Queer Tour: Big Ideas Conversation Series comes to the University of Pennsylvania
Media Contact: Katie Andriulli, Campus Progress
202.481.8238; kandriulli@americanprogress.
Queer Tour: Big Ideas Conversation Series comes to the University of Pennsylvania
When: Tuesday, April 7, 7:30–9PM
Where: Goodhand Room, LGBT Center, 3907 Spruce St., Philadelphia
WASHINGTON, April 2 — On Tuesday, April 7, the University of Pennsylvania will host a groundbreaking panel exploring the origins of the biological argument for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) civil rights, and offering alternative arguments for equality beyond simply being “born gay.” The panel, Big Ideas Conversation Series: New Arguments for Liberation, is part of a multi-campus “Queer Tour” co-sponsored by Campus Progress and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force that seeks to raise awareness of the complexity of LGBT social justice. The panel will feature Shannon Minter, the lead legal strategist in the Proposition 8 court challenges, and Dr. Jaime Grant, director of the Policy Institute at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The panel is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.
The 2008 election saw a wave of student engagement around LGBT issues on both a national and local level, and since then the momentum has been building. For example, students at UPenn recently protested military recruitment on their campus in response to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
“It’s important that we do everything we can to ensure student engagement in the LGBT movement. Speaking candidly about the biological arguments behind the movement and whether they are relevant will generate productive dialogue,” says Dennie Zastrow, chair of UPenn’s Lambda Alliance, which is sponsoring the event. The Lambda Alliance seeks to provide a unified voice for the LGBTQ community and advocates for changes in UPenn’s climate to make it more comfortable for LGBTQ students, staff and faculty.
For additional information,
please click here or contact Katie Andriulli at kandriulli@americanprogress.
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Campus Progress is the youth division of the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan, nonprofit progressive organization. Through programs in activism, journalism, and events, Campus Progress helps young people make their voices heard now on issues that matter, and works with young leaders and organizations nationwide to build a strong, united progressive movement that can bring long-term positive change. Campus Progress runs a daily web magazine, CampusProgress.org; supports student publications on 50 campuses; supports local and national student issue campaigns; and has held over 350 events and film screenings. For more information, please visit Campusprogress.org.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force works to build grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The Task Force does this through training activists, equipping state and local organizations with the skills needed to organize broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and building the organizational capacity of our movement. The Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. For more information, please visit www.theTaskForce.org.
