Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association

Reaching Out

An e-Newsletter by the IU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association

Go Hoosiers!March, 2013
In This Issue
1. Little 500 Rainbow Cycling
2. MBLGTACC Conference
3. AMPATH and Dr. Rachel Vreeman
4. Facebook
5. Did You Know?
6. Member Notes
7. Mark Your Calendar
8. GLBTAA Scholarships
9. Membership
Connect with us!

   

 

 

 

   

   

        
Eskenazi Hall, Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI ("Arches" sculpture by James Wille Faust)

 

 

Your Board launched a membership drive, effective July 1, 2011, when we had 1,085 members.  As of February 2, 2013, we had 1,454 members for an increase of 369 members, or a 34% increase in approximately a year and a half. We originally set a goal of 2,000 members by July 1, 2013, which we probably will not meet. We remain hopeful, however, that our goal can be reached by year-end. You're a member if you are receiving this e-Newsletter, but please encourage those who are not members to sign up. There are no membership dues. You do not need to be a member of the IU Alumni Association or an IU degree-holder. Students are welcome! Our membership roster is confidential, and we're the only IUAA Affiliate that has a monthly e-Newsletter.  What a great way to stay abreast of the news and activities of the IU LGBT community.  Anyone can join by going to 

https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1377/event.aspx?sid=1377&gid=2&pgid=324&cid=926, or contacting Erin Bruce at

[email protected], or me.  

 

Mike Shumate, GLBTAA President

[email protected]   

 

1. Little 500 Rainbow Cycling
            
Rainbow Cycling team and coach

 

Rainbow Cycling is a Little 500 cycling team that promotes diversity and equality by participating in IU's most important intramural event. Rainbow Cycling participates as one of the few independent teams in a traditionally Greek-dominated race, and strives to bring an element of activism and awareness to what is sometimes called "the world's greatest college weekend." The Little 500 race is broadcast to a nationwide audience and provides an ideal opportunity for IU's LGBT community to be represented and recognized across the nation.

 

Rainbow Cycling has represented the GLBT community for the past two years in the women's Little 500. The team placed 24th in 2011, and 17th last year. Its goal this year is to be one of the "top ten" teams in the race. By competing as serious contenders for a top ten position in this event, the team will significantly raise awareness of issues important to LGBT students and allies. In order to reach its goal, the riders have increased their level of commitment in preparing to be among the top women's Little 500 teams. Team members rode approximately 900 miles during the fall semester. They went on a winter break training trip to Alabama, during which they spent four days completing the three- to four-hour rides necessary to maintain the high level of strength and endurance established during the fall. The riders continued their winter training

on indoor stationary bicycles and rode outdoors as the weather permitted. The 410-meter cinder track at Bill Armstrong Stadium opened on February 11 and the Rainbow women have since been riding around in circles!

 

The team consists of five cyclists, Victoria Byrd, Sarah Hugus, Cheryl Ellison, Gabi Rapin and Kristen Coleman. The team is coached by Jacob Sinex and student coached by Alexandra Sinex. The team plans to promote itself to all IU students to provide awareness of the LGBT student community at IU and to recruit new and old fans to attend the women's Little 500 race on April 19. You can find the team on Facebook at facebook.com/RainbowCycling to see pictures, videos and keep up with the Little 500 Spring Series racing schedule. Let's fill the stands on April 19 and support Rainbow Cycling!

 

 

 

2. MBLGTACC Conference   

                                              

                            


We're proud of our IU delegation!

 

 

Once again, students from IUB and IUPUI traveled to the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference during the weekend of February 8-10, hosted by Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan. Our IU students joined over 1,200 other students from around the nation, making this year's MBLGTACC the largest one yet. While there, students had the opportunity to attend workshops regarding topics within the LGBT community (including body image, activism, identity, homelessness, leadership, HIV/AIDS, language, etc.) and be immersed - some for the first time - in a group of peers. The GLBTAA is proud to have financially co-sponsored the IU delegation. Our IU students have expressed great appreciation for the opportunity to learn more about their community, as well as themselves, and how they fit in. One IU student commented, "[i]t was awesome not to be the only different person in the room for once."  Welcome back, Hoosiers! It's gratifying to know you had a fantastic experience.  For more information about the MBLGTACC, please see: 

http://www.mblgtacc2013.org/about-the-conference 

3. AMPATH and Dr. Rachel Vreeman 
                                                             

             

  

Dr. Rachel Vreeman

 

Over three million children currently live with HIV, with 90% of them living in sub-Saharan Africa. IU has partnered with a Kenyan medical school to foster an HIV/AIDS initiative, the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), that provides clinical support to HIV-infected patients in Western Kenya. Since 2001, AMPATH has served over 150,000 people living with HIV, including 24,000 children, by providing medications and comprehensive services for adults and children.

 

Dr. Rachel Vreeman, a pediatrician and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at IU School of Medicine, is the assistant director of pediatric research with AMPATH. She focuses on work to meet some of the long-term challenges to providing care for children with HIV. Her research involves assessing adherence to HIV medicines and meeting the challenges of informing infected children that they have HIV.

 

Taking the medicines on-time every day, is crucial for Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) regimens to work. Non-adherence to ART allows the virus to become resistant to the HIV medicine, which leads to the patient getting sick. Although adherence to medication is vital to the effectiveness of HIV drugs, patients struggle to follow their prescribed regimen for many reasons, including challenges with getting children to take medicines, children not knowing the reason for taking their medicines, or not wanting to risk stigma by taking medicines in front of visitors in the house. Dr. Vreeman's current research on adherence identifies challenges with taking these medicines in Kenya and suggests how best to figure out which families are having problems with the medicines. By identifying the factors that limit adherence to medicines, Dr. Vreeman hopes to help the AMPATH clinics support families and improve adherence.

 

One factor that influences adherence to HIV medications is whether the child knows she or he is infected with HIV. As children grow closer to adulthood, they need to learn their HIV status, and yet many parents are afraid that telling the child will allow this information to spread and the family might be stigmatized. There are many social and cultural factors that influence a parent's decision about when and how to disclose the HIV status to a child. Dr. Vreeman's research in Kenya suggests that disclosing HIV status to children might improve their adherence to medicines, which could improve the longevity and success of HIV medicines. She is now launching a new research project that will enable AMPATH clinics to have many more resources for disclosure to children, including counselors and a culturally-tailored curriculum. Dr. Vreeman is also measuring what impact disclosure has on children over the long-term for their physical, emotional, and social health. This work will shape the process of helping families in resource-limited settings inform their children about HIV.

 

Dr. Vreeman's research and clinical efforts are helping to shape clinical protocols in sub-Saharan Africa for measuring adherence and guiding families through disclosure. For more information about Dr. Vreeman's important work in the IU AMPATH partnership, visit http://ampathkenya.org, or her AMPATH blog at http://ampathkenya.org/rachel-vreeman/

 

Dr. Vreeman in Kenya

  

 

4. Facebook

 

The GLBTAA has had a Facebook page for some time now, but some of you may not be aware of it.  If you haven't already done so, check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/iuglbtaa.  "Like" our page and then you will automatically get our Facebook posts regarding news, updates and information of our events.

 

Like us on Facebook

5. Did You Know? 
 
Dr. Justin R. Garcia, a researcher at The Kinsey Institute and a postdoctoral fellow, is a co-editor of Evolution Empress, a new compilation of essays regarding evolution and women.  The chapters highlight studies and theories that demonstrate the more active roles of women, from mating strategies to motherhood, and challenge traditional evolutionary theories, as applied to human behavior.  According to Dr. Garcia, "We hope this work spawns new research that incorporates both evolutionary and feminist theories, often thought of as adversarial scholarly positions.  There's a great deal that evolutionists typically operating in fields like biology and psychology can learn from feminist scholarship. And at the same time, feminists scholars have perhaps too often written off evolutionary frameworks based on now outdated critiques."  For more, please see: http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/newsletter/win2013/garcia%20book.html?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=Kinsey%20Today%20newsletter&utm_campaign=KT%20Newsletter%20Winter%202013.
6. Member Notes
    

                              

 

Ian Doig and Jessica Jackson-McLain, Maurer second-year law students, recently competed in the Ninth Annual Williams Institute Moot Court Competition at UCLA February 15-16.  This moot court competition is the only national competition dedicated exclusively to sexual orientation and gender identity law and provides the competitors an opportunity to write an appellate brief and to argue a case before a panel of judges. This is the fourth year that Maurer students have participated in the competition. Each year their expenses are generously underwritten by LGBT alumni and allies, and the teams are coached by faculty volunteers, including GLBTAA members, Tim Lemper, Steve Sanders and Ryan Scott.

 

Ian and Jessica also serve as president and vice president, respectively, of the OUTlaw, the Maurer student LGBT organization. Congratulations, Ian and Jessica, and huge thanks for all you do for the LGBT community! 

 

Dr. Julia H. Heiman, Director of The Kinsey Institute, has been elected a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest scientific society. Dr. Heiman was recognized "...for distinguished contributions to research on human sexuality and for inspired leadership in the field of sex research."  Congratulations, Dr. Heiman!

 

Matt Holley has been named to the Indianapolis Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" list, which honors local professionals who have demonstrated leadership, initiative and dedication in pursuing their careers.  Matt is a Visiting Lecturer and the Curriculum and Instructional Design Director for Medical Student Programs in the Department of Family Medicine at IU's School of Medicine.  He is also a PhD candidate in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Program at IU's School of Education.  You make us very proud, Matt!

  

Kyle Straub was recently named as one of five recipients this year of the Elvis J. Stahr Award presented annually to IU seniors who "have excelled academically while serving as active campus and community leaders." Among many other accomplishments, Kyle is the Student Body President.  For Kyle's "Member Profile," please see paragraph #6 of our December Newsletter under "Newsletter Archive" in the left margin. Congratulations, Kyle! 

7. Mark Your Calendar
    

Sister Spitters Nicole J. Georges and Cassie J. Sneider are visiting Bloomington!  A collective of queer writers and performance artists, Sister Spit are known for their innovative and fresh works. Nicole and Cassie will be reading from their books, Calling Dr. Laura and Fine Fine, Music, respectively, as well as being available for questions and giving advice regarding "coming out" or "coming of age," subjects of their books.  They will be appearing at the Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union on March 7th at 7:00 p.m.

 

 

                           

Judy Shepard

 

The GLBTAA is proud to co-sponsor an IUB appearance by Judy Shepard.  In October, 1998, Judy Shepard's son Matthew was brutally murdered in an anti-gay hate crime.  Since her son's death, Judy has been an outspoken and effective activist for LGBT rights as well as human rights. Her biographical novel The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed was a New York Times best seller in 2009 and received critical  acclaim. Judy will be appearing in the Whittenberger Auditorium on April 10th from 7 - 8:30 p.m., followed by a book signing.            

 

 

 

 

Lambda Law Society at IU's Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis will host an LGBT Attorney Speakers Panel in the Wynne Courtroom on Tuesday, March 19th at 5:00 p.m. Panelists will include partners and representatives of six law firms and a deputy attorney from the Indiana Attorney General's Office and will focus on applications, the hiring process and LGBT diversity in the workplace.  Refreshments will be provided.

 

Out at Kelley is sponsoring a panel presentation entitled The Business Case for Diversity at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 22 in Room CG 1026 of the Godfrey Graduate & Executive Education Center.

 

Lambda Law Society at IU's Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis will host its Fifth Annual Miss IndyLaw Drag Show on Saturday, April 6. Proceeds will go to support Indiana Youth Group and the Damien Center. Both students and guest drag queens will perform. Students will compete to be crowned the Fifth Annual Miss IndyLaw and will be eligible for a cash prize.  The drag show is tentatively set to begin at 4:00 p.m. to accommodate students. A party is being planned after the show on Mass Ave. with a drink special supporting Indiana Youth Group and the Damien Center. Door cover is $5. Refreshments will be provided.  For additional information, contact Lambda Law Society at [email protected]

 

8. GLBTAA Scholarships

 

GLBTAA Academic Scholarships  Academic Scholarships are awarded to IU students enrolled at any IU campus, who are academically strong, as well as active in promoting diversity, tolerance and social justice. Scholarships are awarded to students based upon academic achievement, career goals, financial need, leadership experience, community service and extracurricular activities. Involvement in activities promoting diversity and raising awareness of GLBT and related issues on the student's campus or in his or her community is carefully reviewed by the Board. The maximum award for an Academic Scholarship is $1,000 per semester. An individual student may not receive more than $2,000. The deadline for the Fall 2013 semester is April 15, 2013.

  

IU GLBTAA Emergency Scholarships
Emergency Scholarships are awarded to those students who experience the loss of financial support when they make the courageous decision to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to their families. Emergency Scholarships help to ensure that students need not choose between their education at IU and living life openly and honestly. Emergency Scholarships are awarded to students attending any IU campus. The maximum award for an Emergency Scholarship is $1,500 per semester, and a student may not receive more than $3,000.
  
You can learn more about the GLBTAA Scholarships and apply online at: http://alumni.indiana.edu/affiliates/glbt/supporting-community/scholarships.html

 

9. Membership

 

Encourage your friends to join the GLBTAA. They can visit our website here  and join.  There are no membership dues, and you do not have to be a member of the IUAA. We are approaching 1,400 members, and we're growing! We appreciate your continued commitment! It is because of you that the GLBTAA is in existence, continues to grow and continues to serve our important mission on all eight of IU's campuses. If you are a member and wish to continue receiving our newsletters, please make sure we have a current e-mail address for you.   You can visit https://alumni.indiana.edu/my-iu/index.html to see if your official record, including your e-mail address, is current.  Thank you for your support through your membership. We look forward to serving you now and in the years to come. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Rachael McAfee at:[email protected]  or Mike Shumate at [email protected] .

 

If not already a member, please consider joining the IUAA by visiting https://alumni.indiana.edu/membership/index.html, by [email protected]  or calling (800) 824-3044. By joining the IUAA, among many other things, you help fund the various GLBTAA programs, along with gaining access to IUAA member-only events.

 

If you would like to unsubscribe and terminate future communications from the GLBTAA, please respond to:  [email protected].