The LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Association (FSA) is comprised of people from many racial and ethnic identities, and we represent and advocate for the interests of faculty and staff coworkers. As an executive board of white individuals, we stand in support of our Black colleagues, and are committed to putting in the work to end white supremacy in our communities, in our institutions, and in ourselves. We want to amplify the tremendous work that our colleagues across the campus are already doing, and we aim to center the voices of Black, Brown and Indigenous people. Therefore, we applaud and share thestatement, events, and resources from the UMBC Campus Life’s Mosaic, Interfaith, & Pride Centers, thelist of resources compiled by Amelia Meman, Assistant Director of the UMBC Women’s Center, and an upcoming event announced by Courtney C. Hobson for the Dresher Center with links to resources from the Dresher Center and from the Center for Social Science Scholarship.
We are grateful to our colleagues for sharing their wisdom at this critical time, and we hear the calls to action. We want to follow the lead of theGender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies Department, in making commitments.
The current FSA leadership team plans to:
support faculty and staff events and speakers that center and honor the experience of BIPOC;
continue working in coalition with other campus affinity groups toward necessary change on campus, especially in the areas of hiring and retention of BIPOC faculty and staff;
advocate for tangible acknowledgement (such as grants, stipends, salary increases, paid release from work time, paid positions, etc.) of the invisible labor of our BIPOC faculty, staff, and students to build and maintain an inclusive culture on campus;
actively recruit LGBTQ BIPOC on campus to become members and fill leadership roles of the LGBTQ FSA.
In addition, we want to encourage our members and our allies, especially white people and those with privilege, to support our Black colleagues and community by attending demonstrations, donating to local Black organizers and bail bonds, educating ourselves through the many resources available, speaking out against racism in all its forms, and voting.
We want to underline the fact that, in June, we celebrate Pride month, because the Stonewall Uprising was a riot against police brutality that began on June 28, 1968. These protests were led by Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman, and Storme DeLarverie, a masculine of center Black lesbian, and many other people of color who put their lives on the line to stand up for the right to exist and thrive as LGBTQ individuals, free from persecution and discrimination. We want to share this thoughtful PRIDE season post of our colleague Heidy George.
We want to say, as loudly and clearly as possible---
Black Lives Matter. Black Queer Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter.
In Solidarity,
Vicki Sipe, President, LGBTQ FSA
Tim Phin, Faculty Co-Chair
Elle Trusz, Staff Co-Chair
A Cultivation Of Rape Culture In D.C., Maryland, And Virginia Universities
Nadia BenAissa
Kate Drabinski, Gender and Women’s Studies
The normalization of sexual violence is known in the literature as rape culture. Four year universities in the United States have historically cultivated rape culture. The public has a vested interest in knowing what is or is not being done to dismantle rape culture and prevent sexual assault on campuses, in order to hold these institutions accountable. The scope of this research was select universities within the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. This research recognizes commonalities within the cross populated universities that cultivate rape culture and identify how inconsistent metrics have left universities unaccountable. A social constructionist and mixed methods approach was used to explore how institutional betrayal has exacerbated the problems with campus climate surveys and further distanced people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals from reporting. An archival analysis of university policies, rape culture, and Title IX was conducted, along with a statistical analysis of campus sexual assault surveys. The archival analysis suggests that despite updates to laws/policies, universities have failed to reach their more diverse populations. The data analysis suggests that the differing modes of surveying campus climates has led to statistically insignificant results that cannot affirm that new university sexual violence policies are working.
“Begin Purging State Dept. Of Homosexuals”: The Lavender Scare And The LGBT Community During The Cold War
Rosie McNeely
Meredith Oyen, History
The Lavender Scare was a little-known episode in LGBTQ history in which thousands of gay men and women employed by the federal government in the 1950s lost their jobs due to their sexuality. From this purge, the gay rights movement emerged to fight vigorously for LGBTQ individuals’ ability to work, regardless of their sexual orientation. By examining both government documents and the manuscripts of those involved in the budding gay rights movement, I evaluate how the Lavender Scare came into play and the reverberating effects on the LGBTQ community in the 1950s and 1960s. The Lavender Scare blossomed out of the anti-communist and homophobic paranoia of the McCarthy era and resulted in the termination of thousands of homosexual government employees and major panic in the LGBT community due to the loss of people’s sense of security, but the aftermath gave way to unity in the community and helped lay the foundation for equal LGBT rights in the United States. This research is increasingly relevant at a time when the Supreme Court is deciding a case on whether employees can be discriminated against based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Why Do We Like Rappers Cuckolding And Having Sex With Lesbians?
Kenneth M’Bale
Rebecca Adelman, Media and Communication Studies
In rap there is a curious trend of rappers rapping about cuckolding the listeners’ girlfriend and having sex with non-heterosexual women.This project sought to explore why these reoccuring lyrics resonate with audiences. Rap may have originated from a black community, but it is the most global genre of music. Thus, it has to be seen as a cultural force among all listeners outside of that black community. With this understanding, the project explored where the listening obsession for cuckolding and sex with non-heterosexual women originates. The project focused on the listening audience, as many rappers are performing a fantasy for the listeners, and do not live nor believe the lyrics that they write. This included performances from confirmed straight female rappers like Cardi B or Nicki Minaj, and rappers like Kendrick Lamar or Kanye West. The project explored the nature of black hypersexuality, the expectations of what a rapper must look and be like, the homophobia rampant in mainstream rap, the objectification of women, and objectification of non-normative sexuality as a whole. The project concluded that this cuckolding is a form of sexual violence from one man to another. Further, the objectification of non-heterosexual women renders them sub-human.
Creating An Inclusive Sexual Health Education For Transgender Youth In Maryland Public High Schools
Alexandra Siebenhaar
Kate Drabinski, Gender and Women’s Studies
LGBTQ+ high-school students are excluded from most sexual health education curriculums in the United States. Not only is sexual health education very heteronormative, but lacking gender-inclusive language in the classroom is detrimental to the health of transgender youth. This results in transgender youth being at a higher risk of having unprotected sex leading to unintended pregnancies, STI’s, and HIV/AIDS. My research focuses on sexual health education in Maryland Public High Schools and how educators can work on developing a more inclusive curriculum that accommodates the transgender experience. My research compares the state of Maryland’s framework to the state of California’s framework (in which they legally require sex education to be LGBTQ+ inclusive). Also, my research examines qualitative or interview-based scholarly articles to seek out what transgender individuals wish they were taught in their sexual health education classes. Finally, my research conducts a data analysis of both Maryland and California’s state statistics regarding pregnancy rates, STIs, and HIV/AIDS amongst young individuals. My research specifically analyzes how the varying sexual orientations within the transgender community are included in sexual health education, as well as the discussion of hormone therapy, gender dysphoria, sex and body positivity.
An Investigation Into The State Of South Korea’s LGBT Community Through Analysis Of Language Use
Julianne Townsend
Kyung-Eun Yoon, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
This research analyzes the social capital of LGBT people in South Korea. Incidences of LGBT activity were documented in the Korean Peninsula as early as approximately 1000 years ago (Kim, 2006). However, due to the present-day influence of conservative Christian groups, Confucian ideology, and government policy, the existence of the LGBT community in Korea is regarded as taboo and is largely unknown to those outside of the group. Speaking openly about one’s own sexual or gender identity is not widely accepted, and as a result, there is a dearth of open discourse about this subject. Despite this, there is a wealth of information about and discourse regarding the Korean LGBT community on internet forums and social media platforms. This research analyzes discourse on such forums and social media platforms, specifically word choices for referring to certain aspects of LGBT culture and community identity. Through the analysis of this language use, this paper attempts to reveal the disparities faced by Korean LGBT people in terms of family relationships, societal identity construction, and the formation and maintenance of romantic and sexual relationships.
Presenters and Guests:
Student researchers and artists exploring LGBTQ+ themes!
When Eve and Eve Bit the Apple
Teresa Whittemore, Dance Performance
11:45am, Dance Cube, 337 PAHB
Traitor: An Animated Short
Julia Blurton-Jones, Visual Arts
2:30pm, Film, FA Recital Hall
Lesbian Activist Involvement In AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power(ACT-UP)
Kathy Robitaille, Gender and Women's Studies
Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom
Perspectives Of Queer Jewish Leaders On The Intersections Of Their Jewish And Queer Identities
Cliel Shdaimah, Gender and Women's Studies
Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom
Will You Listen?: A Critical Analysis of Gendered and Racialized Disembodied Voices in Contemporary Media Culture
Daniel Goldstein, Media and Communication Studies
1:15pm, Room TBA
The Effect of GSA Involvement on Attitudes towards LGBTQ Individuals
Trevor Pitts, Psychology
Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom
URCAD is Wednesday, April 24 from 9am-4pm.
For more info:
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