Queer History Month Celebration

Queer History Month also known as LGBT History Month was founded in 1994 by Rodney Wilson, a high school history teacher from Missouri. Growing up, Wilson was said to have struggled with sexual identity, but found solace and inspiration to be his authentic self through his examination of LGBTQI+ history. Wilson believed that, “the greatest act of advocacy for civil rights for LGBT Americans is the act of coming out.”   In addition to Rodney Wilson, there are many others who advocated for LGBTQI+ rights. October is a time to reflect on those individuals and learn about the history of the LGBTQI+ civil rights movements. In honor of this month, Sonoma State University's Queer Faculty & Staff Association (QFaSA), Queer Student Alliance (QSA), HUB Cultural Center, and members from the local community will offer several opportunities for you to participate in virtual and on campus programs.

QFaSA Friday Forum: Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) & Trans

Friday, October 8th | 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Email holmstrl@sonoma.edu for the zoom link

Our Friday Forums program is designed to help build community among the LGBT+ and allies community. If you would like to attend a forum, become a member of QFaSA or get more info, email Laurel at the email above. All forums are held from 12 - 1 on , you guessed it, Fridays:)  For a look at the entire semester’s topics visit the Queer Faculty Staff Association (QFaSA) website.

Coming Out Day/Come on OUT to the Plaza!

Monday, October 11th | 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Seawolf Plaza

Come join the Queer Student Alliance (QSA), as they celebrate National Coming Out Day at SSU! They’ll be making pronoun buttons, taking Coming Out Day photos and more!

Contact: Ares Marx, QSA President at marx@sonoma.edu for any questions.

Contested Curriculum: The Surprisingly Long Fight to Bring LGBTQ+ History to K-12 Classrooms

Tuesday, October 12th | 6:00pm - 7:00pm | Email mo.phillips@sonoma.edu for the zoom link

For the first time, WGS Professor Don Romesburg shares research from his book-in-progress about the history of K-12 LGBTQ+ history education in the U.S. He reveals how this struggle began in the 1970s, had a burst of unrealized promise and frustration in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and is finally being realized in the 21st century. He will also discuss the current backlash to the progress that's been made, and the road ahead. 

Through The Years: Queer At SSU

Wednesday, October 13th | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Email mo.phillips@sonoma.edu for the zoom link

As we continue OUR QUEER hiSTORY in Sonoma county, we thought it would be great to take a look back at being Queer at SSU. We have a great group of students, staff and faculty who helped to pave the way for others, keep us informed and connected as LGBTQ+ members of this community, and who helped to inform change in attitude, exposure, program and policies at 1801 E Cotati Ave. 

Panelists:

  • Chuck Rhodes​
  • Julie Greathouse
  • Laurel Holmstrom-Keyes
  • ​Tori Newborn

Sonoma County: From LG to LGBTQIA+

Thursday, October 14th | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Email mo.phillips@sonoma.edu for the zoom link

Sonoma County has always had an LGBTQIA+ presence. The earliest photos we could find of local LGBTQIA+ people are from the late 1940s. This county has had a significant role in Queer Culture and Politics regionally, statewide and even nationally. Women’s Studies classes/programs at SSU and SRJC were two of the first such programs in California. What was happening here in the years before Stonewall in 1969? What did Gender Nonconformity look like in this area during the 1970s and 80s? How did Sonoma County help stop a national anti-LGBTQIA+ movement? What is the Intersex Movement and how did one person start it here? This zoom presentation will discuss these things and more. It will be followed by a Q&A session. 

Presenters:

  • Tina Dungan
  • Shad Reinstein

QFaSA Friday Forum: Celebrate Coming Out!

Friday, October 15th | 12:00pm - 1:30pm | Email holmstrl@sonoma.edu for the zoom link

Our Friday Forums program is designed to help build community among the LGBTQ+ and allies community. If you would like to attend a forum, become a member of QFaSA or get more info, email Laurel at the email above. All forums are held from 12 - 1 on , you guessed it, Fridays:)  For a look at the entire semester’s topics visit the Queer Faculty Staff Association (QFaSA) website.

Open Table: Coming Out In Faith

Monday, October 18th | 5:00pm - 6:00pm | Weyden + Brewsters (W + B) Tables

Coming out as LGBTQIA+ can be difficult, especially in a faith community. Join Open Table for a time of sharing stories, and finding new community together. Discussion will be led by queer clergy Rev. Lindsey Bell-Kerr and Rabbi Irwin Keller (Congregation Ner Shalom, Cotati).

Facilitators:

  • Rev Lindsey Bell-Kerr (they/them)
  • Reb Irwin Keller

Queering Sex Education - What They Didn't Teach You In School

Monday, October 18th | 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Join the Zoom

Sexuality education has historically been rooted in heteronormativity and the binary gender system. There is a need for more inclusive sexuality education that acknowledges and celebrates queer sexuality and experiences. We are all entitled to information to help us make informed and healthy decisions around sex. In this talk, Remi Newman, M.A. will lead a discussion to debunk myths and provide education and resources to empower queer students in their sexual journey.

QFaSa Friday Forum: Native American and 2 Spirit/Queer

Friday, October 22nd | 12:00pm - 1:30pm | Join the Zoom 

Our Friday Forums program is designed to help build community among the LGBTQ+ and allies community. If you would like to attend a forum, become a member of QFaSA or get more info, email Laurel at the email above. All forums are held from 12 - 1 on , you guessed it, Fridays:)  For a look at the entire semester’s topics visit the Queer Faculty Staff Association (QFaSA) website.

LGBTQI + Community Resource Fair

Tuesday, October 26th | 11:30am - 1:30pm | Seawolf Plaza and The HUB Cultural Center

Do you know about the many resources available for  LGBTQI+ individuals in Sonoma County? Stop by the Seawolf Plaza and meet the folks from Positive Images, LGBTQ Connections, TransLife, Face2Face, Buckelew, Amor Para Todos, Sonoma County Pride, and other local organizations that serve our community and find out how they can support you! For more information please email thehub@sonoma.edu

When We Rise ft. Cleve Jones: Queer History in the Bay Area And Beyond. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 26th | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Join the Zoom

Cleve Jones is an American human rights activist, author and lecturer. Jones joined the gay liberation movement in the early 1970s. He was mentored by pioneer LGBTQ+ activist Harvey Milk and worked in Milk’s City Hall office as a student intern until Milk’s assassination in 1978. Jones co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation in 1983 and founded The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, one of the world’s largest community arts projects, in 1987. HarperCollins published his first book, “Stitching a Revolution,” in 2000. Jones was portrayed by Emile Hirsch in Gus Van Sant’s Oscar-winning film, “MILK,” and was the historical consultant for the production. Jones led the 2009 National March for Equality in Washington, DC and served on the Advisory Board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which challenged California’s Proposition 8 in the US Supreme Court. Hachette Book Group published his new memoir, When We Rise, in November 2016. The ABC TV mini-series inspired in part by stories from Cleve’s book was broadcast in February 2017 with a screenplay by Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black.

Resources