October 01, 2013

University to celebrate LGBTQ History Month

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale will commemorate LGBTQ History Month with a number of special activities in October. 

Movies, lectures, performances and a variety of other activities on campus will celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community and its history.  With few exceptions the events are all free and open to the public.

 Following a showing of the movie “Bullied” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the Student Center Auditorium, nationally known speaker and anti-bullying activist/advocate Jamie Nabozny will lead a discussion and participate in a question-and-answer session. 

Tim Miller’s “Performance! Body! Self!” will be later that evening at 8 p.m. in the Marion E. Kleinau Theatre in the Communications Building.  Miller’s autobiographical performances highlight his experiences as an activist and educator. 

Other highlights include a lecture by SIU alumnus and LGBT author Dennis Milam Bensie at 6 p.m. Oct. 9, in the Mississippi Room of the Student Center and the keynote presentation by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore.  Sycamore will speak at 4:30 p.m. on National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, in the Kleinau Theatre.  Sycamore is a San Francisco author and activist and she will speak about issues within the LGBTQ community, gender performance and being a disabled, genderqueer activist.

 The schedule also includes the performance art presentations, “Glitch” and “The Girl is Neither Home Nor Missing,” at 8 p.m. Oct. 17-19, in the Kleinau Theatre.  Tickets are $5 for SIU students and $7 for the general public. 

The Rainbow Café Gala from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 5, in the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship’s fellowship hall, 105 N. Parrish Lane, will serve as a fundraiser for the local LGBTQ youth organization, Rainbow Café.  It will feature fine dining and entertainment.  For ticket information, email info@rainbowcafe.org

There are also “Safe Zone” training sessions, the LGBTQ knitting Circle, Saluki Rainbow Network and Queer Mentors meetings and much more on tap.

For more information, including the complete calendar of events, visit the SIU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Queer Resource Center Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SIULGBTQResourceCenter or call 618/453-6804.

Sponsors of the LGBTQ History Month include:  Center for Inclusive Excellence, Black Resource Center, Student Health Center -- Wellness Center, Office of the Associate Chancellor for Institutional Diversity, Office of Diversity and Equity, University Housing, Office of the Dean of Students, Saluki Rainbow Network, The Women’s Center, Department of Speech Communication, Progressive Masculinities Mentors, and Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.