My name is Maya Zaidenstadt, I am a graduate student at UW in the Cultural Studies program. I wanted to invite you to participate in a free women’s workshop I am facilitating about sexuality, relationships, body image and women’s communities. This is my M.A. final project.

I started to engage in conversations about sexuality 12 years ago, and have facilitated online groups as well as face to face teach-ins. I workshop with youth around issues of identity and empowerment and this workshop is the product of my past experience and studies. 

This workshop is offered at a time when women’s bodies and choices are increasingly being threatened. With recent and ongoing anti-women legislation and assault on health care providers along with very limited and narrow sexual education systems, I felt we needed to create a space for women to talk about their bodies, relationships, and sexuality. A space to gain strength from one another; to share each other’s experiences and grow from it.

I plan to address these issues in the form of 8 weekly meetings. There are set themes for each week, but the discussion will be left mainly in the hands of participants – this is not a lecture, this is not about me educating you but rather a space for shared learning. The themes are: body positivity, safety and street harassment, our sexuality in the past and the present, self-pleasure, shame, women’s communities, and finally how to talk to others about these issues.

Honesty, respect and an open mind is all that is required of you. I will encourage you to keep a journal of your time in the workshop so that you are able to write down thoughts, feeling, and experiences during the week and if you’d like, share them during our meetings. We will share online resources to expand our knowledge about some topics, but you determine your own level of involvement. I hope we can open up to share with others while respecting and honoring our diverse experiences as women.

This workshop will take place on Wednesdays 6-8pm February 17^th – April 6^th, in the Central District of Seattle. Dinner will be provided.

Please feel free to share this invitation with your network. Women of all ages (18+), races, classes, ethnicities, abilities, sexualities, gender representations, and nationalities are welcome. 

QUEER I AM: An LGBTQ+ Student Summit Exploring Culture & Pride

Call for WORKSHOP proposals

WORKSHOP proposal Priority Deadline December 18^th, 2015

ACCEPTING PROPOSALS Through January 10^th, 2016

$100 Honorarium per Workshop

The 2^nd Annual Queer I Am LGBTQ+ Student Summit Exploring Culture & Pride is now seeking workshop proposals. Queer I Am aims to create a liberating space that engages Queer individuals and their many communities in developing a sense of belonging and pride in Queer culture.

The workshop committee encourages proposals featuring a wide variety of topics that align with our values, goals, and intended outcomes. We welcome proposals from faculty, administrators, staff, students, community members, and other professional educators. We are looking for presenters of all experience levels and co-facilitation is encouraged. Workshops will be 75 minutes in length and are scheduled for Day 2 (March 26^th). A $100 honorarium will be provided per workshop, which may be donated back to the summit at the presenter’s request.

We especially encourage topics connected to Queer Culture & History, Skill Building, Intersecting Identities, Self-Preservation, and Community Healing.

Previous workshop titles include:

• Trans 101
• LGBTQ 101
• Our Stories, Our Voices: Insights into lives of lesbians 70 and older
• Building a Better Masculinity for Our Movement
• Queer Performance, Theatre, and Abjection
• So You Want to Be An Ally
• Effecting Positive Change Using Established Systems
• Poetry for the Revolution
• When the World Asks You to be Either Queer or Asian American, Do You Choose Only One?
• Shifting the Paradigm: How We Influence and Change Our Places of Work and Education
• Self-Preservation in Times of Oppression
• Butches, Femmes, Daddies, Bois, Tops, Bottoms, Bulldaggers, & Lipstick Lesbians: Queering Gender & Sexuality, Historical & Contemporary “Queer”ies

SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL

Proposals must be submitted in electronic format (send as a Microsoft Word document or as a PDF file) with the following document title format: Last Name First Initial (Coordinating Presenter) Workshop Title (first 2-3 words only) (e.g., JohnsonRBeforeStonewall.pdf). The proposal form is attached as a fillable .pdf and as a .docx for your convenience—please choose the format that works best for you. We encourage all proposals be sent on or before the December  18th, 2015 priority deadline for fullest consideration. We will continue to accept proposals until January 10th, 2016. You are strongly encouraged to submit proposals as soon as possible. Send to the QIA Committee at queeriamsummit@gmail.com.  Notifications will be emailed on or before January 31^st, 2016. Students seeking coaching or advice as they craft a workshop proposal are encouraged to contact Mimi Alcantar (alcantam@evergreen.edu). For general information about the summit, please contact Karama Blackhorn (kblackhorn@spscc.edu).

While we will offer a $100 honorarium per workshop (not per presenter), it is not possible to waive registration fees for workshop presenters given our budget restrictions. If you are not planning on attending on the summit other than to present your workshop, please contact the summit coordinators to request a registration waiver. Presenters not registered by the presenter registration deadline (February 15^th) will have their presentation removed from the conference workshop.

When two or more people are presenting, the contact presenter is responsible for notifying all co-presenters of the status of the proposal. Sessions selected for the conference should not have the content significantly changed once accepted. Presenters are responsible for providing session handouts.

In addition to workshop alignment with summit mission, values, goals, and intended outcomes, the Workshop Committee will consider balance in the range of topics, level of expertise, interests covered, and professional and geographic distribution of the workshop presenters when accepting proposals.

SUBMISSION TIMELINE:

• November 15^th, 2015  Call for proposals
  • December 18^th, 2015    Proposals are due
  • January 31^st, 2016  Presenters notified of proposal status
  • February 15^th, 2016  Deadline for presenters to accept and confirm summit registration

Please direct workshop questions mae stephenson (mstephenson@tacomacc.edu)

For more information about the summit, please contact Karama Blackhorn (kblackhorn@spscc.edu)

Interested in Social Justice issues?

Interested in getting involved in the Queer and Trans* community on campus?Apply to be an intern with the Queer Student Commission!For more information and the application visit http://qsc.asuw.org/  OR Apply  @  https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/asuwqsc/281681

SUMMARY OF EVENTS

Q Welcome Luncheon:

HUB Lyceum (HUB 160) | Friday, October 2nd @ 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Lesbian? Gay? Bisexual? Straight-ish? Trans*? Queer? Two-Spirit? Questioning? No labels needed? Excited about starting school? Us too!
Come to the HUB to be welcomed and celebrated! We are kicking off the new year with a luncheon featuring free food, great speakers, a resource fair, and lots of fun for all! Community, alumni, faculty, and staff are welcome to come support our new and returning students at this annual luncheon. Be there for all or part of the fun!

Queer Health Fair:

The Quad | Saturday, October 3rd @ 11:00am – 2:00pm

We’re inviting Seattle-wide queer, trans, low-income, and disability friendly organizations for our Queer Health Fair! They’ll be here to hook you up with resources, answer your questions, tell you what they do, and help you navigate the health care system.

National Coming Out Day Open Mic

The Q Center (HUB 315) | Monday, October 12th @ 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Come by the Q Center to celebrate National Coming Out day with an Open Mic! Feel free to bring prepared poetry or just come and perform on the fly! All sorts of art welcome, be that spoken word, music or an interpretive dance!

ACCESS INFO:
Please come scent free to these events! That means holding back on the scented perfume, deodorant, sprays, hair products, lotion, and laundry detergent right before the events. For more info on how to be scent free, check out: http://eastbaymeditation.org/accessibility/PDF/How-to-Be-Fragrance-Free-.pdf

On Sunday, June 28^th, all University of Washington students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to come MARCH with their fellow Huskies at the Seattle Pride Parade. LGBTQ or Ally, all are welcome!

When: Sunday, June 28^th, 10:30am

Where: 4^th Ave, Downtown (aim for Union St.; more specific details will be sent out once we know our position in line)

What to wear: Husky Gear, Pride Apparel, Rainbows, Drag, Purple, just be colorful and have fun with it!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1583528748573539/

Please RSVP so we can get a head count:   http://doodle.com/tubmf4saqcd43e57

 

Read more

Navigating the Job Search Process When You’re LGBTQ

When? Thursday, April 30, 5:30-7 p.m.

Where? Seattle campus, HUB 145

If you’re an LGBTQ grad student or postdoc, navigating the job search process can present a unique set of challenges. Learn insights from employers and LGBTQ professionals on the following: how to evaluate and choose jobs and employers, whether to come out on application materials or interviews, gender identity and what to wear during the interview, and inclusive hiring practices. Free food and refreshments! There is no need to register.

More information →

Registration is now open for the next Green Dot Bystander Training on May 16^th. If you have not yet heard about Green Dot, it is a movement on campus focused on the prevention of sexual violence by training students on how to be active Bystanders, and you can find more information here:

http://depts.washington.edu/livewell/saris/green-dot/

To sign up you can head to the Green Dot Website seen above, or click directly on the link at the end of this message. As always, this training will include a free lunch along with a free UW T-shirt. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn valuable skills, boost your resume, and help your fellow Huskies stay safe.

https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/dolcin/268347

Hi Everyone!

We are Daniela Baumgarthuber and Yang Chen, first-year MSW practicum students at the Q Center. We offer one-on-one advising sessions with both undergrad and grad students who want to talk about anything from sexual and gender identity to mental health concerns to university life. We are available on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 am to 6 pm. You can find our contact information on the Q Center’s advising page.

You can visit our profiles at: http://depts.washington.edu/qcenter/wordpress/q-services/advising/

We can also come talk to you about the Q Center and what we do here. Please let us know if you’re interested, and pass this information along to whomever might be interested.

Thank you so much!

Warmest Regards,

Daniela and Yang

The ASUW Queer Student Commission is hiring a Director for the 2015-2016 school year!  The Queer Student Commission is one of eight diversity commissions under the Associated Students of the University of Washington.  We are a student-run, student-led, umbrella organization for queer and trans* students on campus.

The ASUW Queer Student Commission’s mission is to create and adapt programming that fosters a positive and anti-oppressive atmosphere so that it is appealing, relevant, and successful in drawing membership from all portions of the queer community.  QSC also acts as a representative and advocate on behalf of issues and concerns of the queer community, and advocates against homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of oppression on campus and in the community.  QSC creates learning spaces for students to explore topics related to queerness, anti-oppression, power and privilege, and social justice.  Finally, QSC serves as a liaison to queer organizations on campus, informs students of services available on campus and maintains strong communication with all queer constituencies.

If you are interested in apply, please visit jobs.asuw.org.  The job description and application form are located under “Queer Student Commission.”  The application is due Sunday, April 26th. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to asuwqsc@uw.edu.

The Gender and Sexuality Workshop series:

Join us for this FREE multi-workshop series on topics surrounding gender and sexuality at the School of Social Work Room 305A!
We’re kicking things off in just a few weeks with the popular SafeZone Training (4/15), followed by Trans*Health (4/22), and Sex Positivity and the Creative Culture of BDSM (4/29). These trainings are graduate and student-led, and sponsored by the Q Center and SSW Queers. This is a scent-free series, interpreters available upon request: kyleczeh@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

Link to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1584369795135204/

Take care,

Katie Silvett

MSW Candidate, University of Washington

Lavender Grad is open to any student eligible, at any level (undergrad or graduate/professional) for a graduation in the 2014-2015 (including fall 2015) academic year. The Q Center and QSC host Lavender Graduation as a time for the UW queer, trans*, two-spirit, same gender loving, and allied communities to come together and celebrate our multiple identities, our accomplishments, and sheer AWESOMENESS. You do not have to be graduating or be of a certain sexual or gender identity/orientation/expression to participate in and/or attend the Lavender Graduation year-end communities celebration. Everyone is welcome and wanted!!!

Read more

Registration Deadline: Thursday, April 30
Parade Event: Sunday, June 28

Thanks to those that have marched in the past representing the University of Washington for the Seattle Pride Parade each June.  Unfortunately, there is no one who has registered on behalf of UW march on Sunday, 6/28/2015.  UW Medicine will have a contingent, but it’s only for UW Medicine/School of Medicine constituents.  If someone outside of UW Medicine is willing to step up and register Read more

Hello to All,

The Queer Students of Color Conference is just around the corner! It will be Saturday April 18th and Sunday April 19th, to be exact. The Q Center at the University of Washington will be paying for transportation (renting vans), registration, and hotel rooms for UW students, so please fill out this form if that applies and you would like to attend! The UW Registration form is not the same as the PSU form because we are registering as a group, so please submit the UW form!

Read more

The Q Center and Queer Student Commission (QSC) host Lavender Graduation as a time for the UW queer, trans*, two-spirit, same gender loving, and allied communities to come together and celebrate our multiple identities, our accomplishments, and sheer AWESOMENESS.

We are currently seeking volunteers who are interested in serving on the planning committee.  Typically, the time commitment consists of a 1-hour meeting every other week, which will change to weekly meetings closer to the event or as needed.  We also ask that committee members attend and volunteer the day of the ceremony.  Read more

Dr. Jen Self (Social Work, Q Center) and Jaimee Marsh (Student Life, Q Center) will be running a Study Abroad Program in Barcelona, Spain between Summer Quarter 2015 and the start of Autumn Quarter (Approx. Aug 24th-Sept 16th)

Info Session on Friday, Feb. 27th from noon-1pm OR 4:30-6pm in HUB 315.

Basic information:  The focus of our program is a comparative analysis of LGBTQ rights and the ways in which social policies affect the lives of LGBTQ people in Spain. A primary focus of the course is examining historical context and ways in which gender and sexuality are conceptualized. We will also compare and contrast the pathways to marriage equality in Spain vs. the United States, and the implications for future rights and social justice movements among LGBTQ communities. For the culminating project, students will conduct a policy analysis by tracing the history and trajectory of a current policy issue relevant to LGBTQ communities.

Up to 6 credits of Soc W 597 may be used toward the MSW elective requirement.

More information, including costs and financial resources at: http://studyabroad.washington.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=11327

QUEER FEMININE NARRATIVES (MONDAY, Feb. 23rd)

Queer femme narratives is a space for queer and trans women and other non-men to come together and share our experiences with sexism, homophobia, transmisogyny, and more. This group exists to build a community and support network through discussion. We’ll meet in the Q Center two times each quarter!

This group is a collaboration of the Queer Student Commission, Women’s Action Commission, and Student Disability Commission. Eze Klarnet is the facilitator.

The dates for Winter quarter dates are Monday, February 23rd and March 9th, from 5:30 to 6:30 in HUB 315 (Q Center).

https://www.facebook.com/events/531360903668420/?ref=br_tf

 

Amnesty International is doing a small movie screening event followed up by a Q&A discussion with a panel of experts on domestic and sexual violence for Amnesty’s campaign “My Body My Rights”.

Read more

Northwest Network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse is  excited to present our Winter 2015 Relationship Skills Class. This is a 7 week course exploring the skills we need to build the relationships we want.
Topics include:

• Analyzing power & liberation
• Identifying cultural norms & personal values
• Negotiating expectations
• Accountability
• Naming & setting boundaries
• Addressing conflict &
• Strengthening support networks!

The classes are every Wednesday starting January 7^th-February 18^th, 2015. They are held from 6-8:30pm in the lovely Calamus Auditorium at Gay City: 517 E Pike St. Seattle, WA 98122.
Registration is requested by December 24^th. Register here.

Read more

Open calls for The 2015 ______ Monologues (previously known as The Vagina Monologues) are now open! Sign up for an open call
here: http://tinyurl.com/opencalls2015

Open Calls are set for

*  Wednesday, Nov. 19th @ 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
*  Thursday, Nov. 20th @ 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
*  Friday, Nov. 21st @ 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
*  Monday, Nov. 24th @ 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
*  Locations are TBA.

What are The _____ Monologues?
Read more

How do you WERQ it?

Are you a young or young adult LGBTQ/queer person? We invite you to come WERQ it with us for a new annual organizing summer institute at the Work, Economic, Resources, and Queer (WERQ) Youth & Young Adult Summer Institute!

WERQ is an 8-week summer program on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-5pm at the historic Washington Hall. WERQ aims to provide the space for young/young adult LQBTQIA people to engage with economics and resources in a way that feels relevant and honors their histories.

TIMELINE
• Missed the first few weeks? No problem, WERQ is now on a drop-in basis!
• End Date: Thursday, August 28, 2041
• Tuesdays, 3:00pm – 5:00pm – educational workshops
• Thursdays, 3:00pm-5:00pm – multi-media, art, teaching artists, & guest speakers
• At Washington Hall (153 14th Avenue) in the Central District

Read more

Graduate and celebrate all of you! Lavender Grad is open to any student eligible, at any level (undergrad or graduate/professional) for a graduation in the 2013-2014 (including fall 2014) academic year. The Q Center and QSC host Lavender Graduation as a time for the UW queer, trans*, two-spirit, same gender loving, and allied communities to come together and celebrate our multiple identities, our accomplishments, and sheer AWESOMENESS. You do not have to be graduating or be of a certain sexual or gender identity/orientation/expression to participate and/or attend the Lavender Graduation year-end celebration. Everyone is welcome and wanted!!!

Here is what graduates say about Lavender Graduation:

“I felt more embraced and supported by community than I had during the rest of my time as a PhD student. Lav Grad was awesome!”

“Lav Grad was such a warm and welcoming ceremony that instilled such a sense of pride…I got to stand in front of my friends and family and have the feeling that all parts of my life got to come together for the first time.”

The whens, wheres, whys and hows:

When: TUESDAY, June 10^th, from 6-8:30 p.m. Graduates please arrive by NO LATER than 5:15 p.m.

Where: THE UW TOWER, Mezzanine Level Cafeteria (Brooklyn Avenue is closed in front of Tower, please make parking arrangements ​in the UW Tower lot ($15 for special graduation day pass), ​on the street, on campus, or in the Hotel Deca parking lot​. Parking for people with disabilities will be available in the UW Tower lot​).

How: IF YOU ARE GRADUATING;  please register here.

Dress: You can wear whatever you want! This is your graduation and as queer and trans* folks we are often “required” by work, school, family, culture, etc. to dress in ways that do not necessarily fit our tastes. If you wish to wear the cap and gown, wear it. If you want to appear in drag, do it. All clothing has cultural significance, but sometimes we want to wear cultural regalia that honors our history,ourselves and the moment, please do so! If you want to dress up, or down, go for it. You want to be comfy, have at it. This is your night. All of your identities are celebrated as is the awesomeness that is you and our UW queer communities!

“Lavender Graduation was one of the most joyous moments of my life so far. It was wonderful to be in a room with so many queer people and allies, celebrating making it through 4 years. The whole event was amazing and life affirming.”

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