Transgender Awareness Week

The transgender community is an important constituency that helps inform institutional diversity efforts on campus - not unlike many other groups on campus. Where they differ significantly from other groups, however, is the threat of violence that transgender individuals face on a far too consistent basis. To bring added attention to this situation, the University of Georgia Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center will observe Transgender Awareness Week with several events Nov. 18-20:

Transgender activist Luna Merbruja will conduct a workshop titled "Liberation From The Margins: How To Fight Racial, Gender, and Queer Violence" on Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. in Room 141 of the Tate Student Center. The workshop will focus on the struggles and violence that queer, transgender and/or people of color face in their homes, workplaces and intimate relationships.

Participants will be given an opportunity to share their experiences of survival, resistance and strategies to address violence, as well as skill sharing to create communities that support one another.

Merbruja will deliver a keynote monologue at 6:30 p.m. in Room B2 of the main library. The performance will be dedicated to the memory of activist Sylvia Rivera and other transgender women of color who fought for liberation.

The performance will illustrate how four decades of resilience has created a platform for queer and transgender liberation to permeate mainstream culture, in which there are visible queer and transgender people of color on news channels, in network series, in magazines and on the New York Times Best Seller list.

See the link for information on more events this week. The LGBT Resource Center does important work in our campus community and the Franklin College supports all efforts to make our community more inclusive. Take advantage of some of these wonderful opportunities this week to learn, acknowledge and celebrate.