December 08 LBGT@MIT Newsletter

In this month's newsletter

Letter from LBGT@MIT staff

Hello Everyone -

December brings fresh snowfalls and the sweet promise of vacation at the end of the semester. Schedules get busier and tension builds, but a change of pace can be reinvigorating. Try one - or many - of these great events...

  • World AIDS Day Event: "Two Brave Lovers" South Park & Conversation on HIV/AIDS (1st)
  • Film Screening: 'It's My Life: a Queer South Asian Story in America' (4th)
  • Prepare for vacation - join in a dinner and discussion on Self-Care for the Holidays (16th)
  • LGBT Comics - ABD and LBGT@MIT present Tim Fish (17th)
  • Unwind with friendly faces - check out Thurs LateNight, QPOC Brunch, or L4Q
  • Need a break from P-sets or paperwork? The LBGT Issues Group (9th), can add a spark to your day!

Check out the details for these and other great events below. Good luck with finals, and have a wonderful Winter Break!

- The staff of lbgt@mit

This month's events

"Two Brave Lovers" South Park Sparks Conversation on HIV/AIDS
World AIDS Day
Monday, December 1
5:30p-7:00p, Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
Watch Kyle and Cartman search for Magic Johnson to help them find a cure for AIDS. Plus, conversation about awareness, protection and the impact of HIV/AIDS on today's students. Sponsored by lbgt@mit, Ctr. for Health Promo. and Wellness, and MIT Medical.

LBGT First Year Group
Tuesday, December 2, 9, and 16
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!

'It's My Life: a Queer South Asian Story in America'
Thursday, December 4
6:00p-9:00p, W16-035, MIT Kresge Little Auditorium
Reception 6:00 pm , Inauguration : 6:45 pm,
Film screening 7:00 pm followed by Q&A and discussion
Trailer at : http://www.mediafactorylive.com/Documentary_Its_My_Life.html This documentary is first ever documentary that creates a dialogue between Gay and Straight South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Srilankan and more) community in USA. This documentary is an attempt to create a positive visibility of the South Asian GLBT community and exposing many of the issues faced by them culturally at home far from home. The GLBT Community has unique challenges as a Minority within the Minority community and also face many of the same issues the South Asian community in general faces in the states as a minority community. Some of the issues the documentary deals with are Homophobia, Gender bias, Racism, Classism etc.

Thursday Late Nights!
December 4, 11, and 18
6pm - 12am, Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
The Rainbow Lounge will be open on Thursdays until Midnight! Stop by to hang out, do psets, have some snacks, listen to music, and do basically, well, exactly the stuff you could do in the rainbow lounge during the day. The real fun starts at 10PM when we will be showing a movie (viewers' choice). So come by and hang out on Thursdays.

Queer People of Color Brunch
Monday, December 8
12:00p-2:00p (drop in anytime) Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
All self-identified queer people of color from the MIT community are welcome at this Bi-Monthly Queer People Of Color Lunch Series. Come by your self, or bring your crew. QPOC lunches are casual, friendly, community-building for everybody.

Open LBGT Officer Meeting
Monday, December 8
5:30-6:30pm, Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
Come learn about what's going on in all the LBGT groups on campus and help support each other's efforts with feedback and resources. Help us provide ongoing encouragement for the work that we do to reduce isolation, affirm LBGT identity, build community. All are welcome.

LBGT Issues Group meeting
Tuesday, December 9
4:30pm social time, 5-6pm Meeting, Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
All are welcome!
What happened at the 'Diversity Leadership Congress'?!? Come hear about the issues that are of current importance to fellow members of the LBGT and Ally community at MIT. Anyone affiliated with MIT and LBGT-friendly is welcome to join and to participate.

L4Q: Lunch 4 Queer Women and Friends
Thursday, December 11
12:00p-2:00p (drop in anytime), Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
Lunch and good company provided. L4Q is a casual, drop in, lunch for all queer, lesbian, bi, trans women, and their allies on campus - for women of all sexualities, colors, & ages. All students, staff, faculty, and alums are welcome! It is a great way to show support, feel supported, serve as a mentor, find a mentor, network, unwind, and share in the joy of being with other LBTQA women at MIT.

Self-Care for the Holidays - Dinner and Discussion
Tuesday, December 16
5-6pm, Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
Join in dinner and a discussion about how to best take care of ourselves during the holidays. We'll discuss resources, ideas, supports and chat about questions such as: How can I best take care of myself this holiday season? What will it be like for me when I go home and what supports will I need when I am there? All are welcome.

LGBT Comics - ABD and LBGT@MIT present Tim Fish
Wednesday, December 17
12:00p-1:00p, 14W-111, Killian Hall
"[Tim Fish] is a multi-stylistic artist, able to do Archie-esque drawings, manga-esque, superhero-esque, he's a regular Zelig, the way he fits into each genre... A really nice facet of Fish's writing is the way in which he takes a bunch of characters who could have easily been reduced to stereotypical sitcom characters and gives them an unexpected depth." 'Comic Book Resources (CBR) Tim Fish discusses LGBT comics from around the world and his own work, concluding with a reading from his upcoming original graphic novel "Love is the Reason." All are welcome!

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

IAP:

  • Gay Wedding Planning
  • GBT Male Body image
  • L-Word Marathon

Opportunities for students, faculty and staff

Trans Issues Group Meeting
The Trans Issues Group is an independent group of MIT staff, faculty, and students (trans people and allies) who are working to explore and assess the areas of MIT policy and community life where trans concerns may be better addressed. The Group advocates for improvements as needed in those areas, and welcomes participation from anyone in the MIT community who wishes to work on issues and topics of importance to trans and gender variant people. For details contact Abigail at: afran@mit.edu

World AIDS Day Walk-In HIV Counseling, Testing and Referrals:
For nearly forty years, Fenway Community Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhood, the LGBT community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population. Come learn more about HIV & get tested. Rapid HIV testing will be available. We will also be offering refreshments and chair massages. Call (617) 267-0159 if you have questions.
When: Monday, December 1, 2008 from 1:00pm to 7:00pm
Where: Fenway Community Health, 7 Haviland Street, Boston, MA

An Evening with Kai Wright:
Kai Writer, author of Drifting Toward Love: Black, Brown, Gay and Coming of Age on the Streets of New York, comes to Boston for an evening of moving statistics and stories. Dialogue will focus on health disparities impacting young black and brown men within the HIV/AIDS Epidemic. Hosted by Cambridge Cares About AIDS.
When: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 @ 7:00pm
Where: City Year Civic Forum, 287 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA

Recognizing and Combating GLBT Domestic Violence - Free Group Training:
Surveys show that 1 in 4 men in Massachusetts experience domestic violence, many in silence. The Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project (GMDVP) is working to raise awareness and action against GLBT domestic violence through free presentations and trainings. Training deals with how to recognize domestic violence and how to help a friend or family member who may be experiencing. All interested groups are encouraged to contact Iain Gill at education@gmdvp.org.

J.P. Morgan's Networking Event:
"At J.P. Morgan's Networking Event you can ask us anything. Meet our people. Get to know us. Discover what a career at J.P. Morgan is all about." This event is for freshmen, sophomores and juniors interested in summer opportunities in Investment Banking, Sales & Trading, Research and Investment Management, as well as opportunities in Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit jpmorgan.com/community.
When: Tuesday, December 2, 2008 @ 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Where: Le MC)ridien (Hotel@MIT), 20 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA

2009 Midwest BLGTA College Conference
MBLGTACC is an annual conference in it's 17th year, held to promote leadership, activism, networking, diversity, health, and impowerment among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, allied, and queer students, staff, and faculty. This year's theme is "Living Out Loud: Examining Our Past to Enhance Our Future." Please visit: http://www.indiana.edu/~mblgta09/
When: Friday, February 13, 2009 - Sunday, February, 15, 2009
Where: Indiana University - Kinsey Institute, 1165 E 3rd St # 313 Bloomington, IN

MSM Safer Sex Research Project
Join a Research Project investigating the relationship between venue and sexual risk among men who have sex with men (MSM). The study involves a confidential face-to-face interview and brief survey. Participation lasts approximately 1.5 hours and participants earn $50 in the form of a gift check. This study is a joint collaboration between the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and the Fenway Institute at Fenway Community Health. Findings will help inform MDPH programs that focus on improving sexual health and health care for MSM. Eligible participants are Massachusetts MSM, age 18 or older, who have attended a sex party in the past 12 months. For more information or to learn more, please contact Sean, Research Associate, at 617-927-6470.

Rainbow Lounge Fall Hours:

Monday 12pm-2pm Monthly QPOC Brunches, 2pm-6pm RL Open Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 12pm-6pm
Friday, 12pm-5pm
 

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