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Monday, November 25th, 2024

Come Visit Us!

Community Hours:
Mon-Thus, 10am-4pm
Fri, 10am-3pm

Location:
2218 Marie Mount Hall

Queer Recess

Mondays: 12:30-2:00pm

Fridays: 1:00-2:30pm

Quiet Hours

Tuesdays: 1:00-2:30pm

Queer Book Club

Thursdays: 6:00-7:30pm
Happy Monday, Terps!

Welcome to the Rainbow Report, the official newsletter of the LGBTQ+ Equity Center! The Equity Center is excited to continue fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive environment for our LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff, and supporters. Whether you're new to the Rainbow Report or a returning reader, we are thrilled to have you!

We hope you are all looking forward to a relaxing fall break!  This Thanksgiving, the LGBTQ+ Equity Center acknowledges that we gather and work on Piscataway land. If you plan to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, we encourage you to read below or click here for tips and resources on how to think critically about and even start to decolonize your Thanksgiving this year.
LGBTQ+ Equity Center Events & Announcements

Speakers Bureau Workshops Available

The LGBTQ+ Equity Center's Speakers Bureau is a program that trains undergraduate facilitators to educate the campus about sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression through panel discussions in classes and other university settings.

The Speakers Bureau has student-facilitated workshops for the UMD community this November and December. The Gender Identity & Pronouns Workshop and Being LGBT at UMD Workshop are available on the following dates:

Gender Identity & Pronouns Workshop:
A training centered on gender identity and good practices of pronoun usage. Participants will learn about gender norms and how to correct misgendering. Available time slots:
  • Fri Dec 6, 11:30-12:30pm via Zoom
  • Wed Dec 11, 9:30-10:30am via Zoom
  • Fri Dec 13, 11:30-12:30pm via Zoom or in-person

Being LGBT at UMD Workshop:
A panel on LGBTQ+-supporting resources at UMD. Participants will also discuss how to practice inclusivity in classroom settings. Available time slots:
  • Tues Dec 10, 2:30-3:30pm via Zoom
  • Wed Dec 11, 6:30-7:30pm via Zoom or in-person

Email [email protected] to schedule a workshop. If you would like an in-person presentation, please make sure to provide the space and allow 30 minutes for set-up and 15 minutes for clean-up around the listed time slots. For questions or accommodations requests email [email protected].
Request a Speakers Bureau Workshop
Banner Graphic promoting Queer Winter Celebration on Monday, December 9th, 2024

Queer Winter Celebration

Join the LGBTQ+ Equity Center for our annual Queer Winter Celebration on Monday, December 9th, from 11:00am-2:00pm in the Stamp Atrium! Gather with UMD community members for an afternoon of community building, food, music, games and more!

For questions and accommodations, email [email protected].
RSVP for Queer Winter Celebration!

🚨 New Pronoun Pins are Here! 🚨

The Equity Center has added new pronoun options to our pin collection! Stop by our community space in 2218 Marie Mount Hall or find us at tabling events across campus to get your new pins!  

Upcoming Special Edition Queer Recess

Finish out the semester with our final Special Edition Queer Recess, HoliDIY Trinkets Day, on Monday, December 2nd from 12:30-2:00pm in 2218 Marie Mount Hall!

Come make holiday trinkets out of clay! Turn them into earrings, a bracelet charm, or just a decoration. 
 
No RSVP required!

For questions or accommodations requests, email [email protected].

Queer Self & Community Care Workshop

Flyer promoting the Queer Self and Community Care Workshop on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024
Join us on Tuesday, December 3rd from 1:00-2:30pm in 0100 Marie Mount Hall for a workshop and discussion about what grind culture is, how it affects student, faculty, and staff leaders, and especially queer and trans folks. We will also discuss strategies to practice active rest.

Lunch will be provided! For questions or accommodations requests email [email protected].
 
RSVP for Queer Self & Community Care Workshop

Supreme Court Listen-Along

Flyer promoting our Supreme Court Listen-along on Wednesday, December 4th, 2024
Join us on Wednesday, December 4th from 10:00am-12:00pm in 2218 Marie Mount Hall for the oral arguments of United States v. Skrmetti, a case about whether bans on gender affirming care for minors violate the 14th Amendment. We'll have some info available to give context on the case, and there will be space for
people to process how they feel about the case, as well. For accommodations, please email [email protected].

Submit Your Card & Design Ideas for the Queer UMD Card Game!

Help us to create an Apples-to-Apples inspired card game for queer Terps by submitting any of the following! 

Card Text Submissions, Game Name Ideas
-Submit your ideas for cards as well as a name for this UMD specific LGBTQ+ card game! Examples and explanations are provided in the form.

Card Design (Front And Back)
-What do the prompt and response cards say? These are what people will read during the game! (go.umd.edu/card-submit)

Box Design
-Submit your designs to have your art potentially featured on the cards or game box! (go.umd.edu/art-submit)

Look Ahead to our Spring 2025 Programs!

The LGBTQ+ Equity Center is excited to bring you a spring semester full of events and community-building! Click below for more information about each of our upcoming events and programs.

If you have questions or accommodations requests, email us at [email protected]
Learn More About Our Spring Programs!
LGBTQ+ Leaders Spotlight
The LGBTQ+ Leaders Spotlight highlights folks across our campus whose work centers or serves LGBTQ+ communities. These are individuals at UMD who are here to be resources and supports to you. This week, we continue introducing our incredible LGBTQ+ Liaisons! Our Liaisons are designated individuals in offices and departments across campus who are here to be supports specifically to LGBTQ+ students. 

Genienne Navarro (she/her)

Genienne Naavarro is an Industry Development Specialist at the University Career Center here at UMD. She engages with employers to bring them to the university for info sessions, panels, career fairs, and other opportunities to recruit our students for internships and jobs. Genienne feels honored to be the liaison serving as a resource for LGBTQ+ students for any activities related to career development, such as the LGBTQ+ Equity Center's annual Queer in the Workplace event. She is currently compiling an employer collection in Handshake that reflects the top employers for LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion, starting with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index. If you know any other employers, larger or small, that should be in that collection for UMD students, please let her know! Fun fact about Genienne? She fell into sailing when the pandemic started (covid-safe activity!), and now can't get enough!
 
Reach out to Genienne
LGBTQ+ Community Resource Spotlight
The LGBTQ+ Community Resource Spotlight uplifts different LGBTQ+ resources across campus. This week, we will be highlighting the 

Fall Break & Thanksgiving Resource List

This Fall Break, the Equity Center wants to make sure you stay connected and supported! Click the link below for some tips and resources that may help you navigate the time off, including Physical & Behavioral Health Resources, Emergency and LGBTQ+ Shelter Resources, Food Security Resources, and even some tips to decolonize your Thanksgiving!
Fall Break & Thanksgiving Resource List
Community Events & Announcements
The LGBTQ+ Equity Center isn't the only office on campus bringing you resources and community-building! Read below for more information on LGBTQ-affirming programming across our campus.

Free HIV Testing

The University Health Center is hosting a FREE HIV/STI testing event on Wednesday, December 4th, from 1:00-3:00PM on the Ground Floor of the Health Center. For questions or accommodations, contact [email protected]

Anti-Black Racism in a Global Context

Attend Anti-Black Racism in a Global Context on Wednesday, December 4th, from 12:00-1:30pm in Tawes 0236. Through insightful discussions, real-life examples, and expert perspectives, we will investigate the intersection of race, history, and policy, highlighting how local experiences of anti-Black racism connect to broader, global struggles. Lunch will be provided!
RSVP for Anti-Black Racism in a Global Context

Zine Club!

UMD BookLab's Zine Club will be hosting their final meeting of the fall semester on Wednesday, December 4th at 5:00pm in Tawes 2115. Zine Club will re-convene in the Spring 2025 semester!

WGSS Spring 2025 LGBT Courses

LGBT 200: Introduction to LGBTQ+Studies
Sayan Bhattacharya | MW 10-10:50, 4 Discussions, times vary

Registration for LGBT 200 is still open! Embark on an interdisciplinary study of the historical and social contexts of personal, cultural and political aspects of LGBT life. Engage with sources from a variety of fields, such as anthropology, history, psychology, sociology, and women's studies, focusing on writings by and about LGBT people. Whether you're interested in pursuing the LGBTQ Studies minor, looking for ways to add a little bit more queer theory to your current courseload, or you just need a cool gen-ed to round out your schedule, LGBT 200 has you covered. 

Join Dr. Sayan Bhattacharya MW 10-10:50 am with Friday Discussion times at 10 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm. LGBT 200 is a required course in the LGBTQ+ Studies Minor and Certificate and a prerequisite for the fall course LGBT 350: LGBTQ+ Public Speaking and Facilitation. 


LGBT 448L/AASP 498Y: Black Queer Studies
Sydney Lewis | TuTh 2-3:15 pm

Dive into the intersections of LGBTQ+ Studies and Black Studies with Dr. Sydney Lewis. Students will read Zami by Audre Lorde and explore powerful films that capture the complexity of Black queer experiences with a strong focus on the US. Through an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach, we’ll center Blackness to explore how race, gender, and sexuality intersect in ways that disrupt the traditional frameworks of LGBTQ+ studies (often centered on whiteness) and Black studies (often focused on heterosexual experiences). We’ll pull from literature, film, history, and the social sciences to uncover key themes in Black queer thought, and consider how the fight for Black queer liberation has offered vital tools and insights for collective liberation.

WGSS Winter 2025 LGBT Course

LGBT 327/ENGL359F:
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Film and Media

James Goodwin | Online Asynchronous
This course explores how gender expression, sexuality, trans* discourses, race/ethnicity, class, & the body intersect. To explore these intersections, we will closely examine FIVE important LGBT films: Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight (2016); Marlon Riggs’s Tongues Untied (1989); Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman (1996); Jennie Livingston’s Paris Is Burning (1990); & Harry Dodge & Silas Howard’s By Hook or by Crook (2001).

School of Public Health Winter Courses

SPHL 631: Racial Trauma & Racial Healing
Faculty: Dr. Carlton Green & Dr. Beth Douthirt-Cohen
In-person: Mondays and Fridays January 3-17 from 10am-3pm, all other times asynchronous

Racial trauma, also referred to as race-based traumatic stress, refers to the accumulated psychological and emotional injuries experienced as a result of intergenerational and systemic racism and racial bias. This interdisciplinary course grounded in self-work, practical applications, and your personal and professional interests, will draw from scholarship on the psychology of race and racism, racism as a public health crisis, emotional justice, racial justice education, as well as anti-racist education for social, cultural, and political change. Some of the scholarship used in the course will also point us in the direction of resistance, healing, and cultivating joy especially in our current racial context. Students from across all fields are welcomed and encouraged to enroll and this course is ideal for students of all racial backgrounds who have engaged in some academic, personal, and/or professional work related to race/racial justice.



SPHL633: Embodied Approaches to Healing from Racial Trauma
Faculty: Dr. Tamisha Ponder
Hybrid Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30pm-8:30pm, January 2-22

This course explores the vital role of embodied, or somatic, practices in addressing and healing racial, and other forms of identity-based, trauma. Combining theoretical insights with experiential learning, students will investigate the physiological and psychological impacts of racial stress and develop practical skills for promoting resilience and well-being. Grounded in my research on the physiological responses to activism and enriched by my expertise as a racial justice leader and also a master yoga teacher, meditation instructor, reiki master, and breathwork leader, this course offers a holistic approach to racial healing. Through lectures, discussions, and embodied practices, students will gain a deep understanding of how to use somatics to foster personal and collective healing. 

SPHL: 635: Solidarities towards Healing & Justice
Faculty: Beth Douthirt-Cohen 
Time: ONLINE, M/W, 5:30pm-8:30pm, January 2-22 (no class on January 20); other times asynchronous


Research shows human brains are oriented towards "us" or "them." Diverse communities, institutions, and democracies often demand reconciling diversity and difference with connection, community, family, and being neighbors despite historical and contemporary repetitions in everyday life that distinguish groups of people, and create systems of inferiority and superiority. Differences between us are both superficial and profound. This course is grounded in practical applied work around spaces and places that are important to you-- your classroom, your home, your workplace, your neighborhood, your place of worship, your county council, a friend's party, your dinner table-- and the possibilities and constraints of meaningful engagement across identity, power, and privilege differentials. This course explores what are the possibilities and limits of solidarity, allyship, and accompliceship, especially in this historical moment. What are the common struggles that prevent solidarities from being effective or ethical? What are possibilities and pathways for you and others? What does solidarity look like for you in your identities?

Counseling Center's Wellness Series

Keep up with your mental health with the Counseling Center's Wellness Series! We have 16 different topics of virtual drop-in skills sessions occurring all semester. Attend as many as you'd like-- all students are welcome! Go to counseling.umd.edu/wellness to learn more.
Community Opportunities
Looking to get involved on campus or in the community? Check back here for a variety of LGBTQ+ and community-oriented opportunities. 

Call for Conference Proposals

The 12th Annual Contemporary Relationships Conference, focusing on strengthening LGBTQ+ relationships and families, is coming to Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ this May 17-18, 2025. 
 
The conference is hosted by the Center for Contemporary Relationships, which also offers the Queer and Trans Affirming Certification Program. The conference is also made possible due to funding from the Diversity Innovation Grant Program coordinated by the Office of the Provost and Intercultural Center at Monmouth University.
 
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS IS NOVEMBER 30, 2024.
 
60-MINUTE WORKSHOPS: To meet continuing education guidelines, the presenter (or at least one presenter in a group) must be a licensed mental health professional. 

POSTERS: Poster presenters do not need to be licensed clinicians. We will consider both research and applied posters. While submitting your idea, select “research” if the poster will be presenting your original research, even if clinical applications are included. Select “applied” if the poster will be presenting a synthesis of existing research, theory and/or clinical applications. 
Submit a Conference Proposal

Inclusivity Survey for UMD Engineering Students

This survey aims to gather insights about gender and identity inclusivity in UMD’s engineering department. The survey hopes to gain insight into the experiences of women and LGBT engineering students at UMD to see if there are ways that the school can improve in areas of gender/identity inclusion.
Take the Engineering Inclusivity Survey

Apply to Jiménez-Porter Writers' House

Join a community of writers working with poetry, prose, screenwriting, and more! Take classes together over two years to hone your craft alongside fellow writers while working towards a self-published chapbook. Students participate in Writers Here & Now events, Author Q&As, an Annual Retreat, a Literary Festival, and more. Learn more about us at our website: Jiménez-Porter Writers' House 

Deadline to apply is 
December 1st, 2024.
Apply to the Jiménez-Porter Writers' House

Apply to be a UNIV100 Teaching Assistant

The 2025 UNIV100 Teaching Assistant (TA) application is now LIVE!

UNIV100 Teaching Assistants (UNIV100 TA) serve as co-instructors and mentors within a section of UNIV100. UNIV100 TAs are trained by the Office of Student Orientation and Transition in leadership development, communication skills, helping skills, and educational pedagogy to help them form meaningful relationships with incoming first-year students while co-facilitating a section of UNIV100 with a professional staff member at UMD.

Deadline to apply is December 6th, 2024.

Apply to be a UNIV100 TA

Project SPACES Study Survey

Project SPACES (Led by the University of Maryland and Yale University) is conducting a survey focused on helping parents build connections with their LGBTQ+ youth. This project involves brief online writing programs being tested as part of study funded by the National Institutes of Health. 

Those interested in participating should complete the 5-minute study screener where parents can learn if they are eligible and the next steps related to study participation.

Questions? Contact Sarah Yoon at [email protected].
 
Complete the Project SPACES Survey
LGBTQ+ Student Groups
There are a variety of LGBTQ+ student groups to get involved with this year, including some that meet in the LGBTQ+ Equity Center! Check here for updated meeting schedules throughout the fall semester. For more information on LGBTQ+ student groups across campus, visit our website!

Fall 2024 Student Group Meetings

Monday

A-Space: 6:00-7:00pm, LGBTQ+ Equity Center

Haus of Terp: 7:00-7:45pm, Stamp
 
Tuesday

Lavender Lounge: 4:00-5:00pm, LGBTQ+ Equity Center

Hamsa/Nice Jewish Queers: 5:00-6:00pm, Stamp Cozy Corner

Queers with Disabilities: Stamp; For full meeting details, contact [email protected].
 
Wednesday

TransU: For meeting details, join the discord!
 
Thursday

Queer Book Club: 6:00-7:30pm, LGBTQ+ Equity Center
 
Friday

oSTEM: 3:00-4:00pm, LGBTQ+ Equity Center

Black Queer Students (BQS): 4:00-5:00pm, LGBTQ+ Equity Center

(Re)Born This Way is Reborn!

Flyer promoting the (Re)Born This Way student group
(Re)born This Way is a group for LGBTQ+ Christians to gather and discuss the intersection of faith and queer identities in an understanding, affirming, and uplifting environment.
Join the (Re)Born This Way Discord

Queer Muslim Student Group

A new Queer Muslim student group is forming on campus. If you are interested in joining, contact the LGBTQ+ Equity Center's Program Manager, Adam Klager, at [email protected].

Campus Resources

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion at UMD (@DiverseTerps) / X
Office of Diversity & Inclusion
UMD MICA (@umdmica) • Instagram photos and videos
MICA
 University of Maryland Calendar | Wags for Wellness: After Dark
Health Center

 Home | Counseling Center
Counseling Center

Home | Office of Civil Rights & Sexual Misconduct
 
Office of Civil Rights & Sexual Misconduct
CARE to Stop Violence
CARE to Stop Violence
Undocumented Student Program
Campus Pantry | UMD Dining Services
Campus Pantry
Connect with us!
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Email
LGBTQ+ Equity Center
2218 Marie Mount Hall
College Park, MD 20742

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