The Announcements on this page are updated once a month. lbgt@mit coordinates a monthly e-mail newsletter through which these Announcements are distributed. To subscribe to the monthly e-mail, please submit a request to lbgt@mit.

• In the News -- "Separate but Equal" Amendment Passed & National Perspectives
• CPW Fabulous Friday Fiesta -- April 16th
• Faith and Sexuality Discussion: Rabbi Devon Lerner -- April 20th
• Adventures in Queer Dating Brown Bag lunch -- April 27
• April LBGT Issues Group Meeting -- April 14
• Student Discussion and Support Groups
• Lavendar Graduation-- Please help us locate seniors!
• LBGT Student Community-Building and Leadership Retreat -- Fall 2004
• GenderPAC National Conference on Gender
• Harvard Grad School of Education GLBT Film Festival
• 2 Be Diversity Writing Workshop

Also Check Out the Online Web Calendar to Find Out What's Going on with LBGT@MIT!

LBGT@MIT's online calendar is an excellent way to publicize and learn about activities taking place on campus. Check out the newly updated version today and frequently at web.mit.edu/lbgt/events.

At 6:05pm the MA legislature *PASSED* (105-92) a newly-revised ballot proposal for a compromise ("separate but equal") marriage amendment to the State Constitution.

This revised version was voted up three separate times, at first by a coalition of moderate and liberal legislators (who sought to thwart more restrictive proposals favored by conservatives), and in the final vote by moderates & conservatives (against the efforts of liberals who sought to kill the amendment and thereby end the marriage debate).

This vote ends the 2004 legislative debate on gay marriage. However, the proposed amendment ballot-measure must be passed again in a 2005 MA constitutional convention before it could appear on the November 2006 ballot for a popular vote. In the meantime, same-sex marriage remains legalized in MA
as of this coming May 17. Mitt Romney and others are still looking for avenues to keep same-sex marriage from happening. Romney's initial attempt to go back to the Supreme Judicial Court for a stay in their decision was rejected by Attorney General Reilly. While it seems that there are no other avenues left - we must remain vigilant and prepared to respond.

But we can't just be reactive, we also need to be proactive. It is important to continue to support legislators that have opposed a constitutional amendment. Already, in several districts, conservative groups are beginning to organize against our allies. Talk to your friends, family, etc. Volunteer. Be vocal about your values. CONTRIBUTE to those that believe in the things that you do and support equality for all.

MassEquality has a calendar of events that are being organized in response - please visit http://www.massequality.org/hot_calendar.php.

For more information about action steps you can take, please visit http://web.mit.edu/lbgt/marriage/, http://www.massequality.org/, http://www.hrc.org/, and http://www.ftmc.org/.

Same-Sex Marriage: National and International Perspectives

While Massachusetts is at the forefront, there is much going on around the country and beyond. Here is a quick check-in on various places:

- GEORGIA (April 1): The Georgia House yesterday passed an amendment to the state constitution that denies same-sex couples and their children the basic protections and equal rights of marriage. Voters will face the question on the state ballot in November.

- US CONGRESS (March 29): Several high-profile conservative Americans testified at a Congressional hearing today in opposition to changing the U.S. Constitution. At today's House Judiciary subcommittee hearing around a constitutional amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples, former Congressman Bob Barr and Wyoming State Sen. John Hanes - both Republicans - rejected tampering with the Constitution.

- KANSAS (March 27): The Kansas State Senate yesterday rejected a discriminatory amendment to the state constitution that would have denied marriage to same-sex couples, even though a state law invalidating such marriages already exists. The law would have also banned civil unions and domestic partnerships. A similar amendment was also defeated earlier this week in Iowa.

- IOWA (March 24): The Iowa Senate yesterday defeated a discriminatory amendment to the state constitution that would have denied marriage to same-sex couples, even though a law invalidating such marriages already exists in the state.

Help us welcome prospective undergraduate students and their parents during this year's Campus Prevew Weekend (CPW). On Friday, April 16, 2004 from 3:30-5:00pm in the Rainbow Lounge (50-306), students and parents are being invited to attend a Fiesta hosted by lbgt@mit. Amazing food from Picante's and cheesecakes from the Cheesecake Factory will be served! All currently enrolled LBGT MIT students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to attend for free food and informal conversation.

Tuesday, April 20 at 7pm; Rainbow Lounge (W50-306)

Rabbi Devon Lerner will speak about the intersection between spirituality and sexuality during our next Faith and Sexuality Forum. An out lesbian, Rabbi Lerner has been a vocal advocate in support of gay marriages. She will share with us her own experiences integrating sexuality and spirituality and suggest some strategies for bridging the two in our own lives. For more information, email twright@mit.edu or Nick Godfrey, the Episcopal intern, at ng7509@yahoo.com.

Sponsored by the Episcopal Chaplaincy and lbgt@mit.

April 27, 2004, 12:00pm - 2:00pm

LGBT and Questioning Students' Brown Bag Lunch Discussions. Bring your Own Questions. Bring Your Own Lunch! Stop by the Rainbow Lounge to chat with other LBGTQ students and staff about topics that matter to you! For MIT students. MIT staff/faculty that are interested in attending should contact event organizer first.
Speakers: Laura Stuart, Peter Kassel, and Emily M. M. Howe

Location: Rainbow Lounge 50-306, Sponsored by lbgt@mit.

Contact Emily Meghan Morrow Howe
253-8844
emmh@mit.edu
http://web.mit.edu/lbgt/support/

The final LBGT Issues Group meeting of the year will be held on Wednesday, April 14, 2003 from 4-6 PM in W32-199. We'll be discussing our needs and priorities for next year.

A great opportunity for new and not-so-new members of the MIT community to get involved! Don't miss this opportunity to make a difference on campus. Dinner will be served, so please RSVP to lbgt@mit.

Bi-weekly discussions on topics YOU want to talk about. Support and discussions for all LBGT and questioning undergraduate and graduate students - not just for coming out. Safe and confidential!

The Spring 2004 schedule is:

* 2nd and 4th Monday of each month from 4-5:30 PM in 5-104, Emily Meghan Morrow Howe from Women's Studies and James Collins from Counseling and Support Services will facilitate. It is asked that individuals attending this group plan to stay for the full session, though it is understood that some may have to leave for a 5 PM commitment (such as athletic teams).

For more information, please contact James Collins (staff in Counseling and Support Services) at jmcollin@mit.edu or x8-5482.

* Monthly Discussion Lunches
Typically on the last Tuesday of each month in the Rainbow Lounge (50-306) from 12-2, Emily Meghan Morrow Howe of Women's Studies and lbgt@mit are hosting informal LBGT discussion brown-bag lunches (we'll provide dessert and beverages) - NOTE THAT THE NEXT LUNCH WILL BE ON TUESDAY., April 27! Stop by and join in the conversation.

Check out the http://web.mit.edu/lbgt/support/ for more information or email lbgt@mit.edu.

Your attendance is requested at the social event of the year! The Lavender Graduation: An Exquisite Reception honoring MIT's LBGT graduates of the 2004 Academic Year (June and December) will be held in the Emma Rogers Room (10-340) on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 from 6-7:30pm (immediately following the Awards Convocation). Please come be a part of celebrating the accomplishments of our LBGT Graduates.

If you are a LBGT graduate undergraduate or graduate student (or know someone who is), please RSVP to lbgt@mit.edu with your name and contact information so that we will be able to honor you in a special recognition ceremony.

The Lavender Graduation is hosted by LBGT@MIT and BGALA (MIT's alumin/ae organization). For more information, email lbgt@mit.edu or call 617.253.5440.

Thanks to funding from the Office of the Chancellor, lbgt@mit is able to coordinate a retreat for LBGT graduate and undergraduate students to build community and get next year started on the right foot! While dates are currently being negotiated, LBGT students are invited to the weekend retreat in Provincetown, MA. Students interested in going should contact Travis at lbgt@mit.edu. Please encourage students to attend - the only requirement is that students are interested in and committed to supporting MIT's LBGT community through membership and participation in one or more of the LBGT student organizations (straight allies are eligible, too!).

In Washington, DC. Workshops will explore race and gender, gender stereotypes in parenting, and how to end discrimination and violence caused by gender stereotypes in your community. The National Conference on Gender will examine the intersections of identities through the lens of Gender and Critical Race Studies.

Call or email for more information on Scholarships, Group Discounts, and Incentives for group organizers. www.genderpac.org.

The event will occur on the HGSE campus, 1 Appian Way; Cambridge, April 30- May 2. Special events include a presentation by Jade Ramirez, a transgender youth activist, and Eric Criswell, Executive Director of the CIRE Foundation.

For a complete listing of events, check out the website at www.2004pridefilmfestival.net or email Thomas Howard, the event organizer, at howardth@gse.harvard.edu.

To BE _______.
The 2B Diversity Project: A Celebration of Diversity

Fill in the blank. Black. Male. White. Latino. Female. Asian. French. Iranian. Gay. Jewish. Muslim. Whatever. In these difficult times particular groups may join together to weather the storms of
discrimination that are upon us and not build bridges to other groups. MIT is a safe haven of diversity and we should take the opportunity to
celebrate it.

The 2B Diversity Project is a diversity-themed writing competition designed to promote cross-cultural sharing. It is rare that we stop and have a conversation with those "different" from us about what it is to be different. Prose can be a safe and uninhibited way to share personal celebrations of identity and perhaps spark conversations.

The contest has a $1000 cash prize and winners will be announced in late April. For more information, check out the website at:

http://web.mit.edu/ccrr/grants/2Be.html

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