September 2008 LBGT@MIT Newsletter

In this month's newsletter

Letter from LBGT@MIT staff

Hello Everyone -

The staff of the Rainbow Lounge warmly welcomes you to the start of a challenging and exciting new year! We're also pleased to continue this tradition of giving you the monthly scoop on LBGT-related events at MIT and beyond. So bring your back-to-school enthusiasm, and join us for:

  • the first meeting of a group just for LBGTQ & Allied first-year students
  • the LBGT Issues Group, as MIT community members advocate for positive change
  • an info session about or annual retreat to Provincetown.

That retreat, the 6th Annual Provincetown Retreat, will be October 3-5. Save the date, and if you can't make it to the info session, contact us if you're interested!

There are just a few of the many LBGT-related events happening on campus in the weeks ahead. Scroll down to learn more!

In addition, we invite you to visit the Rainbow Lounge (50-005). It's a bright space, with comfortable couches for studying, watching a movie, or just dropping by to say "hi!" The Rainbow Lounge also houses a lending library of LBGT books, movies, and music. Good luck, and we hope to see you soon!

- The staff of lbgt@mit

This month's events

Provincetown Planning Meetings
Wednesday, September 3, 10, 17, 24
5:00p-6:00p in the Rainbow Lounge, 50-005
Help us plan the 6th annual LBGT community retreat to Provincetown! All are welcome to help plan the adventure or just stop by to learn more.

Graduate Orientation: LBGT Dinner on the Town
Thursday, September 4
6:00p-9:00p at Club Cafe
Join us for dinner at Club Cafe, one of the happening LBGT spots in Boston. Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and chat up current grad students. Dinner will be subsidized. Please inquire for details. PLEASE RSVP to rainbowofficers@mit.edu.

September LBGT Issues Group Meeting
Tuesday, September 9
4:30 Social Time, 5pm Meeting in the Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
All LBGT-supportive MIT folks are welcome!
Join us for the first meeting of the semester where you can hear about last year's Issues Group successes, make recommendations for this year's Issues Group tasks, and learn about a new strategic planning process for lbgt@mit. The LBGT Issues Group is a committee of faculty, staff, students, and alumni(ae) who are lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, or just plain friendly seeking to foster a safe and welcoming environment for LBGT students and to ensure that the educational mission of MIT is upheld for all students regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Meetings are held once a month and address specific projects dealing with the concerns of the LBGT community. Anyone affiliated with MIT and LBGT-friendly is welcome to join and to participate.

LBGT First Year Group
Tuesday, September 9
Calling the class of 2012! You are invited to attend the first meeting of the LBGT First Year program at MIT. We'll meet in the Rainbow Lounge for support, resources, and social time. Come hear from upperclassmen about how to survive MIT without losing yourself. All LBGTQ and Ally first-year students are welcome!

LBGT Community Retreat Info Session
Wednesday, September 10
6pm in the Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
All are welcome to come hear about the plans for this year's LBGTQA community retreat to Provincetown, MA (being held from Oct. 3-5). Come hear about the talent show, the workshops, the location, and meet others who are going to be there. The goal of the retreat is to foster relationships among LBGT and Ally students and organizations on MIT's campus and plan MIT's major LBGT initiatives for the coming school year. All students are welcome on this fun weekend of community-building, planning for the year ahead, and enjoying Provincetown.

Queer People of Color Brunch
Monday, September 15
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.

L4Q: Lunch for Queer Women and Friends
Thursday, September 18
12:00p-2:00p in the Rainbow Lounge (50-005)
Join us for a relaxed lunch in the lounge. Meet other LBTQA women from MIT. ****BYO Lunch. Drinks and Dessert will be provided.

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

October:
Fri 10/3 - Sun 10/5 6th Annual LBGTQA Community Retreat to Provincetown! (Spots are limited, please RSVP to afran@mit.edu)
National Coming Out Week!
Wed 10/15 "Coming Out to Family" discussion, 6pm in 50-005
Thurs 10/16 Rainbow Reception, 4 - 6pm in 50-005
Fri 10/12 Coming Out Party! - Time/Location TBA

Opportunities for students, faculty and staff

Out In the Park:
Six Flags New England will be hosting its annual LGBT Event on Saturday, September 20 from 10am-8pm. For more information, visit http://www.oicgifts.com/outinthepark/outinthepark/index.html.

Out at Plimoth Plantation:
Plimoth Plantation is a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, dedicated to telling the story of the Native Wampanoag and colonial English of 17th century Plimoth Colony. Out at Plimoth Plantation will offer family-friendly activities, a Thanksgiving inspired dinner/social mixer, and two historical talks about our knowledge of 17th century gay history in addition to their award-winning regular museum programming. Out at Plimoth Plantation will take place on September 13th. The cost of dinner includes exam admission ($47.95 for non member adults, $23.95 for member adults), and reservations are required. Please call 508=746-1622 ext 8210 for more information or to make dinner reservations.

GLBT History Month 2008:
Screen the award-winning documentary "Gay Pioneers" at http://www.gaypioneers.com, watch the 2008 overview video at http://www.glbthistorymonth.com/glbthistorymonth/2008/preview/, or obtain a free link to get the daily Icon video. The link is automatically updated in October with that day's Icon video, which includes a downloadable, graphically designed biography, a bibliography with links, downloadable Icon images, and other educational resources. Obtain the link by e-mailing Chip Alfred (Chip@EqualityForum.com) with The name of your contact person and title, your organization title, and a link to the URL on which you would like to embed the GLBT History month daily Icon videos.

Romantic Relationships Research Study:
A 30-minute online survey examining attitudes, feelings, and experiences associated with being a lesbian, gay, or bisexual. All participants will be entered in a survey to win $100. Must be at least 18 years old and have felt same-sex attraction to participate. The survey is at: http://survey.utk.edu/mrIWeb/mrIWeb.dll?I.Project=PSYCHOLOGYSURVEY

Out for Undergraduate Business Conference (OUBC):
The OUBC helps undergraduate LGBT students interested in finance or management consulting learn about being "out" in their career and helps these students network with recruiters and potential employers. The OUBC takes place in New York City on September 26-27. To attend, students must register on their website, http://www.OutforBusiness.com by September 5th. Scholarships are available on a first-come first-served basis.

LBGT Internship Available at GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocate & Defenders):
Interns will be responsible for a variety of projects, including representing GLAD at outreach events, historical and archival research, assisting with logistics, tracking LGBT press, working one day per week on GLAD's Legal InfoLine, transcription and editing of interviews, and other administrative duties. Candidates should have a strong desire to make contributions to the LGBT and HIV positive community, be able to understand the challenges facing this community, be able to complete self-directed projects, have strong writing and summarizing skills, have a willingness to ask questions, and be able to work with a team. The internships are full-time or part-time with flexible hours and are unpaid. To apply, send a cover letter and resume to Alton Croker(acroker@glad.org) with Internship as the subject line. More information is available at http://www.glad.org.

Volunteer Technical Assistant for OutHistory.org:
OutHistory.org is a new wiki on LBGTQA history. OutHistory.org needs a volunteer group of experts who would suggest and advise them about possible technical improvements to the site. Feel free to leave comments on the Discuss section of the Main Page or to send them to Jonathan Ned Katz (jnk123@mac.com), the Director of the site.

See How Your LBGT Stories can Promote Social Change:
SpeakOut Training will be taking place September 20th from 8:30 am-5 pm and September 21st from 10 am-4:30 pm in Jamaica Plain. The student rate is $35, however groups of 3 or more can receive a discounted rate. The training sessions will help students learn and practice valuable skills such as setting the right tone, shaping and telling your story, handling questions effectively, dealing with difficult people, countering homo-bi-trans phobia, and working with your co-speaker. E-mail info@speakoutboston.org or visit http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001PaJzNeeDebDAcoa0CjeM_Vcu2f8TrsYDtyjpUcaSLPIcnrOLTE_VqiWTheay9ZmTWU5gP4g4hgDhUm9Y51WaHz1cRV41bhh9IOJpKJ7NB_zW7qR-nB2Ozu5MtyTMxfUmw_7OaJbRh2k0_6t4xMdaDQ== to download the registration form.

Rainbow Lounge Fall Hours:

Monday 12pm-2pm Monthly QPOC Brunches, 2pm-5:30pm RL Open Hours, 5:30pm-6pm Meditation Mondays
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 12pm-6pm
Friday, 12pm-5pm
 

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