Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center

Synopsis: How has the transgender civil rights movement advanced so quickly in the last decade? Mara Keisling, the Founding Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, talks about the victories and challenges and how it all started for her right here in State College. Using her combination of personal knowledge and humor, Mara will cover what has occurred as well as the challenges that are being attacked currently.

Biography: Mara Keisling is the founding Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. Mara is a transgender-identified woman and a parent. As one of the nation's leading voices for transgender equality, Mara has appeared on news outlets such as CNN and CSPAN, and is regularly quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post and hundreds of other national and local print and electronic media. Since NCTE was founded in 2003, the organization was part of coalitional efforts that have won significant advances in transgender equality such as the passage of the first ever transgender-inclusive federal legislation, modification of the State Department rules for changing gender markers on passports, and the historical first Congressional Hearing on transgender issues.

Mara is a graduate of Penn State University and did her graduate work at Harvard University in American Government. She is a founding board member of the Stonewall Democracy Fund, and has served on the board of Directors of Common Roads, an LGBTQ Youth Group, and on the steering committee of the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition. Mara has almost twenty-five years of professional experience in social marketing and opinion research.

About the National Center for Transgender Equality: The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a 501(c)3 social justice organization dedicated to advancing the equality of transgender people through advocacy, collaboration and empowerment.

NCTE was founded in 2003 by transgender activists who saw the urgent need for a consistent voice in Washington DC for transgender people. NCTE provides this presence by monitoring federal activity and communicating this activity to our members around the country, providing congressional education, and establishing a center of expertise on transgender issues.

NCTE also works to strengthen the transgender movement and individual investment in this movement by highlighting opportunities for coalition building, promoting available resources, and providing technical assistance and training to transpeople and our allies. NCTE sees this type of assistance as strengthening new and existing transgender organizations and our allies, initiating coalition building, and empowering state and local advocates who can mobilize on the federal level.

Thursday, March 29th - 7:00 pm

Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center

Synopsis: Based on interviews with a wide spectrum of gender nonconforming individuals from throughout the U.S., this presentation examines the gender identity development of gender nonconforming youth and compares their development with those of older gender nonconforming people. The session will also consider some significant life moments in the lives of the study's trans-spectrum participants and discuss the implications of the research for those who work with and seek to support gender nonconforming youth.

Biography: Dr. Genny Beemyn: Director, The Stonewall Center, The University of Massachusetts Genny Beemyn is a leading expert on the experiences of transgender people in the United States, particularly the lives of gender nonconforming students, and on the development of transgender-inclusive college policies and practices. Ze has written or edited six books/journal issues, including a recent issue of the Journal of Homosexuality on "LGBTQ Campus Experiences," edited with Sue Rankin. Genny's most recent work, again with Sue Rankin, is The Lives of Transgender People (Columbia University Press, 2011). The director of the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, ze is also a board member of the Transgender Law and Policy Institute and an editorial board member of the Journal of LGBT Youth, the Journal of Bisexuality, the Journal of Homosexuality, and the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. Genny has a Ph.D. in African American Studies and Master's degrees in African American Studies, American Studies, and Higher Education Administration.

Biography: Dr. Susan (Sue) Rankin, Senior Research Associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education, Associate Professor of Education in the College Student Affairs Program, The Pennsylvania State University Dr. Rankin has presented and published widely on the impact of sexism, racism and heterosexism in the academy and in intercollegiate athletics. Dr. Rankin's current research focuses on the assessment of institutional climate and providing program planners and policy makers with recommended strategies to improve the campus climate for under-served communities. Dr. Rankin has collaborated with over 90 institutions/organizations in implementing assessments and developing action plans. In her advocacy work, Dr. Rankin is a founding member of the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals and the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition. Dr. Rankin is the recipient of the ACPA 2008 Voice of Inclusion Medallion. The award recognizes individuals who embody the student affairs values of social justice.

Friday, March 23rd - Sunday March 25th Weekend Retreat (Registered Students Only)

Synopsis: Penn State students will work with The Miscegenation's Project on an intensive, three day workshop focusing on the intersections of identity such as race, sexuality, gender identity, religion, class, ability, and age. During the workshop, students will have the opportunity to explore intersections of identity in their lives by creating their own digital stories. Digital storytelling is a fun, do-it yourself art form that does not require any previous editing experience. Participants will write a personal narrative about a particular experience with identity in their life, record the narrative, and then use personal photos, video, drawings, or other texts to illustrate it and create a 3-4 minute story. The stories will be presented at the end of the workshop as part of a final performance event.

Biography: Lea Robinson and Elizabeth Whitney are New York City-based artists and academics who have been partners in life and creativity for ten years. The Miscegenation's Project began as a creative response to navigating life as a queer, interracial couple. The project was developed at ARTSCAPE's International Artist Residency on the Toronto Islands and has traveled to schools and art spaces for the past four years. A former college athlete and women's basketball coach for twelve years, Lea now collaborates with It Takes a Team! And The National Center for Lesbian Rights as an ally for queer college athletes. Also a performer, Lea emcees a Butch Burlesque series at Stonewall Inn and Dixon Place in New York. She completed her master's degree in Education from Suffolk University and is the Assistant Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs/Manager of LGBTQA Advising & Programming at Columbia University.

Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies and Communication and has been an invited artist and instructor at numerous colleges and universities. Her solo performance work has been seen internationally and throughout the U.S. at festivals and theatres, and has won awards and grants from Curve Magazine, the New York City Fresh Fruit Festival, the Columbus National Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival, and the Puffin Foundation from the Arts. She currently teaches at Barnard Center for Research on Women and coaches performance and public speaking skills for individuals and organizations.

www.prideweek.psu.edu

Friday, March 23rd - Sunday March 25th

Weekend Retreat (Registered Students Only)

The Miscegenations Project: Digital Storytelling, Identity, and You

Retreat and Performance Experience

Click here to register:

http://miscegenationsprojectpsu.eventbrite.com/

Click below for the poster for this event!!!

MiscegenationsProjectFlyer.pdf 

Synopsis:

Penn State students will work with The Miscegenation's Project on an intensive, three day workshop focusing on the intersections of identity such as race, sexuality, gender identity, religion, class, ability, and age.  During the workshop, students will have the opportunity to explore intersections of identity in their lives by creating their own digital stories.  Digital storytelling is a fun, do-it yourself art form that does not require any previous editing experience.  Participants will write a personal narrative about a particular experience with identity in their life, record the narrative, and then use personal photos, video, drawings, or other texts to illustrate it and create a 3-4 minute story. The stories will be presented at the end of the workshop as part of a final performance event.

Biography:

Lea Robinson and Elizabeth Whitney are New York City-based artists and academics who have been partners in life and creativity for ten years.  The Miscegenation's Project began as a creative response to navigating life as a queer, interracial couple.  The project was developed at ARTSCAPE's International Artist Residency on the Toronto Islands and has traveled to schools and art spaces for the past four years.  A former college athlete and women's basketball coach for twelve years, Lea now collaborates with It Takes a Team! And The National Center for Lesbian Rights as an ally for queer college athletes.  Also a performer, Lea emcees a Butch Burlesque series at Stonewall Inn and Dixon Place in New York.  She completed her master's degree in Education from Suffolk University and is the Assistant Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs/Manager of LGBTQA Advising & Programming at Columbia University.

Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies and Communication and has been an invited artist and instructor at numerous colleges and universities.  Her solo performance work has been seen internationally and throughout the U.S. at festivals and theatres, and has won awards and grants from Curve Magazine, the New York City Fresh Fruit Festival, the Columbus National Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival, and the Puffin Foundation from the Arts.  She currently teaches at Barnard Center for Research on Women and coaches performance and public speaking skills for individuals and organizations.

Monday, March 26th - 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Pride Week HUB Takeover

Monday, March 26th - 7:00 P.M.

The Miscegenations Project: Digital Storytelling, Identity, and the Penn State Community

Student Performance Open to the Penn State Community

HUB Auditorium (117 HUB)

Click below for the poster for this event!!!

MiscegenationsProjectFlyer.pdf

Tuesday, March 27th - 7:00 P.M.

Anatomy of Hate

HUB Auditorium

Sponsored by Undertones

Wednesday, March 28th - Noon

Annual Pride Week Rally

Sponsored by the LGBTA Student Alliance

Old Main Steps

Wednesday, March 28th - 7:00 P.M.

Changing the World for Transgender Equality: A Penn State Alum Reflects

Heritage Hall

HUB-Robeson Center

Click below for the poster for this event!!!

KeislingFlyer.pdf

Synopsis:

How has the transgender civil rights movement advanced so quickly in the last decade? Mara Keisling, the Founding Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, talks about the victories and challenges and how it all started for her right here in State College. Using her combination of personal knowledge and humor, Mara will cover what has occurred as well as the challenges that are being attacked currently.

Biography:

Mara Keisling is the founding Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. Mara is a transgender-identified woman and a parent. As one of the nation's leading voices for transgender equality, Mara has appeared on news outlets such as CNN and CSPAN, and is regularly quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post and hundreds of other national and local print and electronic media. Since NCTE was founded in 2003, the organization was part of coalitional efforts that have won significant advances in transgender equality such as the passage of the first ever transgender-inclusive federal legislation, modification of the State Department rules for changing gender markers on passports, and the historical first Congressional Hearing on transgender issues.

Mara is a graduate of Penn State University and did her graduate work at Harvard University in American Government. She is a founding board member of the Stonewall Democracy Fund, and has served on the board of Directors of Common Roads, an LGBTQ Youth Group, and on the steering committee of the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition. Mara has almost twenty-five years of professional experience in social marketing and opinion research.

About the National Center for Transgender Equality

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a 501(c)3 social justice organization dedicated to advancing the equality of transgender people through advocacy, collaboration and empowerment.

NCTE was founded in 2003 by transgender activists who saw the urgent need for a consistent voice in Washington DC for transgender people. NCTE provides this presence by monitoring federal activity and communicating this activity to our members around the country, providing congressional education, and establishing a center of expertise on transgender issues.

NCTE also works to strengthen the transgender movement and individual investment in this movement by highlighting opportunities for coalition building, promoting available resources, and providing technical assistance and training to transpeople and our allies. NCTE sees this type of assistance as strengthening new and existing transgender organizations and our allies, initiating coalition building, and empowering state and local advocates who can mobilize on the federal level.

 Thursday, March 29th - 7:00 P.M

Beyond a Binary:

The Lives of Gender Nonconforming People

The diversity of transgender experiences and a discussion on how identity formation, relationships, and societal climate impact this broad group.

Dr. Genny Beemyn and Dr. Sue Rankin

Heritage Hall

HUB-Robeson Center

Click below for the poster for this event!!!

SueGennyFlyer.pdf

Synopsis:

Based on interviews with a wide spectrum of gender nonconforming individuals from throughout the U.S., this presentation examines the gender identity development of gender nonconforming youth and compares their development with those of older gender nonconforming people. The session will also consider some significant life moments in the lives of the study's trans-spectrum participants and discuss the implications of the research for those who work with and seek to support gender nonconforming youth.

Books will be available for purchase!

Biography:

Dr. Genny Beemyn:

Director, The Stonewall Center

The University of Massachusetts

Genny Beemyn is a leading expert on the experiences of transgender people in the United States, particularly the lives of gender nonconforming students, and on the development of transgender-inclusive college policies and practices. Ze has written or edited six books/journal issues, including a recent issue of the Journal of Homosexuality on "LGBTQ Campus Experiences," edited with Sue Rankin. Genny's most recent work, again with Sue Rankin, is The Lives of Transgender People (Columbia University Press, 2011). The director of the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, ze is also a board member of the Transgender Law and Policy Institute and an editorial board member of the Journal of LGBT Youth, the Journal of Bisexuality, the Journal of Homosexuality, and the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. Genny has a Ph.D. in African American Studies and Master's degrees in African American Studies, American Studies, and Higher Education Administration.

Dr. Susan (Sue) Rankin:

Senior Research Associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education

Associate Professor of Education in the College Student Affairs Program

The Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Rankin has presented and published widely on the impact of sexism, racism and heterosexism in the academy and in intercollegiate athletics.  Dr. Rankin's current research focuses on the assessment of institutional climate and providing program planners and policy makers with recommended strategies to improve the campus climate for under-served communities.  Dr. Rankin has collaborated with over 90 institutions/organizations in implementing assessments and developing action plans. In her advocacy work, Dr. Rankin is a founding member of the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals and the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition. Dr. Rankin is the recipient of the ACPA 2008 Voice of Inclusion Medallion. The award recognizes individuals who embody the student affairs values of social justice.

Friday, March 30th - 10:00 PM

Pride Week Annual Drag Show

Sponsored by Undertones

Alumni Hall

HUB Robeson Center

Prayer Vigil for Abused Children
Friday, Nov. 11
11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 
Big Tree on Old Main Lawn

"This is a gathering intended to extend love & healing into the hearts, minds & spirits of ALL victims of physical, emotional, sexual and spiritual abuse throughout ALL space and time, everywhere. Every human being who who has a heart that can feel is invited to take part.

Come out & experience the healing & solidarity of fellowship. Stay for as long as you wish."

A Facebook page has also been created for this event.  Here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=273880659323601

Hello and Happy Summer Everyone!

As we become more technologically savy here at the LGBTA Student Resource Center, we hope to be posting about new and upcoming events happening this Fall! If you are on campus this summer, we would love to see you! We are open Monday thru Friday from 8AM-5PM.

Have a great summer everyone!

The Staff of the LGBTA Student Resource Center