The Rainbow Center, UConn WGSS, and the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition are hosting a virtual panel discussion in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance on WebEx on Friday, November 18 at 1:oo pm EST. The distinguished panelists are:

• Sybastian K. Smith, Organizing Director, National Center for Transgender Equality & NCTE Action Fund
• Shanna Kattari Ph.D., Associate Professor of Social Work and in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department (by courtesy), and Director of the [Sexuality|Relationships|Gender] Research Collective, University of Michigan
• Christine Rodriguez, DNP, APRN, Senior Lecturer in Nursing, Interim Co-Chair, Graduate Entry Pre-specialty in Nursing (GEPN), Yale University
• Rhea Debussy Ph.D., Director of External Affairs, Equitas Health (and WGSS alumna!)

Don’t miss out! Please sign up here to be emailed information on how to join this virtual event!

 

#ThisIsAmerica is a series that brings together UConn faculty, alumni, and students to discuss and unpack systematic racism, social justice, and human rights issues. It spotlights the individuals, organizations and movements fighting for justice and equity, and against oppression and white supremacy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three women and one in six men have experienced sexual violence. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that almost half of all transgender people have been sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. Sexual violence is common, and happens at higher rates for some communities based on factors such as race, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status, disability status, ad immigration status.

Join us for an engaging discussion on the root causes of sexual violence, an overview of UConn student, staff, and faculty anti-violence efforts that bring us to this contemporary moment of evolution, how to interrupt and prevent sexual violence on college campuses, and much more.

Meet the Panel:

Le’Asia T. Gaskin, CLAS ’21

Ayanna De’Vante Spencer, Ph.D.

Rachel Stewart, CLAS ’14

Andrew Stewart, Ph.D. CLAS ’11, CLAS ’15

When?

Tuesday, November 15, 7:00-9:00pm ET

Where?

Doris & Simon Konover Auditorium or Virtual Livestream

Register here!

Thursday, October 13th

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UConn’s Journalism Departments presents a screening of Landfall, a documentary examining everyday life in post-Hurricane María Puerto Rico. Set against the backdrop of protests that toppled the US colony’s governor in 2019, the film offers a prismatic portrait of collective trauma and resistance. While the devastation of María attracted media coverage, the world has paid far less attention to the storm that preceded it: a 72-billion-dollar debt crisis crippling Puerto Rico well before the winds and waters hit.

Landfall examines the kinship of these two storms—one environmental, the other economic—juxtaposing competing utopian visions of recovery. The documentary reflects on a question of contemporary global relevance: when the world falls apart, who do we become?

Attend the documentary screening, then participate in a Q&A with Director Cecilia Aldarondo and Collaborator/Associate Producer Lale Namerrow Pastor. Register to attend here!

Where? Gant North, Room 020 When? 12:30pm-2:00pm (Screening), 2:00-3:00pm (Filmmaker Q&A)

 

Is Giving Birth Comparable to Writing Books?

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Join Dr. Noelle Leslie dela Cruz’s guest lecture on Thursday, October 13th from 2:00-2:50pm in Austin 108. The lecture will also be livestreamed here.

Noelle Leslie dela Cruz is Full Professor of Philosophy at De La Salle University (Manila). Her recent publications are Philosophy of the Human Person: Giving Meaning to Life (Oxford, 2020) and Sisyphus on the Penrose Stairs: Meta-Reveries (Vagabond Press, 2017). Leslie’s poetry collection won First Prize in Poetry (English) at the 67th Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the most prestigious national literary award in the Philippines. Her research and teaching areas include existential phenomenology, philosophy of literature, and feminist philosophy.

 

The UConn Native American Cultural Programs presents Indigenous Peoples’ Week 2022.

Check out the flyer to see all the amazing events planned on Storrs campus from Monday, October 10th to Thursday, October 13th. Events included film screenings, live Q&A’s, lectures, and more!

You can also find out more information on the Native American Cultural Programs website here.

 

Wednesday, October 12th

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What does it mean to play, “consume”, and study sports in ways that enhances the well-being of various types of bodies and cultivates respectful and reciprocal community relationships on Indigenous land?

Dr. Chen Chen will discuss these ideas in an event titled: “On Whose Land Are We ‘Playing’? A Conversation on Sport, Reciprocity, and Kin-Making on Native Land”.

Dr. Chen Chen is currently an assistant professor of sport management at the Neag School of Education. Chen takes an interdisciplinary approach to explore the intersection of sport with colonialism as well as social, racial, and environmental justice.

When: 6:00-7:30pm

Where: ODI Commons SU 103

Wednesday, September 28th

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Evelyn M. Simien will be speaking about her book, Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections: Trailblazing Candidates in Gubernatorial, Congressional, and Mayoral Campaigns, this Wednesday from 12:15 – 1:30pm in OAK 408. Refreshments will be served. You can also join online via WebEx here!

Evelyn M. Simien is Professor of Political Science, and the Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) Faculty Fellow for the 2022-23 academic year.  She is also affiliated with Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies and American Studies. Her research has examined black feminist consciousness, racial-sexual violence suffered by African American women at the hands of lynch mobs, and the symbolic empowerment of historical first candidates. 

This fall, Cuban artists Paola Martínez Fiterre and Gigi de la Torre will be hosting a conversation highlighting their photographic and multimedia work on self-representation, the female body, the social order and process accompanied by art critic Mailyn Machado.

The series “Faces, Masks, Bodies: Contemporary Cuban Writing, Art, and Performance” will be a mix of online, hybrid, and in-person events held once a week.

The series will include discussions, writing workshops, guest speakers, and performances. Some events will be in Spanish, while others will provide English interpretation. 

Check out the first event on Tuesday, September 20th! It will be held online from 3:00-5:30 pm. You can register here. 

Plus, access the flyer of events here.

Hello everyone!

Join the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department on Thursday, September 29th from 3:00-4:30pm for our Open House in Beach Hall rooms 409-426.

Meet the faculty, learn more about the WGSS program, and ask any questions you may have. Plus, relax in our new lounge with AC and refreshments.

See you there!

Check out Professor Myers’ upcoming talk: What Happens Now that Roe Has Been Overturned?

Professor Myers will provide a forecast for a post-Roe America covering changes in abortions and births and downstream effects on the economic lives of women and their families.

Register now to attend in-person or online on September 29th from 2-3:15 pm!