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We launched our GLBTAA Student Scholarship Campaign in September, 2013. The results have been gratifying. As of October 1, 2015, we have raised a total of $794,704.50 in cash and written pledges. THANK YOU!
Mike Shumate, Past President
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1. Leonard Matlovich Remembered
Leonard Matlovich's unmarked gravestone at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington bears the inscription: "When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."
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2015 marks the 40th anniversary of TSgt Leonard Matlovich intentionally outing himself to the Air Force in 1975 to begin the formal fight against the military ban on gays. A week after his discharge was confirmed by the Secretary of the Air Force, Matlovich was the keynote speaker at the Gay Awareness Conference at IU in Bloomington, sponsored by the long-defunct Bloomington Gay Alliance (BGA) and co-sponsored by the Union Board. He also spoke at the Maurer School of Law. The second of three conferences BGA produced, this one also featured Massachusetts Legislator Elaine Noble and the late Vito Russo and his Celluloid Closet presentation. It was attended by several hundred people from several other schools and states. Often too long forgotten is that the conferences made IU a significant presence in the gay rights movement in the Midwest in the 1970s. The first Bloomington gay rights ordinance, passed in December 1975, began as a result of the BGA conferences. The conferences helped lead to late Bloomington City Councilman Brian de St. Croix coming out publicly, and meetings with late Mayor Frank McCloskey to encourage his support for the local ordinance, which he eventually gave, despite ferocious pushback and a full-page newspaper ad from some local religious groups.
In celebration of LGBT History Month and in remembrance of Leonard Matlovich, the GLBT Student Support Services Office is sponsoring a presentation of the history of the military gay ban on Thursday, October 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Room of the Lilly Library. Long-time gay activist and close friend of Matlovich, and executor of his estate, Bloomington resident since last fall (after spending 30 years in San Francisco), Michael Bedwell, will speak and show a video. A reception will follow. All are welcome! Bedwell has created a website in recognition of Matlovich's 40th anniversary at http://www.leonardmatlovich.com/ And, the Facebook event page is at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1664578360423314/1664578367089980/
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2. Maurer Panel
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| | Professors Conkle (left), Sullivan and Sanders |
What exactly is "religious liberty," and is it possible to reconcile freedom of religion with LGBTQ rights? What role are religious arguments likely to play in the upcoming battle over adding sexual orientation and gender identity to Indiana's statewide antidiscrimination law? Is it possible for courts to determine what counts as "religion" and what doesn't? Those were some of the questions addressed in a program October 13 at the IUB Maurer School of Law, sponsored by the student group OUTlaw and the Maurer LGBT Alumni Advisory Board. The panelists were law professors Dan Conkle and Steve Sanders (also a member of the GLBTAA board of directors), and IU Religious Studies professor and department chair Winnifred Sullivan.
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3. GLBTAA Scholarship Campaign
Please continue to "spread the word" about our ground-breaking Campaign, which will help to endow our GLBTAA Scholarship Program. We awarded five academic scholarship for the 2015 fall semester. Each recipient will be featured in one of our Newsletters. One is covered in paragraph #4 below. After reviewing another heart-breaking story, we have also awarded emergency funds to an IUB student. Since 2005, we have granted 63 scholarships (49 academic scholarships and 14 emergency scholarships) to IU students. Because of your generous support, we will be able to continue providing scholarships well into the future.
Ethan L. Jackson, a two-time academic scholarship recipient and strong advocate for transgender and gender nonconforming students, has commented, "I am immensely grateful to have received the IU GLBT Alumni Association Scholarship. This wonderful opportunity has allowed me to spend more time on my academics and friendships and less time worrying about funding my education. Now that I have graduated, I will take what I have learned at IU with me into the field of higher education and student affairs." Ethan has just graduated from the Kelley School of Business in Bloomington, with a degree in Legal Studies, with continued aspirations to pursue a Master's in Student Affairs and Higher Education.
Contributions can be made online at Campaign Contributions If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Mike Shumate at [email protected] or 858-922-6105; or IUAA Alumni Relations Officer Clarence Boone at 800-824-3044. Again, heartfelt gratitude to everyone for supporting our Campaign.
THANK YOU, IU alumni, faculty, staff, students, allies and our many friends!
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4. Academic Scholarship Recipient
CONGRATULATIONS are extended to Diana Chaudron, one of our 2015 Fall Academic Scholarship recipients! Diana is a junior in Bloomington pursuing a double major in Mandarin Chinese and Telecommunications. Prior to IU, Diana served ten months as a volunteer of a FEMA Corps team performing disaster relief work throughout the nation, earning a Presidential Volunteer Service Award and a Congressional Award upon the completion of the term. Currently, Diana works part-time for Voltage USA Entertainment as a contract writer, and is striving to promote gender and sexual diversity in video games. We're proud of you, Diana!
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5. Student Member Note
Zachary D. Bailey received his BA in Political Science at IU in Bloomington in 2011, and his MPA at IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs this past May. Before earning his Master's, Zach worked as Deputy Finance Director and personal aide for John Gregg in his campaign for Indiana Governor where, among other responsibilities, he led the campaign's LGBT community outreach efforts. While an undergraduate, Zach was a teaching and research assistant at the Kelley School of Business, a member of Out at Kelley, and a member of the Kelley Academic Fairness Committee. He completed an internship at the White House in the Office of Administration within the Executive Office during the summer of 2014.
He currently is a first-year at the Maurer School of Law. Starting in fall 2014, he worked as a Graduate Assistant in the IU President's office assisting with the Board of Aeons and other matters but has decided to focus exclusively on law school for the 2015-2016 school year. Upon earning his law degree, Zach plans to practice law either at a firm or in DC in the public sector.
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6. Did You Know?
Despite a surge in public attention toward the transgender and gender nonconforming population, transgender adults continue to face both major and daily discrimination that often directly leads to dangerous health consequences. In a new study, Indiana University researchers find that transgender people who are more frequently "read" as transgender are more likely to face major and everyday discrimination, as well as verbal harassment.
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A recent study showing effectiveness for a drug aimed at stopping HIV transmission might have big implications for "sexual health", but it's presently unclear what it could mean for preventing transmission through intravenous drug use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that PrEP (in a pill called Truvada) has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 92 percent when taken consistently, but is much less effective when taken inconsistently.
"I've been in the fight against HIV for 30 years, and that is the best news I could possibly think of," says Dr. Beth Meyerson, Assistant Professor at IU's School of Public Health - Bloomington and Co-director of IU's Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention. But, Meyerson says she's uncertain what the study's results might mean for injection drug users, who were at the center of an HIV outbreak in Austin, Indiana earlier this year. "The pre-exposure prophylaxis, if you will, is a clean syringe," Meyerson says. "That is the best tool we know in the prevention of HIV and hepatitis in injection drug users."
She says epidemiologists would need to weigh in on whether it would be a good idea for intravenous drug users to take Truvada, since it must be taken daily to ensure its effectiveness. Meyerson also says it could be a while before there's willingness from insurance companies to pay for the drug and for doctors to prescribe it.
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7. 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 follow our Facebook posts regarding news, updates and information about our events.
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8. Mark Your Calendars
IUPUI's sixth annual Harvey Milk Dinner will take place on Saturday, October 24 at the Downtown Marriott in Indianapolis. The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cash bar followed by dinner. The keynote address for this year's event will be J. Mase III. Mase is a Black/Trans/Queer/Rowdy-as-Hell Poet, currently based in Brooklyn. As a performer and teaching poet, Mase has rocked venues all across the US to the UK, from colleges and radio stations, to group homes and youth centers. An organ donor, Mase is the author of If I Should Die Under the Knife, Tell My Kidney I Was the Fiercest Poet Around and creator of the annual performance event Cupid Ain't @#$%!: An Anti-Valentine's Day Poetry Movement. Mase also contributes to publications, such as the Huffington Post, as a repeat blogger; the Vanderbilt African American Lectionary Online to discuss issues regarding LGBTQ teens in the church; and the anthology Nina Arsenault: An Unreasonable Body of Work, to share insight about gender and genitalia. Registration will be available shortly online. Alumni, faculty/staff and community tickets are $55 each. Student tickets are available at $25 each. Table and corporate sponsorships are available for campus and community groups. Please contact Gary Brackett at [email protected] for additional information.
The GLBTAA is proud to be a sponsor of the showing of Bridegroom (full title: Bridegroom: A Love Story, Unequaled) on November 17 at 6:00 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union in Bloomington. Bridegroom chronicles the story of Shane Crone and his partner Thomas "Tom" Bridegroom, who died in a tragic accident. After Bridegroom's death, Crone found himself cut off and deprived of any legal protection. The film tells the story of their 6-year relationship, and the struggles Crone faced after Bridegroom's death, including the family not allowing Crone to attend the funeral of his partner. It premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and won the Festival's Best Documentary Film. Following the showing, Shane Crone will be in attendance and will address the audience in person.
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9. 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 Spring 2016 semester is November 15, 2015.
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.
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10. 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, or an IU degree-holder. We are approaching 1,600 members nation-wide, 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 e-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 Clarence Boone, Alumni Relations Officer, 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].
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