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November is a month that has been, in recent decades, associated with the awareness of the lived experiences of trans folk. This includes their activism and advocacy in the LGBTQ+ movement, as well as the disproportionate levels of violence leveled against trans folk and especially trans femme women of color.

The QRC recognizes November as a time of Transgender Awareness and especially the week of the 14th thru the 20th. In light of this, campus organizations will be hosting several events including a Trans Ally Training, a topical night of Feminist Fight Club highlighting Transfeminism, and finally ending with Trans Day of Remembrance on the 20th. We invite you to participate in any or all of these events, and will continually update our social media with information surrounding Trans activism.

As Laverne Cox famously said, "Existence is Resistance", and the QRC will always advocate to bring awareness to Trans lives in our community and around the world.

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"Faggot"

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Portland just celebrated what is being counted by some as it’s 42nd city-wide LGBTQIA+ gathering, a day that had it’s origins as giant cook-outs in the park and morphed into the week-long celebration, culminating with a giant parade.

And as great as #PDXPride is, I think it’s fair to say that Portland (and it’s Pride) still has many diversity issues to be addressed, mainly that Portland was and remains an overwhelmingly white city lacking much in terms of diversity, and also recognizing that groups not affiliated with large corporations have fought and struggled to get a foothold in official recognition.  Congrats to organizers like those of the #PortlandTransMarch who have, year after year, established an ever-growing movement that demonstrates that #Pride is not just for white gay men

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“What can you celebrate when you’re still fighting to breathe and walk unapologetically in your truth?”

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“Almost a year later, the time has come again: Pride. Or, as what a lot  of people more commonly call it, Gay Pride. Because that's exactly what it is. A celebration of gay pride and gay pride alone. Transgender, bisexuality, and all the other identities are not (or barely) represented. One or two floats in a parade of dozens isn’t enough.“

We need to address that our supposedly inclusive-LGBTQIA+ spaces really only cater to cisgender* gay men, and that the negative attitudes towards other queer sexual and gender identities is toxic within our communities.

I’ll be writing later this week about my own bisexuality, as well as other identities represented by the rainbow but often not acknowledged. If you’d like to contribute your own writings about the gender or sexuality identity you hold, please reach out to me via QRC@sou.edu subject line: “30 Days of Pride”

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“San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person ever to be elected to public office in California, encouraged Baker in 1977 to devise a unique symbol for the gay community – an insignia of pride capable of affirming social independence. “Flags”, Baker has since asserted, “are about proclaiming power.”

We're going to be exploring the various identities that make up the LGBTQIA+ community over the next few days, celebrating the #Pride that we hold within our identities under a larger rainbow.

To celebrate #30DaysofPride, we would love to hear from you about your experiences, your identities, your Pride. If you are interested in contributing, please reach out to us at qrc@sou.edu subject line: 30DaysofPride or message us here thru Tumblr <3

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You can read and watch the stories here: https://www.dearworld.org/orlando

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NEVER FORGET :::: ORLANDO ❤️ Akyra Monet Murray, 18 Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 Amanda Alvear and Mercedez Marisol Flores, 25 and 26 Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25 Antonio Davon Brown, 29 Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 Cory James Connell, 21 Darryl “DJ” Roman Burt II, 29 Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 Enrique L. Rios, Jr, 25 Eric Ivan Ortiz Rivera, 36 Frank Hernandez , 27 Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 Geraldo A. “Drake” Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, 27 Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 Juan Pablo Rivera Velazquez, 37 Juan Ramon Guerrero and Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 22 and 32 Kimberly Morris, 37 Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 Luis Daniel Conde , 39 Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 Luis S. Vielma, 22 Martin Benitez Torres, 33 Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 Oscar A. Aracena-Montero and Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 26 and 31 Paul Terrell Henry , 41 Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 Stanley Almodovar III, 23 Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24

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"Washington was the capital of Fairyland, USA: More lavender lads and lesbians worked there than anyplace on Earth." That was meant to be a slanderous line in the 1651 book Washington Confidential but I think it has a lovely tone about our capacity to infiltrate heteronormative* systems and swing the movement our way, don't you?

Today is the Equality March on the capitol, and hundreds of thousands of LGBTQIA+ folks and our allies our gathering to send a strong message to our government: We will not stand for injustice of any kind.

"We're here, we're queer, get used to it" are the strong words that often echo many social justice movements centered around LGBTQIA+ rights, and they stemmed from a time when our government was actively ignoring the deaths of thousands in our community during the AIDS crisis. In addition to those challenges that still persist, new ones have arisen. And I'm confident in the capacity of the queer community to meet those head-on. - Jordan

*Heternormative is a termed used to describe social systems that cater to the idea of heteronormativity, that is, binary opposite-gender pairings, as a standard. Whereas the queer movement challenges both the idea that gender is a binary, that monogamy pairings and gender roles are a requirement for partnership, and that marriage should be restricted to any one pairing of gender(s).

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When this article was posted to our Facebook page last year, it fostered some good discussion on the role straight folks, and those who consider themselves straight allies, fulfill at Pride parades (along with other LGBTQ gatherings).   I encourage anyone, regardless of whether you belong to the queer community or not, to take a quick read thru of these, and let us know what you think.

Further readings:

http://www.yourtango.com/2017303318/what-straight-people-pride-need-know-about-how-be-lgbt-ally

https://www.bustle.com/articles/168075-10-rules-cisgender-straight-people-attending-pride-should-follow

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Philadelphia’s new pride flag honors LGBTQ people of color

follow @the-movemnt

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#TBT to our past Lavender Graduation ceremonies, where we honor LGBTQIA+ graduating students, we bid a fond farewell to our leaving staffers, and recognize others who have contributed their time and energy to strengthening and enriching our diverse community.

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In these last few weeks of term, we’ll fondly remember the staff and volunteers of our 2017-2018 year.  Some of them are coming back, others are pursuing different paths in live, and still others are graduating to pursue bigger and better things.  Best of lucky everyone, and have a happy #Pride!