Rising Voices Panel Presentation and Keynote Address (video and transcript)
Abstract
Description
This LGBTQ History Panel was part of the Rising Voices: A Wake Forest LGBTQIA Alumni Conference, held in 2015. Moderated by Mary Gerardy and Hu Womack, the speakers described their personal experiences as identifying as LGBTQ at Wake Forest University. Included are the following topics: early organizations such as the Gay-Straight Student Alliance (GSSA) and its variety of names through the years, anti-discrimination policies, LGBTQ "campus firsts", coming out to family and friends, the role of religion, collaborating and partnering with other student groups; negative responses to the LGBTQ community, and nonsupport/support from the Wake Forest administration, individual administrators, and faculty at Wake Forest University. throughout the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s. Specifically mentioned as supportive were Dean of Women Lula "Lu" Leake, Dean of Students Ken Zick, and faculty member/WGSS professor Mary DeShazer and the Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Department. Also discussed was the 2000 controversy over the same sex marriage ceremony in Wait Chapel.
Keywords
Wake Forest University--History, Expanded Wake Voices, Inclusive Student Life Collection, LGBTQ, Queer Public Histories, Rising Voices: A Wake Forest LGBTQIA Alumni Conference, Mother So Queer: A Queer History of Wake Forest University, Wake Forest LGBTQ+ Center, Campus Support Groups, Black alumni