In an ongoing effort to open eyes on campus, the Stonewall Center has presented a series of lectures about Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender issues. In the last two lectures of the semester, experts will finish the Stonewall Center Lecture Series’ program tackling the topics of the transgendered and lesbian activism.
The first lecture, entitled “Who Cares about a Few Trans People?” will take place this Thursday, Dec. 6 at 12:30 p.m. in the campus center. The talk, by UMass doctoral student Alisha Clarke, will give a sociological perspective on the place of transgender people in modern culture. It will cover several areas of study, including the medicalization of homosexuality, in which it is studied as a physical condition, feminist theory, and queer theory. The lecture will also evaluate the need for a transgender theory within Queer Studies.
The final lecture will be offered next week, also at 12:30 p.m. in the Campus Center. Becky Thompson, a professor of African American Studies, Women’s Studies and Sociology at Simmons College, will visit the campus to discuss the history of lesbian activism. She will relate lesbian history to the history of racial activism and civil rights. Lesbian activist history will also be discussed in the context of feminist history in her talk.
The lecture series is co-sponsored by the University of Massachusetts’ Departments of Women’s Studies, English and Communications, along with the Chancellor’s Task Force on GLBT Matters. It is coordinated by Mitch Boucher and Stephen Pereira of the Stonewall Center.
The series is intended to raise awareness on campus on GLBT issues, as well as providing a forum for scholars in the field of Queer Studies to present their research. The ultimate goal of the program, according to Pereira, has been to raise support for a GLBT Studies major or certificate program at the University.
So far this semester, the talks have been popular among UMass and Five College Students. Some topics, on “hot button issues” such as bisexuality and transgender identities, have drawn bigger audiences than others. Many speakers have also put on evening cultural programming in their field of expertise.
The lecture series will continue next semester, with more speakers on a variety of topics that are still TBA. Students may register to attend the lectures for credit.
The Stonewall Center also hosts its own Educational Resource Center, with a number of academic resources and research materials in the field of Queer Studies. According to their website, academic programs like the lecture series are continually being added to the Stonewall Center’s programming in order to further Queer Studies at UMass and at colleges and universities across the country.
According to the website, “When we opened in 1985, the Stonewall Center was one of only three centers of its kind on college campuses across the country. Our program has served as a model for many colleges and universities, leading to some 60 centers now in existence.”
On the web: http://www.umass.edu/stonewall
