KNOWhomo

BOOKS, Books Everywhere, and Finding a Queer* One for Me!

Are you going home for the Holidays? Do you finally have time to read things for pleasure again? Are you trying to come out to your friends and would like some help?

**Ok, to explain, I kept showing up to Feminist Theory (while I was in undergrad) with different Lesbian/Queer* texts until my adviser finally asked me if I needed to talk. I am the person who used book jackets to start conversations.

Back to the books! 

Be sure to check out the KNOWhomo Literature, Theory, and Graphic Novel pages. It’s always a great place to start.

Keep On, Keeping On!

-Rebecca

(Some of my personal collection shown above. If you’d like any information on any of those texts, please let me know.)

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LGBTQ* Comic and Graphic Illustrations You May Have Missed

from: Kate or Die

“BYE Phobias”

LGBTQ* Insight, Education and Ally Conversations

From Oregon State

— Roommate Questions/Answers (You may want to pass this on to RAs in conversation)

Questions for Roomates

In the residence halls 
In a residence hall environment, we interact daily with a wide variety of people. Statistics have shown that at least 10% of the general population consider themselves to be lesbian or gay, and many more consider themselves to be bisexual. It is very likely that you will meet individuals who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) during your time at OSU. This page was developed to hopefully answer some of the questions you may have. Remember, you may ask these questions of your Residence Life staff as well.

Why do they flaunt their sexuality? 
“What people do in their own bedrooms is their own business, but I saw two guys walking across campus holding hands.”

One of the worst forms of oppression for a human being is to be denied emotional expression. Curiously, it is called “expressing love” when heterosexuals hold hands, but “flaunting” when LGBT people express their love. How would heterosexuals react if they could not hold hands, kiss, dance together, go to romantic dinners, or be married? LGBT people who are open with their affections are not trying to shock others, but are just doing what is natural to them and others.

What should I do if a friend tells me that he or she is gay? What does that say about me? 
Most LGBT people who “come out” would like the same sincere acceptance and encouragement you might want when you tell a friend something special about yourself. Because of many people’s “homophobic” attitude (fear and derision of same sex relationships), many gays are afraid of rejection from their friends. You might first honestly ask yourself how you feel about this news and then discuss it as a caring friend.

Some people who find out a close friend is LGBT wonder “What does that mean about me?” This is a natural reaction. What it probably means is that your friend trusts you very much. However, liking someone gay does not make you gay any more than liking someone smart makes you smart.

If my roommate “comes out” to me, does that mean that he or she thinks that I’m gay too? 
There is a big difference between “coming out” and “coming on.” As discussed above, most gay people who come out want to be accepted, not hassled. Sometimes a gay person might “come on” to you, tell you they are attracted to you, or want an intimate relationship with you. You can handle it in the same manner that you would handle a heterosexual approach. Gay love is as serious and legitimate as heterosexual love. Again, you should discuss it with your friend.

If I accept my LGBT roommate, will he or she bring in lots of LGBT friends and push me out? 
A formerly taboo subject will be out in the open. You may feel uncomfortable from a lack of experience dealing with gay people who are not “closeted.” The LGBT friends should respect non-LGBT people just as LGBT people expect to be respected. Visits by LGBT folks are a good opportunity to learn about this large and diverse segment of the population. However, be cautious about presuming that all your roommate’s friends are LGBT. His or her best friends may be straight.

Won’t my friends or parents think I’m gay if I have a gay roommate or friend or defend equal rights? 
Defending equal rights for gays is often a courageous stance to take. Some people may conclude that such a person has a vested interest to do so. It is up to you whether you feel that the people you are defending are worth the risk of occasional accusations or assumptions by others. Remember that a word from heterosexual friends and allies in defense or support of gay rights can go a long way to help change people’s minds.

Now that I know my roommate is gay, I don’t feel comfortable about nudity, dressing, showering, etc. 
More than likely, you have been living together long enough to trust each other. There is no reason for the trust to diminish now. Your roommate has been gay or lesbian all along! Bear in mind that gays are not always comfortable with non-gays, either. Gay people, just like straight people, are attracted to certain types of folks. Most gays and lesbians are not sexually interested in heterosexuals, just as the reverse is true.

Graphic Art and (Image) Irony You May Have Missed

That Spooky Gay Agenda

Graphic from BewareOfImages.com (ran by director Sergio Toporek) 

LGBTQ* Prides and Education

 Ten Colleges With A History of Gay Pride

 (Please note: all of the following test and above graphic from The Best Colleges Online’s website. I am aware that Berkeley is not in SoCal.)

Every June, Americans recognize Gay Pride Month via famous parades and other advocacy events promoting marriage equality, adoption, health, teen bullying and suicide prevention, and other social and political issues related to LGBT rights, which directly impact an estimated 10% of the population (and indirectly impact a far higher percentage of loved ones). Because the country is still slowly growing to accept sexual and gender identity minorities, this means many college students head off to their higher education careers isolated, lonely, depressed — or worse. Most campuses these days offer some semblance of a support structure to ensure a safe experience for all LGBT students, and queer studies courses, minors, and majors have started popping up in catalogs across the country. And it’s all thanks to some of the following pioneers, who took a chance on equality when such things still stood as highly taboo.

1.  CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO:

In 1989, City College of San Francisco revolutionized LGBT and queer studies when Jack Collins established America’s very first department promoting the inchoate field. Founded upon Dan Allen’s pioneering 1972 gay literature course taught in the English department, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Studies Department really wowed students, teachers, and administrators when it launched, attracting hundreds of enrollees for some of its courses. Because the school sits in one of the world’s most LGBT-friendly cities, the classes beneath the organization’s umbrella often benefit from the surrounding communities’ participation and input.

2.  INDIANA UNIVERSITY:

More famous for Alfred Kinsey’s in-depth studies of American sexual habits at a time when such things popped monocles and inspired pearl-clutchings, Indiana University also happens to exist as a largely LGBT-friendly campus. Activist Shane Windmeyer of Campus Pride fame also established the Lambda 10 project here alongside the school’s Greek leaders in 1995. Today, it exists as the only nonprofit fully dedicated to making fraternity and sorority houses safe spaces for LGBT students. Notable, because neither institution enjoys the healthiest reputation for inclusiveness, tolerance, and equitability.

3.  UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY:

Spring 1970 saw this historically progressive college offering up the nation’s very first undergraduate course in queer theory. Other schools in Illinois, New York, and even Nebraska quickly followed suit, paving the way for an entire academic field. The Gay Bears Collection pulls from Berkeley’s extensive archives — as well as its own inquiries — to provide students, faculty, staff, and visitors with detailed information about both hidden and not-so-hidden names, dates, and faces involved in the campus’ LGBT history.

4.  UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN:

Many — if not most — colleges and universities these days sport some form of official LGBT outreach, usually through an organization or dedicated student services department. University of Michigan launched the very first back in 1971, inspiring more and more to follow suit and provide comfort and safety to an unfairly marginalized segment of the community. Known as the Spectrum Center, it has spent the past four decades ensuring an equal place for LGBT students, faculty, and staff.

5.  KENT STATE UNIVERSITY:

One of the oldest, most inspiring LGBT student organizations in the nation started at Kent State University in 1971, following the precedent set by Berkeley’s groundbreaking undergraduate courses. It started out as the Kent Gay Liberation Front and set about organizing talks, rallies, and even classes on the cause of equality. More than 70 people showed up to the very first meeting scheduled by sociology student Bill Hoover and English professor Dolores Knoll, and the school’s administrators largely supported their banding together and coming out.

6.  YALE UNIVERSITY:

When it comes to the more staunchly traditional Ivy League schools, one probably doesn’t think them bastions of LGBT tolerance and equality, though Yale has historically held a more progressive stance on the matter than its associates. It became the first of its type to organize a Gay Rights Week, rally, and dance celebrating sexual and gender diversity in 1977. Three years later, the school established a Gay and Lesbian Co-Op, which continued promoting LGBT rights, hosting lectures, promoting poetry and film, and other events furthering the cause.

7.  UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO:

Thanks to LGBT Phoenixes, America’s third-largest city enjoyed its very first gay rights organization, which quickly branched out into groups and events not affiliated with an academic establishment. The University of Chicago Gay Liberation Front banded together in 1969, and OutLaw — dedicated to LGBT law students — followed suit in 1984. By 1992, it was offering the very same domestic partnership benefits to lesbian and gay couples as it did heterosexuals.

8.  OBERLIN COLLEGE:

Oberlin College frequently lands on lists of the most LGBT-accepting institutes of higher learning in the United States. While its older nature meant at some point it did, in fact, reflect the overarching climate’s prejudices, by the 1960s some semblance of sociopolitical revolution began burbling to the surface at the Conservatory. The 1970s saw more organizations, rallies, dances, and other events bringing the fight to campus, with the Oberlin Gay Liberation Front establishing itself in 1971. More contemporary scholars enjoy the Oberlin College LGBT Community History Project, which offers up first- and second-person accounts of LGBT community history both at the school and the broader social climate.

9.  COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY:

Yale may be one of the most notable Ivy League schools when it comes to sexual and gender identity equality, but it certainly doesn’t fly solo. Since 1967, the Columbia Queer Alliance has served as a safe haven and political rallying point for its LGBT student community — the very first of its kind in the world. Originally known as the Student Homophile League, organizers had to fight, fight, fight, and bite, bite, bite for years before Columbia officials finally green-lighted their group. It stood as one of the cornerstones of the equality movement before the Stonewall Riots two years later inspired others to action.

10.       WILLIAMS COLLEGE:

Thanks to the efforts of Daniel R. Pinello and his 1971 Williams Advocate article “The Homosexual at Williams: Coming Out,” students felt inspired to embrace their sexuality and group together in 1976 as the Williams Gay Support Organization. Reaction to its establishment and subsequent events, which included frank discussions about AIDS, coming out, and even a support hotline, showing love and support to a marginalized minority proved extremely mixed, if not outright hostile. In fact, much of the administration actively shot down attempts to celebrate diversity and promote equality. It wasn’t until 1985, when instances of bullying whipped up a crowd of 300 supporters, that the campus started turning around.

LGBTQ* Phrases You Should Know

The Rumor* Of: “Friend of Dorothy”

Friend(s) of Dorothy (FOD) was a slang term used within the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual community of the 1950’s.

Judy Garland was one of the first celebrities to embrace her gay fans and the Wizard of Oz was viewed as a “gay” fairy tale for many queer Americans at the time. The Stonewall Riots also occurred immediately after Judy Garland’s passing while many people were in mourning. Some claim that police brutality, homophobia and Garland’s death were all triggers for fighting back the night of the riots. 

The phrase was often used as the password to enter gay establishments.

LGBTQ* Infographics

The Cost of Marriage Inequality

1, 136 benefits are given to legally married couples (paired against only 200 for civil unions)

16.8 billion lost per annual from not having LGBTQ* marriage ceremonies

*for larger image click LINK OF POST, then click the graphic*

LGBTQ* Bans and Health Codes 

Since 1983, during the advancing years of HIV/AIDS scare, the FAC (Federal Advisory Committee) has placed a ban on gay* men donating blood. When filling out the blood donation questionnaire provided, donors are asked (if male) if they have slept with another male since 1977. If they answer yes, they are then told they cannot donate.

The FAC will be reviewing the policy again in the next few years (it failed to overturn the ban in 2010).