Each October, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center presents a calendar of events, programs and services in celebration of the historical and current lives and contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community. Previously known as Coming Out Month on campus, the celebration has been renamed LGBTQ History Month to reflect and recognize the public and private dimensions of the lives of LGBTQ individuals and the many pathways traveled to understand, share and express their identities, including a celebration of queer and trans folk who have paved the way.
“The LGBT Resource Center serves the complex intersections of our multiple identities through community building, intellectual and leadership development, and outreach and visibility. The activities and events planned as part of LGBTQ History Month do just that—provide the campus community with opportunities to connect with others in the LGBTQ and Ally community, learn about the diversity of identities and intersectionality, and raise awareness of LGBTQ identities and contributions then and now,” says khristian kemp-delisser, director of the LGBT Resource Center.
The month features Pride Shabbat at Hillel on Friday, Oct. 5, a film screening of “We the Animals” at Watson Theater on Oct. 13, free and confidential STI testing on Oct. 25, Fright Night at the Fair with the LGBT Resource Center on Oct. 27 and much more. The University community is also invited to stop by the International Pronoun Day outreach table on Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Milton Atrium and the Rainbow Open House at the LGBT Resource Center, 750 Ostrom Ave., from 4 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 26. In addition, general meetings for the student organizations oSTEM, Pride Union and Qolor Collective and the closed discussion groups Embody and Fusion will be held throughout the month.
The commemorative event this year is the Queer(ing) the Airwaves: QTPoC Media Symposium scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 20, beginning at 10 a.m. in 319 Sims Hall. The symposium brings together Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPoC) creators, activists, writers, podcast and video producers, and community members for a day to engage in conversations about the intersections of gender, sexuality and race, and working in new media. The symposium will feature Diamond Stylz of the “Marsha’s Plate: Black Trans Talk podcast”; Sir Knight, SU alumnus and host of BlackTransTV channel on YouTube; and a conversation with Nikeeta and Money of “Queer WoC: The Podcast” on writing, producing and editing your own podcast, followed by a live recording.
This month-long celebration is made possible through collaborations and sponsorships with organizations and departments on and off campus, including ACR Health; Black Cuse Pride; the Chancellor’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion; College of Engineering and Computer Science Career Services; the Disability Cultural Center; Hillel; the Office of Multicultural Affairs; Parent and Family Services; the Preferred Name, Pronoun, and Gender Advisory Council; the Q Center; the Slutzker Center for International Services; and local Syracuse alumni, organizers and activists.
The full calendar of events with detailed information is available on the LGBT Resource Center website.
For more information, email lgbt@syr.edu or call 315.443.3983.
