October 23, 2019
SIU is recognizing LGBTQ History Month in October with guest speaker and other events
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale is commemorating October as LGBTQ History Month with a variety of special events, including exhibits, roundtable discussions, a film, a drag show and guest speakers.
The theme is “A History of Resistance. A Call for Allyship.”
Keynote wraps up the month
A keynote address by Buck Angel at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30 at Student Center Ballroom D will wrap up the month.
Angel is an LGBTQ community advocate who speaks about the problems he and others have encountered as they transition, particularly with finding employment. During his lifetime, it was legal in all 50 states to fire or refuse to hire transgender people and in 36 states transpeople still have no guaranteed housing, employment, education and healthcare rights.
Speaker will share of his struggles
He will discuss his story of transitioning from female to male and how he turned to the adult film world to survive but subsequently left the business and built a gender-affirming sexual wellness company. Angel will also speak about his advocacy and education work.
He has made appearances on HBO, National Geographic, Netflix, the Tyra Banks Show, Spike TV, the Women’s Entertainment Network and numerous other television and radio programs. He has also been featured in publications around the world, including “Forbes,” “Esquire,” “Huffington Post,” ELLE” and the “New York Times.”
Admission is free and everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served.
For more details
To learn more about the keynote address or other LGBTQ events, visit smrc.siu.edu/lgbtq/ or call 618/453-3740.