Yan (the first ever Mr Transman, as well as nationally ranked slam poet), and other amazingly queer artists.
FRIDAY APRIL 27
7-8PM
Video Screening: Jiz Lee, Queer Performance Artist
Paresky Theater
8-9:30PM
Jiz Lee, Lecture: “Queer as Porn”
Welcome by Professor Brian Martin
Introduction by Harry Gilbert (Class of 2014)
Paresky Theater
9:45-11:30PM
Opening Reception
Complimentary Hors d’œuvres & Cash Bar
Hops & Vines (24 Water Street)
SATURDAY APRIL 28
1-2:30PM
Faculty Colloquium
Queer Studies, Past, Present, and Future: at Williams and Beyond
Moderated by Reference Librarian Emery Shriver
Faculty Speakers: Professors Chris Waters, Katie Kent, Denise Buell, Brian Martin,
Anna Fishzon, and Greg Mitchell, our new Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender, and
Sexuality Studies.
Griffin 3
2:30-3PM
Break: Coffee & Pastries
Griffin 3
3-4PM
Outstanding Queer Alum Award & Lecture:
Dr. Lisa Capaldini (Class of 1978), AIDS activist and physician,
Introduction by Professor Katie Kent and
Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center Justin Adkins,
Presented by Williams BiGLATA, Queer Student Union,
Dively Committee, and Gender & Sexuality Resource Center.
Griffin 3
8:30-10:30PM
Queer Performance Artist Collective: Sister Spit
(Justin Bond, Michelle Tea, Kit Yan)
Welcome and Remarks by Mike Dively (Class of 1961)
Statement on Homophobic Incident
To the Williams Community,
We’re sad and angered to report that this morning a student noticed the word “fag” marked into the outside of his room door in Brooks House. It looks as if it might have been done with a fingernail.
It’s not known how long ago this took place. Another Brooks resident says that she saw it about a week ago, but, since it looked to be old, hadn’t reported it.
The college immediately notified the Williamstown Police Department, which has visited and photographed the scene, and is proceeding with an investigation. The Dean’s Office and Campus Safety and Security are also investigating, in order to identify and hold accountable whoever is responsible.
Anyone with knowledge that might help this process can contact Williamstown Police at 458-5646 or CSS at 597-4444 or through the anonymous tip site at http://security.williams.edu/?page_id=74 .
This kind of behavior is contrary to everything that we at Williams stand for. Actions that target individuals and groups are not only appalling in and of themselves, they have a corrosive effect on our entire community. And now, in particular, we stand firmly in solidarity with the students, faculty, and staff who’ve worked to organize Queer Pride Month activities on campus to the benefit of us all.
Support for students affected by this is available through the Dean’s Office, Multicultural Center, and Counseling Services. Deans and counselors on call can be reached through CSS at 597-4444 at any time
We’re in conversation with members of the QSU Steering Committee and other student leaders on ways for us as a community to respond. All who wish to gather for support and a first conversation about community response are welcome tonight at 8 p.m. in Hardy House living room.
Sincerely,
Adam Falk Sarah Bolton
President Dean of the College
Mike Reed Steve Klass
V.P. for Strategic Planning V.P. for Campus Life
and Institutional Diversity
#QueerWilliams
I will now be tweeting Williams queer updates and stuff at #QueerWilliams I encourage others to do the same!
“On Being Young & “Out” in Politics”
Alex Morse, Mayor of Holyoke, MA
“On Being Young & “Out” in Politics”
February 23rd
7:00-9:00
Griffin 3
The twenty-two year old Brown University graduate recently won election in his hometown of Holyoke, MA and is serving as the city’s youngest and first openly gay mayor. He has been active in the LGBT community since high school, founding his town’s first gay prom. Come him here speak and bring your curiosity for the Q & A!
About Alex:
Alex Morse was born and raised in Holyoke and is a proud product of the city’s public schools (Morgan Elementary School, Peck Middle School, and Holyoke High School). Alex is an alumnus of Brown University with a degree in urban studies, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college.
Alex served two terms as student representative for the Holyoke School Committee, he is the founder of Holyoke For All, the city’s first LGBT non-profit organization, and for three years he sat on the Massachusetts Governor’s LGBT Commission. He served as President of the Holyoke Youth Commission, where he brought the National Kids Vote Program to Holyoke and started a basketball league for out of school youth in partnership with the Holyoke Parks and Recreation Department and the YMCA. He also worked with the Massachusetts Public Policy Institute, Health Care for All, and the United Teen Equality Center in Lowell to write legislation to provide more mental health resources to youth across the state. Alex has also worked with community residents in Holyoke to plan the annual “Stop the Violence” Basketball and Volleyball tournament for youth and families to promote peace and nonviolence in the community.
Alex worked at City Hall in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was mentored for three years by former Providence Mayor, and current Congressman David Cicilline. Alex has also worked for Tapestry Health in Springfield and the Northfield Mount Hermon Upward Bound Program, of which he is also an alumnus. Since 2007, Alex has been a Youth Career Counselor at CareerPoint in Holyoke, where he helps young people access employment and education, works with the business community to identify youth employment opportunities, and manages youth summer employment programs throughout the City.
Alex sits on the Board of Directors for the Holyoke Community Land Trust, the Latino Scholarship Association, the Friends of the Holyoke Public Library, and the Holyoke Public Library Capital Campaign Steering Committee. Alex is also an active member of the Holyoke Youth Task Force, the Holyoke Family Literacy Coalition, the Department of Mental Health Citizen Advisory Board, and Holyoke Unites, an organization working to achieve a 100% high school graduation rate in the City of Holyoke. Alex recently traveled to the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City with other community leaders in an effort to replicate the success of the Zone here in Holyoke.
Alex is the son of Tracey and Kim Morse, brother-in-law to Jessica Morse, brother to Matthew and Douglas Morse and uncle to two nephews and a niece: Gavin, Nathan and Lauren.
10 Things you need to know about Asexuality
1. Asexuality is defined as a lack of sexual attraction; an asexual is someone who is not sexually attracted to anyone.Welcome class of 2015
Welcome queer williams students staff and faculty. We are going to have a great year. Keep looking here for the most up to date info on LGBTQ life at Williams.
-justin adkins
Assistant Director MCC
Rainbow Graduation 2011
We hope you will join us on May 18, 2011 from 5:30-7pm
for our annual Rainbow Graduation Ceremony in Goodrich Hall.
This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate LGBTQ Williams graduates and allies.
Fill out the participation form below
Frequently asked questions:
1) What is Rainbow Graduation?
· This ceremony congratulates and celebrates the achievements of LGBTQ and ally seniors. It’s basically an opportunity for us to thank you for your contributions to the LGBTQ community and/or the Williams Community in general. In addition to the seniors we will be handing an award to an alumni who contributed to LGBTQ life either on campus or once they left.
2) Why should I participate?
Rainbow Graduation rewards you for your accomplishments while a student at Williams. It also serves as a formal “goodbye” to the community. You will be able to serve as an example and inspiration to the Williams community, particularly fellow students.
3) Who attends Rainbow Graduation?
Everyone is welcome! Students, faculty, staff, and alumni all attend the ceremony. If you have individuals you would like to invite to watch you participate, simply email justin at jla1@williams.edu and he will send them an invite. We also have invitations/envelopes available in justin’s office should you want to formally invite guests.
4) Do I have to be an LGBTQ leader or extensively involved with LGBTQ issues?
No, you do not. Rainbow Graduation is held to celebrate all sorts of achievements by LGBTQ and ally students.
5) What should I wear to the ceremony?
Don’t worry: no caps and gowns for this ceremony! Most participants in the past have chosen to dress “business casual,” but you are welcome to dress as you wish.
How to Participate:
Please fill out the form below
(NOTE: This information will be read aloud at the ceremony):
*** Please email justin an electronic photo of you to be used on the Day of Rainbow Graduation (will not be posted electronically or used for anything public). This is of course, an option, but encouraged. ***
QUEER PRIDE DAYS: WEEK 4
Queer Pride Days is an annual series of discussions, performances, and events that encourage the entire Williams Community to learn about and celebrate queer identities.
***Please forward widely***
Monday:
Noon-1pm Women’s Center Lunch with Professor Brian Martin “Beyond Blond: Gender, Sexuality, and Diversity in Modern Scandinavia” (Paresky 210)
Mythologized as the land of the aurora borealis and the midnight sun,Scandinavia is often mistakenly associated with blond-haired and blue-eyed uniformity. Modern Scandinavia, howe…ver, is a place of great social and cultural diversity, known for its leadership in gender equality, sexual liberation, women’s emancipation, and queer civil rights. This talk will focus on some of these myths and realities on gender and sexuality in modern Scandinavia.
8pm “Stump the Librarian” (Jenness Blue Room)
Stressed out about finals? Do all the papers on your to-do list have you down? If so, you don’t want to miss this: STUMP THE LIBRARIAN (click on the link) Monday, April 25th: 8pm Jenness House, Blue Room They will cover all sorts of topics, from how to find articles to how to cite references appropriately. Ask them anything you want, and if they can’t find the answer, you’ll win a prize. Feel free to send questions ahead at http://tinyurl.com/stumpthelibrarian
Tuesday:
8-9pm QSU Meeting: Queer Families! (Hardy House)
Come to Hardy House Tuesday evening for discussion about queer families led by Rhianna!
9-10pm QSU Board Meeting (Hardy House)
Board meetings are open, feel free to drop by or email Gabrielle (gmj1) and Mike (ms2) with any questions.
Wednesday:
12-12:30 or 12:30-1 Guided meditation
Come by Hardy House every Wednesday for one of 2 sessions of guided meditation with justin adkins.
7-8pm Rise Against Oppression (Paresky Lawn)
Join students, faculty and staff in a demonstration against human rights abuses and government corruption worldwide, as we recognize the parallels between injustices faced by Mexicans and Palestinians,
1. emphasizing the universality of human rights abuses.
2. standing against oppression, militarization, and corruption.
3. standing for legitimacy, democracy, human rights, and nonviolent resistance.
Paresky Lawn will become the site of solidarity, so come hear speeches, listen to music and light candles.
8:30pm Women’s Collective Meeting “Feminism, Sex Positivism and Pornography” (Hardy House)
9-10pm Anything But Straight in Athletics (Jenness 2nd Floor)
Recognizing that there are many in the Williams Athletic community who do not identify as straight, ABS began as a place for LGBTQ athletes to get together and discuss LGBTQ issues. All meetings are confidential and no one is required to identify their sexual orientation or gender identity, but everyone is invited to do so. Contact: justin adkins Justin.L.Adkins@williams.edu)
Thursday:
6-7pm QSU First-Year Dinner (Driscoll Lounge)
The final of four dinners hosted by the QSU for all first-year students interested in queer issues and queer life at Williams. This week’s discussion topic: The Queer First- Year Experience. The JAs for the class of 2015 are invited to attend this dinner and learn more about the queer firstyear experience.
7:30pm MassMoca “Power to the People” film series: The Garden
7-9pm Queer Panel @ MCLA
BGLAD is sponsoring a Queer Panel to discuss queer issues! The panel will feature the following talking points:
-Judith Butler’s idea of “gender as a performance”
-The effects of coming out — importance of social implications, along with the importance of people coming out themselves
-Why is “drag” still relevant? Is it relevant at all?
-What does it mean to be queer at MCLA?
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=205924392772072
Saturday:
8am-5pm 2nd Annual LGBTQ Equal Rights Conference in Boston
8pm MCLA’s BGLAD Presents the annual Drag Dance!
Come join us in a night of food, fun, music, and breaking gender norms in the most fabulous way! Contests! Prizes to the 2 best performances!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=135821546488007&ref=ts
Sunday:
8pm Keeping the Faith, Chaplains Office (Paresky 2nd Floor)
Keeping the Faith is a new open discussion space for spiritually-oriented queers and their supporters to explore, affirm and seek to integrate the totality of who we are. Confidential drop-in meetings will occur 8-9pm every Sunday in the Chaplain’s office. People of all faith backgrounds and sexual orientations/gender identities are more than welcome to attend. Contact ccl2 or gmj1 for more information.
Rainbow
From the Record 4/13/11: “In celebration of Queer Pride Days, a colorfully decorated Chapin Hall provided a vibrant background for students enjoying the spring sunshine. Queer Pride Days runs through April.”
Photo credit: Emily Calkins, Record Photo Editor
QUEER PRIDE DAYS: WEEK 3
Queer Pride Days is an annual series of discussions, performances, and events that encourage the entire Williams Community to learn about and celebrate queer identities.
***Please forward widely***
Monday:
Noon-1pm Queer Lunch Table: Queerness, Assault, and Abuse (Paresky 112)
Queer your lunch! If you didn’t make it to the last discussion, don’t feel left out; this lunch talk is open to everyone! Hosted with members from the Rape and Sexual Assault Network (RASAN) this lunch discussion will provide a safe space for thoughtful discussion of what abuse and assault means to queers. Taking a broad view, we hope to discuss the interconnections of many kinds of abuse and assault: sexual assault, rape, substance abuse, homo-, bi- and transphobias, guilt, and struggles with maintaining mental and physical health.
6-7pm QSU Board Meeting (Jenness House)
Board meetings are open, feel free to drop by or email Gabrielle (gmj1) and Mike (ms2) with any questions.
7:30pm Purple Key Fair (Towne Field House)
Tuesday:
4pm LGBTQ Career Resource Seminar (OCC- 10 Weston)
Interested in pursuing a career in LGBTQ advocacy? Ever wondered how “out” to be on your resume or job interview? Ask these questions and more this Tuesday! Instead of a general meeting this week, there’ll be an OCC seminar especially for LGBTQ students. Ron Gallagher has been to the “Out For Work” LGBTQA College Student Career Conference and will be presenting/answering questions about jobs, cover letters, networking, interviews, etc.
6-7:30pm Discussion with Faisal Alam (Hardy House)
[Message from justin] The GSRC is honoured to bring Muslim activist of Pakistani descent, Faisal Alam to campus for a short talk and informal Q&A session. Faisal is sought around the world to share his experiences as a gay Muslim and to offer support for Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and those questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity, especially through the organization he founded, Al-Fatiha.
I heard Faisal speak in February and he is fabulous. He came to Williams 4 years ago and all of the students who interacted with him raved about his kindness and openness to discuss difficult issues.
My hope is that Faisal’s visit will be fairly informal as I know we are all very busy this week with Islam Awareness Week, Queer Pride Days, etc. I am hoping that he will mostly be a great resource for all of you.
More info on Faisal is here: http://www.hiddenvoices.info/about-hidden-voices.php and here: http://www.wolfmanproductions.com/faisal.html
If you have issues or questions you hope Faisal might be able to address please send them to me so that I can give them to him beforehand and we can best utilize his time.
Please send this message to your listservs and share with anyone you think might be interested. If you have any questions please feel free to email me.
7:30 PM Take Back the Night
RASAN will be holding its annual Take Back the Night event, a national gathering as part of April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, on Tuesday, April 19. This is an evening of solidarity and support for survivors of rape and sexual assault and their allies to let them know that they are not alone, to speak out against sexual violence, and raise community awareness against future violence. The rally also offers an opportunity for …the community to state it will not tolerate these crimes or let them go silently into the night. It will start at 7:30 pm at Chapin Hall and proceed in a candlelight walk across campus. There will be scheduled speakers in the Science Quad around 8:00 pm and an open mic at the Eyes around 8:30 pm, followed by a reception in Goodrich. All are welcome to attend.
Wednesday:
8-10pm Sex Jams with Laini and justin! (Rice House)
Thursday:
Noon-1pm, 4-4:45pm Queer Gallery Discussion (WCMA)
Thanks to Liz Gallerani, there will be a special QPDs exhibit in the Rose Study Gallery on Thursday for view at noon and again at 4pm. The pieces were handpicked for discussion about queerness, bodies, gender, and more. This event is organized partly in regards to the Alison Bechdel posters, with the hope that more people will engage critically and intellectually with these topics. Drop by, bring friends.
6-7pm First-Year Pizza Dinner, Jenness
The third of four dinners hosted by the QSU for all first-year students interested in queer issues and queer life at Williams. This week’s discussion topic: Queer Resources At Williams.
7-8pm MINCO Elections (Baxter Hall)
This week’s MinCo meeting is Election Day! Come to Paresky to hear the candidates for MinCo Board positions deliver brief speeches on their platforms! You will have the opportunity to ask them any questions that you may have. Attending this meeting is MANDATORY if you want to vote in the elections for the 2011-2012 MinCo Board.
Saturday:
8am-8am Williams v. Keene 24hr Rugby match!!!
9-10:30pm SpeakFree and Andrea Gibson (Baxter Hall)
A powerful live performer, Andrea Gibson is the winner of the 2008 Women’s World Poetry Slam, and has placed 3rd in world on two International Poetry Slam stages. As part of both Earth Week and Queer Pride Days, the QSU is teaming up with SJSF (Students for a Just and Stable Future) and TNG (Thursday Night Grassroots) to bring you a whole night of acoustic music and spoken word. Andrea Gibson will be going on at 9:30pm after a performance by SpeakFree…meet & greet to follow.
Sunday:
11am Workshop w/ Andrea Gibson (Hardy House)
Focusing on a myriad of social justice issues, we will explore the poet’s responsibility in the current political climate. We will read and discuss poems by contemporary writers focusing on issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, patriarchy, and capitalism, after which we will use the shared poems as writing prompts to inspire our own radical voices.
8pm Keeping the Faith, Chaplains Office (Paresky 2nd Floor)
Keeping the Faith is a new open discussion space for spiritually-oriented queers and their supporters to explore, affirm and seek to integrate the totality of who we are. Confidential drop-in meetings will occur 8-9pm every Sunday in the Chaplain’s office. People of all faith backgrounds and sexual orientations/gender identities are more than welcome to attend. Contact ccl2 or gmj1 for more information.
QUEER PRIDE DAYS: WEEK 2
Queer Pride Days is an annual series of discussions, performances, and events that encourage the entire Williams Community to learn about and celebrate queer identities.
***Please forward widely***
Monday:
Noon-1pm Queer Lunch Discussion: Asexuality, Abstinence, Celibacy, and Virginity (Paresky 112)
Come discuss the different–and often elided–practices of choosing not to have sex. This lunch table will offer a safe space to talk more about abstinence, asexuality, celibacy, and virginity.
5:30pm Japan Relief Coalition Meeting (Paresky 220)
Help guide our responses to the catastrophes in Japan. The Japan Relief Coalition – formed last week, uniting many campus groups and individuals for learning, solidarity, and humanitarian outreach – meets again to coordinate events and fundraising. If you’re planning a program or looking for a way to get involved – please join us.
6-7pm QSU Board Meeting (Jenness House)
Board meetings are open, feel free to drop by or email Gabrielle (gmj1) and Mike (ms2) if you’d like to help out with Queer Pride Days.
Tuesday:
8pm QSU General Meeting: Activist Self-Care (POSTPONED to encourage attendance at Elizabeth Povinelli’s lecture)
8pm Elizabeth Povinelli: “What Remains Queer about Queer Theory Transnationally?” (Griffin 7)
Brought by the program for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Elizabeth Povinelli, Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, Columbia University, will deliver a lecture entitled “What Remains Queer about Queer Theory Transnationally?” Povinelli is the author of a number of influential books in the fields of anthropology and feminist/queer studies, including The Empire of Love: Toward a Theory of Intimacy, Geneology, and Carnality and her new book, Economies of Abandonment: Social Belonging and Endurance in Late Liberalism, both from Duke University Press. Here’s a link to her website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/anthropology/fac-bios/povinelli/faculty.html
Wednesday:
11-3pm Rapid HIV Testing with Tapestry Health (Outside Paresky)
Tapestry Health will be conducting free, rapid HIV tests. Get tested, grab lunch, and get the results in only 20 minutes! Any questions? Email Mike (ms2).
9pm ABS discussion: LGBTQ & Allied in Athletics (Jenness 2nd Floor)
The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center & Anything But Straight in Athletics is hosting a meeting for LGBTQ and allied students involved in athletics at Williams. This discussion will be confidential and no one is required to identify their sexual orientation or gender identity, but everyone is invited to do so. Questions? Contact: justin adkins, justin.adkins@williams.edu
Thursday:
Lunch/Dinner: “Day of Silence” Info Table
Stop by Paresky at lunch or dinner today to find out more about Day of Silence at Williams (Friday) and how to participate. Held on campuses nation-wide as a non-violent protest, “Day of Silence” is an opportunity to stand in solidarity with those who are silenced and discriminated against because of their sexual orientation/gender identity. This years focus at Williams is: International LGBTQ Rights.
5:30-7pm First-Year Pizza Dinner, Jenness
The second of four dinners hosted by the QSU for all first-year students interested in queer issues and queer life at Williams. This week’s discussion topic: Coming Out At Williams.
Friday: Day of Silence
6am-6pm Day of Silence
Held on campuses nation-wide as a non-violent protest, “Day of Silence” is an opportunity to stand in solidarity with those who are silenced and discriminated against because of their sexual orientation/gender identity. This years focus at Williams is: International LGBTQ Rights. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. Stop by Paresky on Thursday for more information.
6pm Break the Silence/Follow-up Dinner Discussion (Paresky 220)
Saturday:
4-6pm Loesje International Queer Issues Workshop (Paresky 114)
This workshop is modeled off the format used by Loesje International, a free speech organization that addresses problems in our society through group workshops to generate text-based posters. We’ll think creatively and collaboratively about the word QUEER, queer life at Williams and the greater community, and anything else queer-related and design awareness-raising posters.
10pm-1am Queer Bash: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (at the Log)
Queer Bash is going commando this Spring! The QSU wants YOU to come down to the log this Saturday and have a blast dancing the night away.
Sunday:
7pm William Sloan Coffin Contest in Passionate Public Speaking (First Congo Church)
Finalists include: Emanuel Yekutiel, ’11: “Perceptions” // Christopher Holland, ‘11: “The Queer Silences of Faith” // Chandler Sherman, ’11: “Out of Many, One”
Earlier this year the members of the Williams College undergraduate community submitted essays in one of two categories: Social Justice/Activism or Faith/Spirituality. A team of community judges selected the six top essays (three in each category) and on Sunday, April 17, at 7:00 pm in the First Congo sanctuary, the finalists will deliver their speeches to the public and to another panel of judges. Join with us in calling the next great Voice from out of Williams College!
8pm Keeping the Faith, Chaplains Office (Paresky 2nd Floor)
Keeping the Faith is a new open discussion space for spiritually-oriented queers and their supporters to explore, affirm and seek to integrate the totality of who we are. Confidential drop-in meetings will occur 8-9pm every Sunday in the Chaplain’s office. People of all faith backgrounds and sexual orientations/gender identities are more than welcome to attend. Contact ccl2 or gmj1 for more information.
QUEER PRIDE DAYS: WEEK 1
Queer Pride Days is an annual series of discussions, performances, and events that encourage the entire Williams Community to learn about and celebrate queer identities.
***Please forward widely***
Monday:
9-10pm QSU Board Meeting, Jenness House
Tuesday:
10am-2pm QPDs Kick-off event: Rainbow Day! Paresky
Rainbow Day is a celebration of all things rainbow. Wear rainbow clothes and join us at the Paresky table for rainbow goodies and activities.
8-9pm Friendship Speed Dating, Hardy House
Whether you’ve never been to a QSU meeting or are on the board, join us for an original take on speed dating. Get to know your friends better and make some new ones. All are welcome, especially first years and new members.
Wednesday:
8pm Sister Spit at UMASS Amherst
Legendary, raucous, rowdy performance gang, Sister Spit, lands in AMHERST with a vanload of multimedia, queer-centric brilliance! Don’t miss this multimedia explosion of taste-makers, novelists, fashion plates, painters, performance artists, poets and fancy scribblers. Featuring queer luminary Michelle Tea (Best Music Writing 2010, Chelsea Whistle, Valencia, Rent Girl).
Email Casey Lyons (ccl2) if you’d like to go.
9-10pm W-talk, Jenness 2nd Floor
This week’s discussion topic is: Masculinity.
W-talk gives bi-sexual, queer, gender-queer students, and students who may be questioning their gender and /or sexuality a confidential, judgment-free space where they can meet other students, sit back and listen or discuss issues in their lives. Contact: Justin Adkins, justin.adkins@williams.edu
Thursday:
5:30-7pm First-Year Pizza Dinner, Jenness
The first of four dinners hosted by the QSU for all first-year students interested in queer issues and queer life at Williams. This week’s discussion topic: The Queer Community At Williams.
Film Screenings and Public Talk with queer documentary filmmaker Sandi DuBowski, Images Cinema
-6:30PM Film Screening of Trembling Before G-d (2001)
The critically-acclaimed documentary that focuses on the lives of queer Orthodox and Hassidic Jews.
-8PM Public Talk, and Q&A Session with Sandi DuBowski
-9PM Film Screening of A Jihad for Love (2007)
A powerful documentary that chronicles the lives of gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims.
Friday:
6pm – 24 Hour Queer Movie Marathon begins, Hardy House
24 hours of queer movies! Stop by Hardy House living room. Drop by for your favorite film or stay the through the night. Snacks and coffee galore!
Saturday:
6pm – 24 Hour Queer Movie Marathon ends
Sunday:
8pm Keeping the Faith, Chaplains Office (Paresky 2nd Floor)
Keeping the Faith is a new open discussion space for spiritually-oriented queers and their supporters to explore, affirm and seek to integrate the totality of who we are. Confidential drop-in meetings will occur 8-9pm every Sunday in the Chaplain’s office. People of all faith backgrounds and sexual orientations/gender identities are more than welcome to attend. Contact ccl2 or gmj1 for more information.
1 year anniversary of GSRC!!!
1. This week the GSRC is celebrating its one year anniversary with a series of events. See details below!
2. Wanted: Queer art! We need some decorations for the GSRC open house…please reply if you’d like to contribute (drawings, photos, paintings, sculptures….). If you have an image file or written work that can be emailed, just send it directly to gmj1.
3. The Williams College Democrats are organizing a phone bank to repeal DADT, come by Paresky 114 between 6-7pm on Wednesday to make phone calls to key Senators.
Meetings and Events:
TODAY:
>8-9pm QSU meeting, Hardy House
Join us for the last *official* meeting of the year. No agenda…just hot cocoa and socializing. Bring work if you want to feel productive 
Wednesday:
>6-7 pm Calls to repeal DADT, Paresky 114
Join with the Williams College Democrats and the QSU in the effort to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’. This Wednesday, stop by Paresky 114 between 6-7pm to make phone calls to key Senators in the debate to abolish this outdated and discriminatory policy. We will have call sheets and scripts, all we need is you, your cellphone, and the conviction that all Americans should be allowed to serve in our nation’s military, regardless of their sexual orientation.
>9pm W-talk (Topic: Gay/Queer Siblings)
Meets in the GSRC (2nd floor Jenness). Facilitated by Justin Adkins (justin.adkins@williams.edu).
Thursday:
>7-8:30pm Sex Jam in Jenness, brought to you by the GSRC and the Health Center
>9 pm “Coming Out, Going Home” Discussion in Justin’s Office, 2nd floor Jenness
Friday:
>4-6 pm GSRC Open House
>7-8pm SpeakFree Fall Show, Paresky Auditorium
>8:30 NBC/SANKOFA Fall Show in Goodrich omg
>10ish Hardy Haus, ra ra-ah-ah-ah…