Speakers Bureau
The Speakers Bureau educates the campus about sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression through panel discussions in classes, residence halls, and other university settings. Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied community who have received training for this purpose enter into these discussions prepared to disseminate accurate information, to answer questions that students, staff and faculty may have about the realities of LGBT lives, and to introduce the heterosexual, gender normative majority to visible members and allies of this mostly invisible minority.
Please note: Due to the extraordinary success of this peer education program, instructors are strongly encouraged to submit requests before the first day of classes for presentations during each semester. Our track record is excellent for filling requests that come after classes begin, but it becomes increasingly difficult as the semester progresses. Under no circumstances will we accept requests with less than a week notice.
You may contact any member of the Speakers Bureau to schedule a presentation. You may also send an email to Luke Jensen. To expedite your request, please specify the course, unit, or office where the presentation will be given with the precise location (room number and building) and the number of people who will attend. Provide one main contact with email, telephone, and campus address. Give us a preferred date and time and one alternate.
Please review this background information before the Speakers Bureau arrives. It includes some of the most commonly asked questions which are grouped in clusters. Click on a cluster and you will find some background material. After reviewing these pages, you should be better informed and better able to ask us interesting and challenging questions.
Coming Out
What does coming out really mean? Isn't this your private business? Why do you have to tell us?
Intersections
Are you accepted in your ethnic/racial community? How is being an LGBT person of color different from being a white LGBT person?
Development
How long have you been LGBT? When did you first feel that way? Did it start in childhood? Was there a "turning point"?
Parental Reactions
Do your parents know? How did they react? How do you relate to them now? How did you tell them? What about siblings and other family members?
Etiology
Why do you want to be an LGBT person? What made you that way? Is homosexuality a choice, learned, or instinctive? Did past experiences in childhood affect your sexual preference? Were you influenced by a person or event?
Satisfaction
Do you enjoy being an LGBT person? Are you ashamed? Do you wish you were straight, or do you like being different? Given a choice, would you become heterosexual? Why?
Discrimination
Do you feel you have to hide your sexual orientation? Have you ever experienced discrimination because of your sexual orientation? How do your friends react? How do you cope with discrimination? Should you have special rights? Is it hard for you to go out in public? What do you fear most?
Religion
What is your religious background and present religious affiliation? How do you justify your lifestyle from a religious perspective? How do you justify your actions through the Bible?
Health
Are you afraid of getting AIDS? What kind of support is there for people with AIDS? Do you practice safer sex? How? What other health risks do LGBT people face? What about suicide rates in LGBT youth?
Media Representations
What do you think about Ellen Degeneres coming out on TV? Do you watch Will and Grace? What do you think about Queer As Folk?
Strategies
How do you dress, and what do you do to attract the same sex? How do you find one another? Is there such a thing as "gaydar"? What would you describe as an ideal relationship? Does one person take a more masculine or feminine role?
Same-sex Couples
Should same-sex marriage be legalized? Do you wish to marry? Are you married? How do you feel about the laws regarding same-sex marriage?
Parenting
Would you want to adopt a child? Do you think it is fair to the child to be raised in a same-sex headed household in terms of peer pressure, teasing, and so forth? Do you think you will have an influence on that child's sexual orientation? Do you believe children need male and female role models?
All LGBT and allied people are invited to become members of the Speakers Bureau. The best way is to enroll in LGBT 350 (please note that LGBT 200, ENGL 265 or CMLT 291, and permission of the program are prerequisites). You may also become a volunteer. Contact Luke Jensen for more information about volunteer opportunities.
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