LGBT Concerns Committee Minutes

Meeting Held: December 1, 2006, 1 - 3 pm, Library East Conference Room

Next Meeting: January 12, 2007, 1 - 3 pm, Library East Conference Room

Committee Web site: http://www.aa.ufl.edu/committees/lgbtcc.htm

Attendance: Greg Allen, Evan Andrews, Charles Brown, Joyce Dewsbury, John Dobson, Anais Escobar, Geoffrey Giles, Linda Lamme, Melissa Neider, Nora Spencer, Flo Turcotte, Louis ?

Reports

-- PSU seeking graphic designer (Anais)

-- Queer-Ally Caucus, QAC (formerly GGSA) -- has not registered, may be on hiatus

-- PSU Campus workshop -- very useful, successful; 50 in attendance (Adele)

-- Lambda Legal -- law school group not called Outlaw

-- Vet school group forming

-- Student cabinet (Evan) -- cosponsored Transgendered Day of Remembrance on Nov 20; 50 attendees; panel discussion

-- Friends (Nora) -- 50 new friends

-- LGBT Director's Office (Nora)

Major Accomplishments since our last meeting:

• LGBT Affairs presented panels and workshops to over 950 individuals in the fall 2006 semester!
• Wrote and cosponsored (along with Flo Turcotte and LInda Lamme) a report of state of affairs for LGBT employees to VP of Human Resources
• Cosponsored Transgendered Day of Remembrance vigil and panel (with LGBTQ SG cabinet and PSU)
• Cosopnonred the Intercollegiate Pride COnferecne (with PSU)
• Presented several Friends trainings, for general audiences and for the Student Healthcare Center
• Coordinated the first social event of Out and About, the new LGBTQ group for graduate student/young professionals
• Prepared a workshop for parents of LGBT students during Family Weekend (with Dr. Carlos Hernandez)
• Attended the Creating Change Conference sponsored by tjhe Ntional Gay and Lesbian Taks Force

Current/Upcoming Projects

• Nora is beginning to write and conduct a survey of transgender employees at the university in order to find out the climate concerns and need. This will then be used to create a guide for trans employees and their supervisors, created n collaboration with Human Resources
• Following up with HR on each of the points raised int he report
• Friends continuing education pograms -- we'll be presenting three during the spriunf semester.
• Shared reaidng project: My Gender Workbook by Kate Bornstein (in preparaion fo her visit in eraly April and in support of PSU's year-long education campaign on gender identity and expression)

Agenda

Standing Subcommittees

• Rainbow Alliance Research and Service Awards Subcommittee (Geoffrey Giles, Joyce Dewsbury, John Dobson)
• Transgender Support Committee (Nora Spencer, Kendal Broad, jennifer Sager, Tamara Cohen) -- Jennifer Sager is leaving UF so will no longer be on committee

Methods of Reporting Harassment

Evan and Michael -- Flyer on "What do you do if you are experienceing harassment" flyer for students, faculty and staff

Flo -- a meeting with Human Resources on sexual harrassment training and inclusion of LGBT sexual harrassment?

Linda and Nora will create a Queer fact sheet to go to provost to add Q to our committe name

Greg and Charles on fundraising for financial aid for emancipated students

Linda and Nora on support for Nora

Nora, Flo and Linda met with Kyle Cavanaugh in Human Resources -- Nora created an excellent handout on the topics of discussion

From Kendal Broad:

• As the minutes of the last meeting relfect, I said I would explore the idea of calling the current minor in Theories and Politics of Sexualities (also known as TAPS) something more like "LGBTQ studies." After consultation with other faculty who teach in the area, I recommend we do not change the name. Kim Emery states the primary reason most clearly when she explains that the minor (and associated classes) "does not position LGBTQ people as the object of study, but adopts a critical/queer perspective towards heteronormative cultural practices, assumptions and institutions." Thus the current title is most appropriate. I agree, and also while there may be other reasons to consider a name change (so students more readily find it), I think we are doing some important things to give it more visibility that will work better than a name change. For example, Nora has put together a list of minors and courses and posted it on the LGBT Affairs page. I have shamelessly (with her permission) copied the list and had it posted on the Web site for the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research (which houses the TAPS minor). I hope this provides more visibility.
• Other news: I have heard of at least two new proposed courses (e.g., "Black Gender") for next year that will likely have content of interest to undergrad and grad students who want to study sexuality and queer perspectives. More details once I hear the classes are confirmed.

Trip to Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg?