September 29, 2006

SIUC to observe GLBT Month

by Sun Min

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A visit by playwright, actor and gay activist Peterson Toscano will highlight Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) History Month at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. October marks the anniversary of the first gay and lesbian march in Washington, D.C., in 1979.

Toscano will perform his critically acclaimed one-man satire, "Doin' Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House: How I Survived the Ex-Gay Movement," at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17 at the SIUC Student Center Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

The month-long celebration also includes art contests, plays, films, panel discussions, education programs and participation in SIUC's homecoming parade.

Sponsors of GLBT History Month include the Saluki Rainbow Network, University Housing, Women's Services, Career Services, School of Social Work, Triangle Coalition, Department of Cinema & Photography, Fine Arts activity fee, Student Health Center-Wellness, Delta Psi Alpha, Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, Hispanic Student Council, Office of Diversity and Equity, and Multicultural Programs and Services, which is part of the Office of Student Development.

All events are free and open to the public. The full schedule follows:

Oct. 2

Rick Garcia lecture

6 p.m., Parkinson Hall Brown Auditorium

Rick Garcia from Equality speaks on current issues facing GLBT people in Illinois, including the recent attempt to introduce a marriage ban initiative in the upcoming November election

Oct. 2

"Fish Can't Fly" film and discussion

7 p.m., Student Center Mackinaw Room

The film is about people who participated in "ex-gay" ministries.

Oct. 3

Safe Zone Training

4 p.m., Student Center Iroquois Room

Safe Zone is a program at SIUC that identifies faculty and staff who can provide support and resources for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (GLBTQ) students, faculty and staff.

Oct. 4

"Lágrimas de Crocodrilo/ Crocodile Tears"

6:30 p.m., Student Center Auditorium

Monologue performed by Ignacio Rivera. This trans-multi-gender queer, black Boricua, spoken-word performance artist explores issues of identity, abuse, discrimination, love, war and much more.

Oct. 7

SIUC Homecoming Parade

8 a.m., downtown Carbondale

Put on your walking shoes and join members of the GLBT community and allies as the Saluki Rainbow Network and friends participate in the SIUC Homecoming Parade.

Oct. 9

"Transgender, Transsexual, Transvestite, Oh, my!"

Noon, Student Center Saline Room

Information and discussion on transgender people of color.

Oct. 9

"Peace and Respect in Schools"

6:30 p.m., Student Center Illinois Room

Joint program for GLBT History Month and Latino Heritage Month. Speakers will discuss bullying and discrimination in schools with a focus on children and adolescents from ethnic and sexual minority groups.

Oct. 10

"More Similarities than Differences"

3 p.m., Student Health Center Auditorium

Gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, questioning or heterosexual? This workshop defines terminology, dispels myths, challenges homophobia and introduces activities designed to help gain appreciation and admiration for being one's unique self.

Oct. 10

Coming Out Stories

6 p.m., Student Center Mackinaw Room

Students share what it is like to be gay at SIUC. The Saluki Rainbow Network, which is celebrating 36 years at SIUC, will facilitate the discussion.

Oct. 11

Dealing with Domestic Violence in the Queer Community

Noon, Student Center Saline Room

This program offers information and discussion on dealing with domestic violence in the queer community.

Oct. 11

Homo Awards Party and National Coming Out Day

6 p.m., Student Center Iroquois Room

National Coming Out Day commemorates October 11, 1987, when 500,000 people marched on Washington for gay and lesbian equality.

Oct. 12

"The Art of Coming Out" reception

6 p.m., Student Center Art Alley

Winners of the art contest will be announced and prizes will be awarded

Oct. 16

Safe Zone Training for resident assistants

6 p.m., Grinnell Hall, lower level

Safe Zone is a program at SIUC that identifies faculty and staff who can provide support and resources for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (GLBTQ) students, faculty, and staff.

Oct. 16

"Screaming Queens: The Riots at Compton's Cafeteria" film and discussion

7 p.m., Student Center Mackinaw Room

This film tells the little-known story of the first known act of collective, violent resistance to the social oppression of queer people in the United States — a 1966 riot in San Francisco's impoverished Tenderloin neighborhood.

Oct. 17

"Doin' Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House: How I Survived the Ex-Gay Movement"

6:30 p.m., Student Center Auditorium

Peterson Toscano performs a one-man show based on his experience of being in a program to change from gay to straight.

Oct. 18

"Yossi & Jagger" film and discussion

7 p.m., Student Center Auditorium

Based on a true story, "Yossi & Jagger" portrays the love affair of two Israeli officers in a remote army base on the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Oct. 23

"Tying the Knot"

7 p.m., Student Center Auditorium

A new play about gay marriage by David A. Rush, head of playwriting at SIUC.

Oct. 24

"Harsh Beauty" film and discussion

7 p.m., Student Center Mississippi Room

"Harsh Beauty" follows, over a period of three years, the lives of Jyothi, Usha and hira bai, three eunuchs who live openly as women and want to be accepted for what they truly believe themselves to be.

Other events include:

GLBT Art Contest

Submit artwork in support of GLBT History Month at the Saluki Rainbow Network office or at the Student Development Office. Deadline is Oct. 6. The Saluki Rainbow Network will display

winning entries in the Student Center Art Alley.

GLBT Expression Wall

The month-long event is set for Trueblood and Lentz Dining Halls. Students can share and gain from anonymous, raw, honest and uncensored statements about the GLBT environment at SIUC placed on free expression boards.

 

GLBT History Month Exhibition

The month-long display is set for Student Center Display Case

For additional information on GLBT History Month contact Multicultural Programs and Services at 618/453-5714 or visit www.siu.edu/%7estuddev.

Enhancing students' understanding of the value of diversity is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.