The Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) has produced and co-sponsored a wide range of LGBT series, conferences, and programs in recent years. In the spring of 2005, students in collaboration with the MRC held a conference titled “Working Our Way Home” that brought academics, activists, and performance artists all dedicated to examining the intersections between Blackness and Queerness. The MRC produced a LGBT film series in 2005-2006 dedicated to the intersections of sexuality with other vectors of analysis in particular race, class, gender, gender identity and expression, and physical ability. For other past co-sponsored and supported speakers and programs, please see the programs section of the MRC’s website.
LGBTQ/Sexuality Studies Programs 2007-2008 |
| |
|
|
The MRC and ELC collaborated to show "Kevin's Room" on December 4th at 7:30 p.m. in Wilder 101 as an educational program during World AIDS Week 2007. Assistant Professor of Comparative American Studies Meredith Raimondo framed the film before hand as well as facilitated a discussion afterward. The one-hour film tells the story of five black gay men struggling with issues related to community, identity, and HIV. Black Cat Productions, along with the Chicago Department of Public Health, initially produced this film as an HIV/AIDS educational tool for gay and bisexual men of color in Chicago. |
| |
|
 |
In collaboration with the Transgender Advocacy Group and the Edmonia
Lewis Center, the MRC co-sponsored a performance by kay barrett in
recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance. kay barrett is one of the
most involved people in Chicago's spoken word & activist community,
working to utilize artistic expression as a means to manifest social
justice and community. A spoken word performer, poet, speaker, and
shaker, kay connects life as a filipina/pinay-amerikan queer navigating
struggle, resistance, and laughter in the U.S. |
| |
|
|
Heather Battaly gave a lecture titled “Is It Difficult to Know One's Own Sexual Orientation?” for National Coming Out Week on October 1, 2007. Meredith Raimondo, Assistant Professor of CAS, gave a response and moderated a lively question and answer period. Heather Battaly is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at California State University Fullerton. Her areas of specialty are the theory of knowledge and ethics. She has authored several articles on intellectual virtues, including "Teaching Intellectual Virtues: Applying Virtue Epistemology in the Classroom," and "Intellectual Virtue and Knowing One's Sexual Orientation," and is co-editor of Perspectives on the Philosophy of William P. Alston. Her current projects include work on empathy, on open-mindedness, and a paper about the TV show House. She loves to teach logic, the theory of knowledge, and Aristotle's virtue ethics. |
| |
LGBTQ/Sexuality Studies Programs 2006-2007 |
| |
 |
Mangos with Chili visited Oberlin on April 9th as part of their 2007, two-week tour of the Midwest and Northeast of the US and in Toronto. Their history-making performances included 9 queer and trans of color spoken word, theater, dance, drag, and burlesque artists. Among these artists were Dulani, OC’04 and Victor Tobar, OC’00-02. Telling stories of survival, sex, dreams, and magic from varied identities and life experiences from Sri Lanka, Aztlan, Morocco, the Philippines, the Caribbean, Brooklyn and a migrant small town in the state of Washington, Mangos with Chili took This Bridge Called My Back into the 21st century.
|
| |
|
 |
The MRC hosted two Trans Allyship 101 Trainings adapted specifically for the week of Drag Ball—the week of April 2, 2007. In addition to the more standard activities (which consider gender cues; the differences between sex, gender, and sexuality; a variety of identity terms; comparisons of self-identification, perception, and expression as concepts and practices; and issues of allyship), the workshop also included a discussion of drag and Drag Ball. The discussion explored what drag is, where it comes from, and what some of its complexities are, particularly as they pertain to Oberlin's Drag Ball. Participants read and considered numerous quotes from the film "XY: Drag," "The Drag King Book" and other sources. Lastly, participants read and discussed a letter to the editor of The Oberlin Review by Alison Cotterill from 2001.
|
| |
|
 |
The MRC co-sponsored a discussion on the representation of HIV/AIDS and queer communities, Tuesday, November 28, 2006 at 8 p.m. in Wilder Hall. A discussion on the representation of HIV/AIDS and queer communities facilitated by members of the Lambda Union, the Sexual Information Center, and the Multicultural Resource Center. Video, photography, poetry, and other literary selections will guide a round-table conversation about media portrayals and discourse on HIV/AIDS in queer communities. Sponsored by Lambda Union, MRC and the SIC. |
| |
|
 |
On November 30th, the MRC brought Dr. Karen Krahulik who is an Associate Dean of the College at Brown University and author of Provincetown –a history of a place’s transformation from a quiet Portuguese fishing village to a LGBT vacation hot spot. More information on her book can be reached here. She is also the former director of the Center for LGBT Life at Duke University. Dr. Krahulik gave a talk titled “Trouble in Paradise: AIDS Washes Ashore—Provincetown Responds” in recognition of World AIDS Week as well as conducted a workshop for students on LGBT organizing and activism.
|
| |
|
| |
For Trans Day of Remembrance, the Transgender Advocacy held an open mic night and vigil on November 21, 2006. Additionally, the MRC co-facilitated two Trans Allyship 101 Trainings and a Trans Allyship 201 Training brown bag lunch discussions during the weeks of November 13th and 20th. |
| |
|
 |
In October of 2006, the MRC brought Jeffrey Sheng and his photo project “Out at Play: Athletes and Sexuality in America ” that highlights out LGBT high school and college athletes. The exhibit was shown in Wilder main lounge and hallway for the week of October 9 th to the 16 th in recognition of National Coming Out Week. An opening reception was held from 7-9 p.m. on October 9 th featuring a talk by Jeff Sheng and responses by Women’s Basketball Coach Christa Champion and Athletics Director for the Town of Oberlin Schools Nancy Boutilier. Jeff Sheng was also able to meet with LGBT student athletes during his time in Oberlin and photograph several of them for his ongoing project. The MRC is grateful to both the Department of Athletics and The Heisman Club for their generous co-sponsorship of this event. For more information on Jeff Sheng and his photo project please see www.jeffsheng.com.
|
 LGBT Film Series, 2005-2006
Working Our Way Home, Spring 2005
|
