The President's Commission on Diversity

October 2011 is PSU’s first-ever Queer History Month. Initiated by the Queer Council, an ad-hoc group of queer faculty and staff, and allies, the month’s nine events highlight contemporary queer issues, culture, and identity. The goal is to bring to campus a month of interesting and compelling programming on queer issues.

Thursday, September 29, 3:30­–5:30 p.m.
Welcome Back Potluck, Queer History Month Kickoff
HUB Hage Room

Monday, October 3, 7 p.m.
Why Does Marriage Matter?
Frost Commons
Presentation with discussion on why marriage equality matters.

Thursday, October 6, 7­–8:30 p.m.
Let’s Talk About Sex!
Frost Commons
Everything you ever wanted to know (but were afraid to ask) about sex, safety, and satisfaction.  Bring your questions and your sense of humor to this R-rated workshop facilitated by Professor Robin DeRosa and Residence Director Kyle O’Neill.

Tuesday, October 11
National Coming Out Day

Thursday, October 13, 7 p.m.
LGBT People in the Developing World (Film: Dangerous Living)
Hyde 120
Come find out what it means to be queer in the developing world.

Tuesday, October 18, 7 p.m.
Queer Literary Potluck
Frost Commons
Get your fill of dessert and fine literature by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer writers. Contact Liz Ahl (eahl@plymouth.edu) if you can bring a dessert to share (store-bought is fine—we’re not snobby). Show up ready to nosh, to listen, and—we hope—even to read aloud yourself! Plan to be fed, in every sense of the word.

Thursday, October 20, 7 p.m.
Film: The Kids Are All Right
Hyde 120
Oscar-nominated film about lesbian couple (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening), their kids, and the kid’s donor dad (Mark Ruffalo).

Tuesday, October 25, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Trans- and Intersexuality (Film: Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She)
HUB Fireplace Lounge
View and discuss Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She. This documentary video explores transsexuality and intersexuality by looking at the lives of those who do not conform to rigid gender norms. It looks at individuals who biologically and/or psychologically do not meet society’s definitions of male or female.

Thursday, October 27, 7 p.m.
Native American Queer Identity (Film: Two Spirits)
Hyde 120
Examines the Navajo two-spirit tradition, which honors individuals who embody both the masculine and the feminine, and demonstrates how ancient values can inform (and improve) modern life.

Sponsored by the Queer Council with support from Lamson Library, SAGE Center, Student Activities Office, PACE, Department of Languages and Linguistics, Department of English, and Department of Communications and Media Studies.