In this month's newsletter

• Letter from LBGT@MIT staff
• This month's events
• Support meetings
• Save the date - upcoming events
• Opportunities for students, faculty and staff

Letter from LBGT@MIT staff

Hello Everyone -

Welcome back from spring break! April is overflowing with so many not-to-be-missed LBGT events, that some have started calling it "Gay-pril!" You don't have to enjoy puns to enjoy all the great events this month! highlights include:

• On Being Gay in Mexico (4/2)
• Lobby Day for Transgender Equality (4/7)
• Sticks and Stones- documentary on Same-Sex Domestic Violence (4/8)
• CPW events: Open House & Brunch! (4/17 and 4/18)
• Fierce Forever 8 drag show (4/23)
• Reading by author Achy Obejas (4/30)

Scroll down to learn more about upcoming Gay-pril activities. Take note of your favorites, try something new, and know that we look forward to seeing you soon!

-The staff of lbgt@mit

This month's events

Daring to be Exposed: Being Gay in Mexico City
Thursday, April 2
Speaker: Professor Rodrigo Laguarda - Instituto Mora, Mexico
7:00p-9:00p in 56-114
During the 70s, a new social actor 'the gay man' appeared in Mexico. Since then, gay men have gained visibility and defied all stigmas. This talk will explore various social aspects that have defined everyday life for gays in Mexico City, some of which are social landmarks, such as the legalization of 'gay marriage', and some of which strengthen the homophobic discourse that is still prevalent in Mexico City. Sponsored by lbgt@mit and MISTI - MIT Mexico For more information, contact: Abigail Francis at afran@mit.edu and/or Max Ehrsam at mehrsam@mit.edu

Thursday Late Nights!
Thursday, April 2, 9, 16, 30
Take a break from your studies and come watch an LBGT-themed movie in the Rainbow Lounge (50-005) starting at 6pm. Early birds choose the film.

STOP DISCRIMINATION - COME TO TRANSGENDER EQUALITY LOBBY DAY
Tuesday, April 7
9:15am Meet up in the Rainbow Lounge (50-005) for coffee and then head out to the State House.
From 1996-2006, six studies across the U.S. reported...

• 56% of transgender individuals have been fired from their jobs
• 47% have been denied employment
• 21% have faced harassment in the workplace
• 15% of all hate crimes in 2006 were of transgender individuals.

LBGT First Year Group
Tuesday, April 7, 14, 21, 28
Calling the class of 2012! You are invited to attend these social and supportive gatherings of LBGTQA First Years. We'll meet in the Rainbow Lounge for support, resources, and social time. Come hear about how to survive MIT without losing yourself. All LBGTQ and Ally first-year students are welcome!

Sticks and Stones - An introduction to Same-Sex Domestic Violence
Wednesday, April 8
7:00p-9:00p in the Rainbow Lounge, 50-005
Join us for dinner and a discussion of the documentary film, 'Sticks and Stones' by Gabrielle Punch. The film is a wake up call to the LGBT community, to come out of this "Second Closet" and address the subject of Domestic Violence, which is equally present in the gay community. The 30 min documentary covers many areas of SSDV including statistics, what is abuse, types of abuse, the similarities and differences with the heterosexual community, and how the law works for or against SSDV. It includes interviews with social workers and advocates, gay and lesbian victims and abusers who tell their personal stories of abuse, mustering up courage to admit it, where to get help, and what the general public can do to help fight against this kind of violence. We hope you can join us for this important screening and conversation. All are welcome!

Queer People of Color Brunch
Monday, April 13
12:00p-2:00p (drop in anytime) 50-005, Rainbow Lounge
All self-identified queer people of color from the MIT community are welcome at this Monthly Queer People Of Color Lunch Series. Come by your self, or bring your crew. QPOC lunches are casual, friendly, community-building for everybody.

LBGT Issues Group meeting
Tuesday, April 14
5-6pm Meeting in 50-005 Come hear about the issues that are of current importance to fellow members of the LBGT and Ally community at MIT. We'll work together to make progress on the most pressing issues at hand. Anyone affiliated with MIT and LBGT-friendly is welcome to join and to participate. All are welcome!

CPW: Rainbow Lounge Open House
Friday, April 17
4-6p in 50-005 Burriotos, Pinatas, Salsa Dancing, and lots of great people... What a great way to spend a Friday afternoon! Please join us for our Rainbow Lounge Open House to celebrate and welcome new MIT pre-frosh into the LBGT and LBGT-Ally community at MIT. All are welcome!

CPW: LBGT Family and Friends Brunch from 10 am - 1 pm in 50-005
Saturday, April 18
Bring the 'rents and your buddies down for our LBGT Family and Friends Brunch. Take a tour of the Rainbow Lounge, grab some yummy homemade waffles, and learn all about LBGT services at MIT. All MIT Students, Faculty, Staff, Parents, families, and friends are encouraged to attend!

Fabulous Fierce Forever Drag Show!
Thursday, April 23
Doors at 6pm, Show at 7pm. La Sala de Puerto Rico, W20 Fierce Forever is the largest student drag show in the country and features a variety of performers from the Institute (student, faculty, staff, alumns) as well as local and national Drag Kings and Queens. This year, we will be welcoming ANT as our special guest artist. Fierce Forever is a community celebration geared toward building a more welcoming and accepting campus. We're still looking for planners, organizers, and volunteers. All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to get involved. Fierce is for everyone! Interested in volunteering: e-mail afran@mit.edu. Information: email fierce@mit.edu, or call 617.253.0684.

Archy Obejas reads from her new novel "Ruins"
Thursday, April 30
7:00pÐ9:00p in 6-120 Ruins tells the story of Usnavy, a young man who eagerly signed on for all the promises when the Cuban Revolution triumphed in 1959. But as the years have passed, the sacrifices have outweighed the glories and he's become increasingly isolated in his revolutionary zeal. His friends openly mock him, his wife dreams of owning a car totally outside their reach, and his beloved 14 year old daughter haunts the coast of Havana, staring north. In the summer of 1994, a few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the government allows Cubans to leave at will and on whatever will float. More than 100,000 flee - including his best friend. Things seem to brighten when Usnavy stumbles across what may or may not be a priceless Tiffany lamp that reveals a lost family secret and fuels his long repressed feelings. But now Usnavy is faced with a choice between love for his family and the Revolution that has shaped his entire life. Sponsored by: Women's and Gender Studies, lbgt@mit, Center for New Words, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Graduate Student Council and Mujeres Latinas

Support meetings

BATS meeting
Boston Area Trans Support (BATS) is a peer-run support group for college-age/twenty-something transgender people. The group is inclusive of people who are questioning their gender, are FTM, MTF, gender-queer, and those who prefer any other gender descriptor. For more information, including the exact meeting time and location, please contact: Sean Delmore, sdelmore@mit.edu, x 2-1612.

Save the date - upcoming events

May

• Tuesday, May 5 - Kellett Award Ceremony at the Award's Convocation 4pm
• Wednesday, May 9 - Lavender Graduation Celebration at 6pm in the Emma Roger's Room.
  You are cordially invited to join us for this year's Lavender Graduation Ceremony to celebrate the LBGT and Ally students who are ready to walk down the isle in style! Do you know someone or are you, yourself graduating this spring from MIT? Please send your name and degree info to afran@mit.edu to be recognized during this year's celebration.
• Saturday, May 9 - Youth Pride Boston

June

• June 5, Commencement and BGALA Tech Reunion, details TBA
• June 13, Boston PRIDE!

Opportunities for students, faculty and staff

BECAUSE Conference '09
The Bisexual Empowerment Conference committee formally invites you to BECAUSE '09! This year's conference will take place April 17-19 at the Coffman Memorial Union (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus). Please register now at www.becauseconference.org to reserve your spot! You can make a financial donation at any time (recommended registration fee is $30 for students and $45 for others) but you must REGISTER NOW.

Silent Killer: A Panel Discussion Regarding Black Gay & Bisexual Men
Tuesday, April 14
6 p.m., Club Cafe, 209 Columbus Avenue, Boston
Sponsored by Fenway Health, The Boston Public Health Commission and MOCAA @ MAC, this panel discussion will look at issues facing gay and bisexual black men here in Boston and more broadly.

The A-SPOT: GLBT Asian Youth Group
Fridays 6-9PM
59 Temple Place, Suite 449, between Downtown Crossing and Boston Common Every Friday, MAP (Massachusetts Asian & Pacific Islanders for Health) holds events in A-Spot, a local hangout for Boston-area GLBT Asian youth and friends. Come join us and meet our crew! Or visit online: myspace.com/asianimpact Contact: Ramani at 617-426-6755 x206 or rsripada@mapforhealth.org for more information

Tax Day Rallies - Equal Rights for Equal Taxes
April 15
Despite living in committed relationships, same-sex couples-even those married in Massachusetts and Connecticut-must file as individuals, forgoing over 1,000 federal rights granted to heterosexual married couples! This exempts same-sex couples from access to their partner's social security benefits and inheritance rights among other things. On Tax Day, Join the Impact MA is sponsoring rallies at local post offices all-over New England to protest this injustice! Visit www.jointheimpactMA.com/taxday for more information.

Somerville Room. $725/mo Utilities Included.
Gay man, mid forties seeks man to share bi-level condo in Winter Hill neighborhood. Large room (11 x 14') with closet space, hard-wood floors, and private full bath. Off-street parking, in-house laundry, fully applianced kitchen, limited basement storage. Blocks from #80 bus (Lechmere-Tufts), #89/101 (Sullivan Station,Orange line).I am a quiet science professional. You should be non-smoking, drug-free, honest, considerate, and relatively neat.

Appeal for Volunteers
OutHistory.org, the free, educational, non-profit website on lesbian, gay, bisexual,and transgender history, is seeking volunteer technical advice about the functioning, ease-of-use, and look of the site. Knowledge of MediaWiki and similar open source software is a plus. OutHistory.org is produced as a public service by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies, an institute at the City University of New York Graduate Center. If you can help OutHistory "Fight Against Forgetting" please contact the OutHistory Project Coordinator at: outhistory@gc.cuny.edu

National Equality Rally at Independence Hall
Sunday, May 3, Philadelphia
Join organizations, grassroots activists and straight allies from across the nation as we demonstrate at Independence Hall and the Liberty BellÑthe site where the Gay Pioneers launched our movement with protests each Fourth of July from 1965 to 1969. Call on Congress and our new president for:

• Passage of trans-inclusive hate crimes legislation and Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)
• Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
• Support for GLBT health issues
• Equal benefits for same-sex families
• Same-sex marriage Equality

U. Michigan study of students with same-sex parents seeks participants
To be eligible for this study you may be an undergraduate or graduate student from any university. You must have two parents who are lesbian or gay. Your parents may be together or separated. You must be 18 years of age or older. If you are eligible you may be asked to participate in a 45-minute telephone Interview scheduled at a time that is convenient to you. You will be compensated with a $15 gift certificate for your participation. The study has been approved by University of Michigan's IRB (HUM00026556). Contact Kelly Blasko (kblasko@umich.edu) to volunteer.

Survey for U. Washington Graduate Thesis on Sexual Minorities in College and university
Participation in this study is anonymous and the survey service will not track your IP address. If you have any questions about this research project, or would like to be informed of this study's findings, please contact Richard Nobles, atsmstudy@u.washington.edu.
To participate, click here.
The UW Institutional Review Board has approved this project.

Rainbow Lounge Spring Hours:

Monday 12pm-2pm Monthly QPOC Brunches, 1pm-4pm RL Open Hours
Tuesday, 12-6pm RL Open Hours, 5pm Monthly LBGT Issues Group Meeting, 6pm Weekly First Year Gathering
Wednesday 12pm-6pm
Thursday 12pm-6pm, 6pm-12am Late Night!
Friday, 12pm-5pm
 

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