International Transgender Day of Visibility
March 31, 2023 - 12:03pm
Dear Members of the SUNY Oswego Community,
On this day, International Transgender Day of Visibility, and every day, SUNY Oswego recognizes the resilience, strength, and joy of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people.
Support for and celebration of gender diversity has a long history at SUNY Oswego, reaching back to the early 1970’s when we see the first documentation of student groups for the gay community, and the mid-90’s, when Drag balls were held and student groups brought trans speakers like Kate Bornstein, Jamison Green, and Jenny Boylin to campus. In 2001, the group Transgender Splendour formed, and in 2008, the Oswegonian interviewed a trans woman about her experiences on campus.
We are proud of this history and recognize there is work still to be done, especially in light of the current national context. I Am Oz diversity series speaker, Chase Strangio, shared in his talk on March 7, 2023, that over 400 bills targeting the LGBTQIA+ community have been filed this year alone, most of them targeting trans people. Political backlash often focuses on the trans community, particularly trans women of color, and trans people of color have led the struggle for equal rights for decades, as exemplified by trans women of color like Miss Major, Marsha P. Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera fighting back against homophobic police at the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969. As these vulnerable communities continue to face threats from those in power, building a safe and affirming space on campus is vital for the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of the LGBTQIA+ community.
In December 2022, the Inclusive Practices: LGBTQIA+ Working Group began working to document what is currently being offered to support LGBTQIA+ student, faculty and staff success and belonging at SUNY Oswego; identifying what gaps exist; and making recommendations to the President’s Cabinet about how SUNY Oswego can better meet the needs of, and communicate to our LGBTQIA+ community to ensure better access to resources that both benefit and educate our campus community as a whole. The working group began by documenting community input, hosting open forums to invite further collaboration, promoting a range of support and services available, and will continue to include the broader campus community to inform all recommended actions.
As we celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility, please join the Title IX office along with members of the LGBTQIA+ Working Group who are tabling today in the Marano Campus Center. Free flags and awesome swag are available while supplies last.
Please contact one of us for more information about the LGBTQIA+ Working Group or to get involved in focus groups.
Sincerely,
Angie Brown, Director of Student Health Services (angela.brown@oswego.edu)
Anneke McEvoy, Associate Director of the Triandiflou Institute and Staff Fellow in the President’s Office (anneke.mcevoy@oswego.edu)
On this day, International Transgender Day of Visibility, and every day, SUNY Oswego recognizes the resilience, strength, and joy of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people.
Support for and celebration of gender diversity has a long history at SUNY Oswego, reaching back to the early 1970’s when we see the first documentation of student groups for the gay community, and the mid-90’s, when Drag balls were held and student groups brought trans speakers like Kate Bornstein, Jamison Green, and Jenny Boylin to campus. In 2001, the group Transgender Splendour formed, and in 2008, the Oswegonian interviewed a trans woman about her experiences on campus.
We are proud of this history and recognize there is work still to be done, especially in light of the current national context. I Am Oz diversity series speaker, Chase Strangio, shared in his talk on March 7, 2023, that over 400 bills targeting the LGBTQIA+ community have been filed this year alone, most of them targeting trans people. Political backlash often focuses on the trans community, particularly trans women of color, and trans people of color have led the struggle for equal rights for decades, as exemplified by trans women of color like Miss Major, Marsha P. Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera fighting back against homophobic police at the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969. As these vulnerable communities continue to face threats from those in power, building a safe and affirming space on campus is vital for the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of the LGBTQIA+ community.
In December 2022, the Inclusive Practices: LGBTQIA+ Working Group began working to document what is currently being offered to support LGBTQIA+ student, faculty and staff success and belonging at SUNY Oswego; identifying what gaps exist; and making recommendations to the President’s Cabinet about how SUNY Oswego can better meet the needs of, and communicate to our LGBTQIA+ community to ensure better access to resources that both benefit and educate our campus community as a whole. The working group began by documenting community input, hosting open forums to invite further collaboration, promoting a range of support and services available, and will continue to include the broader campus community to inform all recommended actions.
As we celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility, please join the Title IX office along with members of the LGBTQIA+ Working Group who are tabling today in the Marano Campus Center. Free flags and awesome swag are available while supplies last.
Please contact one of us for more information about the LGBTQIA+ Working Group or to get involved in focus groups.
Sincerely,
Angie Brown, Director of Student Health Services (angela.brown@oswego.edu)
Anneke McEvoy, Associate Director of the Triandiflou Institute and Staff Fellow in the President’s Office (anneke.mcevoy@oswego.edu)