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Queer Calendar

April 2013

April is Brandeis Pride Month! Check out our Pride Month Calendar!

Every Tuesday
Transformative Tuesdays
All Day | Everywhere You Go
Express your unique and intersectional identity in a new way today! We are all a unique collection of labels, qualities, identities, back-grounds, ethnicities, hopes, dreams, fears, and actions. Transforma-tive Tuesdays are a way for you to express yourself in a new way: try breaking a gender norm or exploring a part of your identity that's always sat on the back shelf! Wear a new outfit, go by a new nickname, try a hobby, or learn something new about the queer community! We can't wait to see what you come up with for Trans-formative Tuesdays!

Wednesday, April 3rd

GECS Presents Trans-Atlantic Perspectives on Gay Marriage: The Court of Law and the Court of Public Opinion
All day | Various events on an off campus
An International conference held in cooperation with the Goethe Institut Boston. This conference aims to shed light on the past and present struggle for human rights and against discrimination that has become synonymous with the term gay marriage. Experts from Germany, Belgium, France, Canada, and the US will place the current debate surrounding civil partnernship and gay marriage into the context of various rights struggles throughout the 20th century and will explain the European diffusion of same-sex union laws and the globalization of same-sex marriage claims as well as highlight the stakes involved in bringing the institutional and legal history of marriage in the United States to bear on same-sex couples' marriage rights today. The conference aims to draw attention to the wide spectrum of political and societal forces at work in the process of achieving legal and actual equality, and the challenges that continue to exist in the form of prejudices, hate crimes, and gay bashing. Confirmed participants include: Nancy Cott, History, Harvard University; Jennifer Evans, History, Carleton University, Canada; Bruno Perreau, French Studies, MIT; Axel Hochrein, Federal Association of Gays and Lesbians in Germany [Bundesvorstand des Lesben- und Schwulenverbandes in Deutschland (LSVD)]; Florence Tamagne, History, University of Lille, France; and, David Paternotte, Political Science,Universite Libre of Belgium. Co-sponsors include: Center for German and European Studies at Brandeis University (CGES), Goethe Institut Boston, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Brandeis University, Interdepartmental Program in Sexuality and Queer Studies at Brandeis University, Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, Legal Studies Program at Brandeis University, Brandeis University Intercultural Center, International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life at Brandeis University, and Brandeis Triskelion.

Public Events:
12-2pm Luncheon/panel discussion at the Faculty Club Lounge, Brandeis
University RSVP is required
7pm Panel Discussion at the Goethe Institut Goethe Institut Boston (170 Beacon Street), followed by a Reception courtesy of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany.
N.B.: Students and faculty interested in participating in a colloquium with the speakers scheduled for the afternoon should contact Professor von Mering.
 
Why This Conference Now?:
The struggle for marriage equality is currently fought openly on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2001 Germany’s federal government approved of civil unions for same-sex partners. It represented a significant milestone in a long and painful history of discrimination. Dubbed "Homo-Ehe" [homo-marriage], it is not technically identical to legal marriage. However, recent constitutional court decisions have challenged remaining restrictions like abortion rights. On January 13, 2013 hundreds of thousands demonstrated against gay marriage in Paris, France. Yet in the polls, over 60% of the French approve of same-sex marriage in principle. On February 5, 2013 the British parliament approved marriage for same-sex couples, joining several other European countries, including Spain, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Today nine US states--Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the Disctrict of Columbia— have legalized same-sex marriage. Former President Bill Clinton, who signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) into law in 1996, is now calling on the Supreme Court to rule the same law unconstitutional. The US Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case on March 27, 2013. Clearly, the legal battles are pointing in one direction. But do these victories represent an actual change in public opinion? The conference hopes to address these timely questions with the help of this international forum of experts from both sides of the Atlantic.

Contact: Sabine von Mering, Ph.D, Associate Professor of German and Women's and Gender Studies and Director of The Center for German and European Studies. 

Tuesday, April 9th

Open Brandeis SafeSpace Allies Training
5 to 7 pm | ICC Conference Room
To register or for more information, please go the Allies page. 

Thursday, April 11^th

Trisk Presents: Safer Sex with QRC and SSIS
8pm | Trisk Lounge
Join Trisk, The Queer Resource Center (QRC) and SSIS for an open discussion on safer sex practices within the queer community.

Friday, April 12^th

Staff Brown-Bag Lunch on LGBTQIA Students
12-1:15pm | SCC Art Gallery
How can we best support our population of queer students?  Staff members in Student Affairs are welcome to join.