Training Date: August 28, 2020
Just Jp: today. My name is Just JP, I use any pronouns and I'm so, so, so excited to be here with y'all today! Well, welcome everybody to the virtual reception. This is a fabulous welcome to the Gender and Sexuality Center at Brandeis! I'm so excited to be here, again, my name is Just JP. And I use any pronouns, she/they/he. Make sure to mix them up! First, I want to introduce the list of folks that we have here, that we're going to hear from today. So, you know their names, pronouns, and who they are. And uh, then, OH. Let me make sure that my audio is working. Is my audio working? Yes, great. I love that. And another thing, because folks are muted, I just want to share that in American Sign Language, this is applause. (shows the sign for applause) So if you would like to applaud an answer, you can do this and that we can make this a little bit more... um, what's the word? Accessible and exciting! Okay! So today our speakers- we have Julián Cancino, he uses he/him/his pronouns. He's the director of the Gender and Sexuality Center. We also have Landen, they use they/them/theirs. They are the LGBTQ+ specialist and therapists at the Brandeis Counseling Center. We have Juliete, she uses she/her/hers pronouns. She is the coordinator at the Gender and Sexuality Center and Intercultural Center. We also have Catherine, she uses she/her/hers. She's the MPP/MBA Candidate at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and leader Queer Graduate Student Union. Thank you so much for being here. We also have Neha; her pronouns are she/her/hers. She's a PhD Candidate in Molecular and Cell Biology and a student leader at the Gender and Sexuality Center and Queer Graduate Student Union. Thank you so much for being here. We're also welcoming Cathy, she/her/hers. She's a Visiting Research Scholar at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. I'm saying "Hi" to V, he/him/his. He's Assistant Professor in the Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Also saying hello to Jonathan, he/him/his. He's the Undergraduate Advising Head and Associate Professor at the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Hopefully I did not butcher any of those words. Thank you so much for being here, Jonathan. Also, welcoming Esther, she/her/hers. Esther is Assistant Director of Academic Advising, Faculty and Staff Pride Alliance. Wait, I think I said that wrong. Yeah, I I skipped a line. Sorry. Let's repeat that. Esther -- She uses she/her/hers. She's the Digital Literacy Specialist at Brandeis Library, Faculty and Staff Pride Alliance and Brandeis Alumna. And we also have Katy. There you go. She uses she/her/hers. And she is the Assistant Director of Academic Advising, and leader at the Faculty and Staff Pride Alliance There you go. We got it. Also joining us are some students from the Gender and Sexuality Center who will answer a couple questions. Alrighty. So thank you so much for bearing with me as I read everybody's name. So, let's just dive into questions, shall we? Yeah. Everybody ready? Yeah. Awesome. So, first I would like to introduce back, back, back again Julián who's going to talk a little bit about the GSC.
Julian Cancino: Hi, folks! Welcome. I am Julián Cancino and I am the director of the Gender and Sexuality Center. I am delighted that you have chosen to join us for this special evening. Today we'll get to hear from fabulous out and proud faculty, staff and students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. You'll get to hear about our institutional resource as well as tips on how to make your LGBTQ+ experience at Brandeis the most. We will speak to a bunch of great people. Our hope is that you will connect to people- friendly faces in offices and departments around campus that make Brandeis a great place to be. You will- After we hear from our great speakers, you will have the opportunity to participate in the Q&A session. I would like to remind folks that this session is being recorded. You are welcome to not show your video though we do encourage it. The reason for that is that we want this information to be accessible to most people, and so it will be posted on the Brandeis website under the Gender and Sexuality page. So without much further ado, I would like to introduce Mark Brimhall-Vargas, our Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Thank you.
Mark B.-V.: Oh, I can't unmute myself. Can you hear me? Oh, you can hear me. Good. It kept saying "You are not allowed to unmute yourself." Welcome, everybody. I'm delighted to be a part of the GSC's Open House. First of all, what a win to have Julián Cancino on campus. I hope that everyone understands what an amazing director Julián is and how much he brings to our campus- a wealth of experience in higher education in the Boston Area. Julián, you have my confidence that you're going to take the GSC to a great place. I'm really happy to have you on campus. And to the community here, I really do want to recognize the fact that the GSC has had some difficulties, right? We are coming through a period of challenge where the efforts of students, Julie, and Landen held the place together. And I want to publicly acknowledge that how much value and service our students and our staff had in keeping the GSC together. I want to acknowledge the Brandeis Pride Alliance. The efforts to really advocate for creating a dedicated space for LGBTQ+ people, for a dedicated Director and the resource is necessary to support this vital community on our campus. And selfishly, because I am a member of this community, so I too feel like it helps me know that our GSC is a foundational part of who we are. So few things to mention about the GSC and where I would like to see it go. I would like to obviously see that the GSC be a location despite our sort of current moment around a pandemic a location that people see as a resource a home, an educational location. where training is available, where safe space is available where therapeutic services are available. where a smile and a welcome in a community is available so if you're someone who has not ventured into the GSC and you have the ability to go onto campus I would encourage you to connect with space and staff the students are an incredible resource there. And so, if you're a new student to campus the students who frequent the GSC are an incredibly welcoming crew, and I think that you will certainly find friendship and community there. And so, to the rest of all of us who are celebrating this moment I want to also extend a welcome. We are a vibrant community at Brandeis and a necessary part of the voice that is a social justice institution. And so, I'm glad to see you here. I really love the fact that we have someone in drag hosting us. So Just JP, love it. Love the makeup. Mwah, It's wonderful. And so welcome, everybody. I'm delighted to be here.
Just Jp: Thank you so much. Let's give Mark a round of applause. Yeah, that was awesome. Thank you so much for being here with us. Very, very excited. I'm very excited to come see campus because I really want to meet all of y'all in person someday when COVID permits. So I may be dropping by. You never know. I may be in drag too, you never know. Alrighty. So, as a reminder, we are being- or this is being recorded. And if you are watching this on the rewatch, thank you so much for watching this program! I hope that you find a lot of answers and really cool information that will make your day and that you'll share with your fellow students. We're just going to introduce back now some GSC staff and ask some questions. So first we have Landen and Juliet. Landen, reminder uses THEY pronouns and Juliet uses SHE pronouns Hi, I'm going to start asking Landen a question, if that's okay.
Landen M: Yeah, that's great.
Just JP: There you are. Hi Landen. how's it going?
Landen M.: [LANDEN] It's going well. [Just JP] Thank you for being here. [Landen] Yeah, thank you.
Just JP: So what advice would you have for people exploring their gender identity or sexuality?
Landen M.: Yeah, that's a great question. First, I always want to remind folks that they're not alone. There’s a lot of folks on here who are out as LGBTQ and I would say we've all been there. And probably felt some degree of loneliness, liberation, fear, excitement, confusion. Like all of these, none of these, depending on our families, our friends, and our background. And so when folks are in that spot of questioning I recommend people figuring out where their comfort level is. Do you feel comfortable reading books, post, or articles watching videos, asking other LGBTQ people questions about their experience. And I just encourage people in this journey of watching, listening, and asking questions to just like, make notes of what resonates with you. So maybe a label or experience fits how you're feeling completely. Maybe they're only parts, and you're like, I don't like other part. You can keep a journal and be like "This is how I'm feeling" or you could talk through with a friend I think my biggest thing is always ultimately, just know that there's no right or wrong way to identify. It's fluid, ever changing, and it's super normal to understand our understanding and our relationship to ourselves, like any other of our identities. I know I was emo high school so, I'm no longer emo. They change over time, right? So, we don't have to be like I am this thing, and I am that forever. So that is my answer for you.
Just JP: Thank you so much. That's such a thoughtful answer. And thank you for the reminder of allowing us to be ourselves every day. That's stunning. Thank you. I wanna ask Juliet an equally important question, I think why is being an ally important?
Juliette: Hi Yeah. So, being an ally, is of course, very important because, it's important to learn about people and their stories. That is a very big, important thing. For me, Juliet, coming from a country where a topic like this is taboo, like 100% or 110% taboo, it's cool to know that I like to know about people. And I must say that at Brandeis it's the first time where I can show my support. Because I really like hearing what people have as their stories. And I'm glad to be in a place where it's easy to do. It's not seen as a bad thing to do that It's not seen as a bad thing to be an ally. I like listening to people, I like showing up and I like being available And also, it's very important for me to learn. I'm a very good student in this area. I've been always saying to myself "I need to learn." I need to find resources. Luckily enough I'm connected with GLAAD where I get lot of resources on how to know stuff. I'm really still new to learn stuff, but I'm getting there, and I love being here. And I love learning more about it. Thank you.
Just JP: Thank you. We love to have you here, and that resonates a lot, that allyship, that a big part of allyship is learning and doing the effort of learning. Like putting the effort, yourself and not waiting for other people to educate you. You know, Google is free, right? So Yeah. Thank you so much.
Juliette: Thank you, too. Thank you.
Just JP: Awesome. So, with that, we're going to bring in the Queer Graduate Student Union leaders. Catherine, she uses she/her pronouns and Neha, she uses she/her pronouns. Hello! How are y'all doing today?
Catherine: I'm good. I'm Catherine. I'm gonna speak for the group. Hi Yeah. Happy to be here.
Just JP: Great. We're doing great. Let me ask a question I think we're getting some... Give me one moment. I'm may be having some technical difficulties here. Give me a minute. So, Hi Catherine. What tips do you have for parents during the coming out process?
Catherine: Oh, you can hear me now. Great. So, tips for the coming out process. I think, kind of speaking on what others said earlier, just about how it can be fluid and it could be ever changing,
Just JP: but just accepting your children, your youth, in their process.
Catherine: I think that's really what it is. And being supportive.
Just JP: Definitely. Being supportive, it's, it can be like a difference. I mean, I know that this sounds extreme but it's the reality. It can be the difference between life and death. And that's why it's really important to be supportive. Thank you so much for being here with us. And thank you so much for that. Great reminder. We appreciate you. Thank you. I'm going to introduce back again now, faculty [members] Cathy, V, and Jonathan. Cathy uses she pronouns, V uses he pronouns, and Jonathan uses he pronouns. Hi everybody. Hello! Thank you for being here. I have a couple questions for y'all. What advice would you have for students for coming out, or not, to faculty? We can start with Cathy, if that's okay.
Cathy: Hi. Yeah. Hi, everybody. I'm so happy to be here. Behind me is the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. I hope we all get to see it at some point in the not-too-distant future. I would say in terms of the advice about coming out or not coming out, I actually have no clue. What I can tell you is that you probably have a pretty highly developed gut by now about what feels safe and what doesn't. And I would listen to that voice on the inside. But here's- here is my advice. And I want you think back And I want you think back to any school school experience, work experience, developing friendship experience, and times when you really embraced what was going on around you. You felt like you were heard, involved, listened to, and times when you just wanted to cut and run, or, if you couldn't run, you just shut totally down. And I would say one part of the first scenario is to feel like you are bringing the most of your whole authentic self into the experience and having that valued. Right? That is a way that people learn. It's the way that people engage. It's a way that people can benefit from the moment. So I would say, particularly if you're new to being at Brandeis, it’s a time, building on what Landen talked about, that you can be more of who you are and how you want to be in the world even if that's something that's morphing. And I would encourage you to walk into classrooms and bring as much of that openness as you feel is appropriate. And I can guarantee you that the majority of faculty and staff at Brandeis will welcome that. Thank you.
Brandeis Staff Member: Yeah, I'm just gonna quickly add to that because she said it so well it doesn't need to be repeated. Just that everybody has a right to be here and that you should never think that you're on the margins, that you are less than, that you, somehow, have to be less of yourself in order to fit in. You belong here. And if somebody doesn't like that, that's their problem. But, let's be realistic There are power structures and, of course, you're worried about how people who have more power than you like professors or other people are going to perceive you. And, therefore, it's totally understandable that you're gonna wanna take care of yourself that you're gonna want to feel safe. So, like Cathy said, put your toe in the water and just see how it feels. See whether it feels like a safe space to you. You know, use your judgment. But really, if the space doesn't feel safe, I just beg you: to talk to somebody, talk to Julián, talk to Mark, talk to somebody, because it shouldn't be that way. We like to think of ourselves as a place that's open, and warm, and accepting, and diverse. And if we're not living up to that then we need to be reminded of that. So please come talk to us.
Just JP: Thank you. V, I would like to make space if you like to endorse anything
V: Yeah. Hi everybody! I know we're still getting used to interacting on Zoom format, so I can't see everyone's faces. Like Just JP said, I'm V Varun Chaudhry, I'm Assistant Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. So dipping your toe in the water, A great place to do that is the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department and the many courses that we offer in Queer and Trans Studies and LGBTQ+ Studies. And we actually have a really strong contingent of LGBTQ-identified faculty, many queer and trans folks of color on campus as well! We are, I think, I would say all of our offices are safe spaces, all of our courses are safe spaces. You can read about histories of queer and trans communities and LGBT communities in and beyond the United States. You can read about what it means to talk about gender, to talk about sexuality in the classroom or outside of the classroom and various kinds of contexts. And I'm really proud to be a member of that department, And I think we welcome all students who are at any stage of their identity development, whether you're still coming out, or whether you've been out for a while, and you're looking for community, WGS is a really great and supportive department for all students. So welcome, everybody. Thanks so much Just JP, Julián, and Mark and everyone for welcoming me here. Thanks.
Just JP: Thank you so much. That was so beautiful. And thank you, all three of you for sharing your thoughts. I completely agree with what you shared. I would also like to add that Black Lives Matter And that also means that Trans Black lives matter and that Queer Black lives matter. It is very important that we also understand that not tolerating discrimination. Homophobia, biphobia, transphobia or any other queerphobia- It also means not tolerating racism or any other type of oppression. So thank you so much, I just felt very compelled to say that, because it's important for us to say it, to repeat it and to live it. So we're gonna keep moving We have a couple more folks that we haven't heard from yet. So we're going to introduce right now our friends at the Faculty and Staff Pride Alliance. We're welcoming back Esther who uses she pronouns, and Katy who uses she pronouns.
Esther B.: Hello! Thanks for the introduction.
Just JP: Hi. So very nice meeting you over Zoom. I'm meeting so many people over Zoom Just so cool. I wanted to ask a really important question. What resources are available to LGBTQ+ faculty and staff seeking community at Brandeis?
Katy: So first, I just want to describe what the Brandeis Faculty and Staff Pride Alliance is. So, it is a community for LGBTQIA+ identified and allied faculty and staff to come together and build community and help advocate for our needs and help advocate for connections with students and supporting students. So it's a really wonderful opportunity. We meet once a month to get together. I'm gonna let Esther talk a little bit more about the ways in which we offer connection and resources for LGBTQIA faculty and staff. Great.
Esther B.: Thank you, Katy. I just want to introduce myself I'm Esther Brandon. I am one of the two co-chairs, Kaitlyn Rogers, who couldn't be here today says "hello" to everyone. And so, we are the Faculty and Staff Pride Alliance we have monthly lunch series. We also do occasional evening gatherings for drinks or dinner These days it's all over Zoom but we welcome all faculty staff members who want to come We also have a Pride Alliance Leadership Group we meet regularly to hear concerns from the community. Our purpose is to uplift the voices, the needs and the experiences of LGBTQIA+ staff and faculty. We want to hear from you. Actually, on our website you can find an input form if you ever have any complaints or want to talk to one of us individually. You can also join our email list. So we give send out emails for events for these Zoom gatherings, other events of interest around campus, and they're always full of GIFs and emojis and babbling jokes. It's a lot of fun.
Katy: Yeah, very colorful and also on the input form complaints are welcome, also complements, just funny jokes just whatever you want to just feel connected because, you know, if it's only complaints we'll get a little bit sad.
Esther B.: We will put our website in the chat.
Just JP: Can you also please share the website? And spell the website for folks who are watching this on the rewatch who do not have access to chat?
Esther B.: Sure, yes, one second, I am just grabbing that link.
Katy: Yeah, if you just Google "BFSPA" for Brandeis Faculty and Staff Pride Alliance it should pull up It's through the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, right?
Esther B.: Yes. So our link is www.brandeis.edu/diversity/resource/faculty/staff/pride/alliance.html --- so that was a mouthful or just Google it.
Just JP: Oh, my God. That's my new drag name. You heard it here first. Thank you so much. I'm excited to go check out the website.
Katy: Good!
Esther B.: Yes, please do!
Just JP: Alright! Somebody also shared in the chat that the Pride Alliance listserv will brighten your inbox when you need it most.
Esther B.: Aw, thank you Ashley.
Just JP: There you go! We also have testimonials in this program. Thank you so much for sharing. Now-- We're going to introduce our GSC students. Right after this we're gonna do some Q&A, but before let's hear from some GSC students about the different events the GSC is hosting for on community, education, and leadership. So, take it away!
Maggie: Hi! My name is Maggie I'm a junior, student worker at the GSC. My realm of influence will be education. I mean, we're obviously an academic institution, but my work will be focused on topics that specifically impact members of the LGBT community on campus. Just because I identify with one letter of the LGBTQ acronym doesn't mean that I immediately know everything about the entire community. We're always learning whether we are allies or part of the community trying to support our community in a more effective way. There will be some trainings concerning basic terminology in the community, being an effective ally, and things like that. I also hope to host some events which focus on the living history of LGBTQ rights, how members of the community are represented media and how that's evolved over time, how they could be swept under the rug when it comes to being given credit for their ideas, inventions, and creations, and campus members giving advice to other campus members on what it's like to be a part of the community in life, school, the workplace, and beyond. My wish for these is for them to be a collaborative effort with the community. Are you curious about something that's currently affecting the LGBTQ community? Please let me know. My goal is for these to be beneficial and address concerns that people have currently and continue to face and have the GSC be available and useful for all members of our community.
Just JP: Thank you so much I want to make space If there's any other students who like to share I'll show face.
Jonah: Hi, I'm Jonah. My pronouns are he/him/his. I am working with visuals and graphic design for the GSC. So everything you see, on like, Instagram, that's like me and I'm here to support the other student workers on their events.
Just JP: Thank you so much. I follow the Instagram and it is really cool, and if you aren't following the Instagram go check it out. Remind me, what is the Instagram that people should be following?
Jonah: Should I put it on the chat? It's @Brandeis_GSC It's @Brandeis_GSC
Just JP: There you go. So right now, if you have your phone really close to you what we are going to do is we're gonna grab our phones, and we're gonna go to our Instagram app, and we're going to look for @Brandeis_GSC and we're gonna follow! Yay! Awesome! That's great. So we have a couple more.... Oh, my God, that's me right there! So, we have a couple more students, so go for it. Introduce yourself. Take it away.
GSC Student Worker 1: I am another GSC student worker, and my influence, like Maggie was talking about earlier, is going to be leadership. And what that means is basically forming connections with other student groups on campus and other, you know, institutions or programs because in this new kind of age of programming we can't really have events in the way we used to anymore. So we're kind of we're rethinking what those are going to look like. Also how to make the GSC more accessible for a wider range of people and more intersectional, and really being a leader on campus on that front.
Just JP: Thank you so much. I was, like, figuring out whether I was muted or not. Thank you so much for sharing that. I understand we have maybe one or two more students. So go for it. Maybe. Maybe not.
Neha: I think I'll go. We have another one, another undergrad student worker. So, I'm Neha, I'm the graduate student assistant. I will essentially be overseeing a lot of programming that will be carried out by the undergraduate student workers, and essentially discussing and brainstorming any questions they have about all of the concept designs and outreach implementation of the things they will be doing. So they all have their own pillars, they have missions that they're supposed to be doing for programming at the GSC, and I'm just here to support them.
Just JP: Awesome. Thank you so much.
Sammi: Okay, I can go next. I'm Sammi. I am a junior. I use she/her/hers. I work at the GSC. My goal or task for the semester is community. So, I will be organizing the what we're calling right now "First Friday" events. These are just events that... it's not about education or anything like that It's just about having fun, building a community within the GSC which I think it's super important. So actually, a week from today, next Friday our first "First Friday" event will be a staff talent show hosted on Instagram Live. So, everybody look out for that. We will be advertising on social media, I'm sure.
Just JP: Thank you so much, Sammi. I can't wait to see all that. I can't wait to hopefully see all of y'all at these First Fridays. Well, that is our scripted part of the program. I'm so thankful for everybody who was here from faculty to students to share a little bit of why the GSC is so important. Now I'm going to open it up for little Q& A. I'm going to invite Julián back for that. Hi, Julián. Hi folks! Oops! We have an echo, echo, echo! Can people hear me? There we go. Yeah, go for it.
Julian Cancino: Thank you so much for all the speakers and to all the folks joining us today. We're going to actually open it up for Q&A and I invite everyone if you're a student, a current student, if you're a faculty member, a staff member to pitch in. I think that, we'll try this, we'll see how it goes if we can unmute all. Or maybe not I'm getting the "no". That is not a good idea. So perhaps, if people have questions, either raise your hand or put them in the chat box. We will take turns answering these this is the unscripted part so we'll just go with it organically. So if you have questions, please raise your hand or type them in the chat box.
Just JP: If you would like to type your question in the chat, I will likely read it out loud for everybody to hear your wonderful questions. So, we have a question coming in So somebody is asking, "Are there spaces or groups specifically for QTPOC?" That is queer and trans people of color. Thank you for that question.
Julian Cancino: So I will say that I am aware that there are some groups that are for the intersections of LGBTQ students and POC folks, people of color. I'll actually invite Madeleine, who is the director the Intercultural Center if you're still here, Madeleine I think, you know, is important to hear your voice as well. And to talk a little bit about student groups but also some of the resources that you offer at the Intercultural Center.
Madeleine Lopez: Thank you, Julián. Thank you, everyone, for joining us on this Friday evening. It is so nice to see so many people come out and welcome Julián and make this event a success over Zoom. Of course, it would be so much more fun in person, but I'm glad that this amazing host Just JP is making it a fun Friday late afternoon get together. Now to address the question of spaces for queer people of color. Both the Gender and Sexuality Center and the Intercultural Center have always practiced intersectionality. So, while our spaces may focus, for example, the Intercultural Center on supporting students of the African, Asian and LatinX diasporas, we support queer students. We welcome everyone to come and use our spaces, and we regularly collaborate with the GSC to hold specific programming. Not only Lavender Graduation, which is a signature program, but also to make sure that we address issues of support. We work together, make sure that we are welcoming in our program. If there is a speaker that would be suited for all students, we make sure to advertise it to both groups. And one of the things that students have done who have been active at the Intercultural Center is to create spaces, there used to be an official gathering for it, I don't know how it will be active during the Zoom era, that was specifically for queer people of color. And there was also a group that was specifically for blacks and Latinx queer folks. So all of these were student led initiatives that the ICC supported. Because the ICC has much larger spaces than the GSC these students would hold their gatherings at the ICC. But they were active in both spaces, again, with the transitions for all of us to be mostly online. We don't know yet who will lead those initiatives but if you want to circle back to us or just drop your name and chat, we'll see if those students are on campus or even if they are off campus to find a way to connect you with them. If Tara is still on the call she might have more to chime in as well.
Just JP: Let's give a couple seconds, if anybody else would like to add anything to that answer. Thank you so much for sharing on the spot. We appreciate that.
Madeleine Lopez: Of course.
Just JP: Esther, would you like to add to that?
Esther B.: Oh, yes. Thank you. I just also want to add that the Faculty Staff Pride Alliance is here for our queer trans faculty and staff members of color as well. So please utilize our resources and I'd be happy to connect with anyone. Thank you so much.
Just JP: Thank you. I also want to encourage folks to remember what a faculty have said here today and that this is an ongoing commitment that faculty is making. So, they have encouraged all of y'all to reach out and to get connected. If there are spaces that you feel that are needed or that do not exist yet that they should exist that is something else that, you know, should happen. There is another question on the chat, somebody's asking about LGBT speakers. Can we bring them on campus? So, whenever there is any opportunity for a speaker to come in how are we integrating LGBTQ community, LGBTQ+ community?
Julian Cancino: I think it's really important and my answer is "please, yes, absolutely!" I think the more voices we can have on campus, the more we can be integrated with our communities, and I specifically support speakers that come from our surrounding communities. Right? Waltham is really important, and we do have a lot of voices it’s great to have speakers that come from across the US, across the globe, across the US, across the globe, but let's also support our local communities. That is incredibly important. If you have an idea of a speaker that you want to bring, I encourage you to go to a wide range of options. You can get in touch with student groups. You can get in touch with any of the centers, the Intercultural Center, the Gender and Sexuality Center, the Faculty and Staff Pride Alliance. You have many options. A good place to start will be the Gender and Sexuality Center you can ask me, as the director, or you can reach out to any of our student workers. It's really important that you have options. if you want to brainstorm speakers for whatever purposes. It's really important to think about LGBT speakers beyond gender and sexuality, so if you're having discussions about, say, academic matters or anything related to your life on campus, bring a queer speaker bring a trans speaker, right? I think it's really important to also support our communities beyond our label. Right? So I am here, and I'm very excited to meet more community I encourage you to help us find those voices.
Just JP: Thank you so much, Julián Something else came through the chat as well it's not a question. It is a statement, that it is important for us to share Mark shares with us, a very important reminder discrimination and harassment of LGBTQ+ people is illegal and it's against Brandeis policy. And there are confidential resources available. The Ombuds Office BCC, Brandeis Health Center Spiritually Life Complaints can also be undertaken at the Office of Equal Opportunity. www.brandeis.edu/equal-opportunity. Thank you so much. That is a very important reminder. There is another reminder on the chat The Brandeis Queer Graduate Schooling Union it's always willing to co-host and support events, you can find them on Facebook. www.facebook.com/bqgsu They also have a really cool Listserv, and they also have a website. Oh, that's a really long link. It's on the chat and we'll figure it how to share it with folks on the re-watch. Find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/bqgsu We have a couple minutes left. So are there any other questions. You can ask me a question, too, if you like. Why not? Don't ask me questions they are the ones to answer questions. I'm just here to host. Well, it is very exciting to have this program because this program is a really cool starting point. Thank you so much for watching and for getting so far into this video if you're watching on the re-watch. I want to ask Julián if a student right now really wants to get involved what is like a very direct way that they can figure out how to get involved?
Julian Cancino: I think that that's a fantastic question. Reach out and you can get involved in many, many different ways. The opportunities are here for people who are out and very visible, but also for people who are exploring. I think it's really important for you to know that wherever you are in your journey, we're here for you. Okay? So if you are a very active, you're welcome. If you are a little shy, you're also very much welcome. I say, you know, get in touch with one of us. There are many people here in this presentation. I will say email us. You can always email me. My email is JCancino@brandeis.edu. and we'll be in touch. It can be a phone call. It could be a Zoom call. And you can also get in touch with one of our many student workers. I think sometimes having more friends is always great. You can also get in touch with us via our general email, which is GSC@brandeis.edu. I'd say that many of you already registered for this event through our newsletter we won't bombard you with emails. Okay. We want to make sure that you have the information that you need to start to build community, to learn, and grow and to be active in our community. So go ahead and sign up for the newsletter (www.eepurl.com/hbmZP5) I'm always available. You don't have to wait for my office hours whenever you want to chat. And it could literally be about anything. You can be academic subjects. It could be about TV shows. Whatever the excuse that you need to reach out, use it. What I care about is that you know that we care about you that whatever you are exploring, you don't have to wait for a crisis. You can always reach out to us just to connect. You're welcome here and we want to see you.
Just JP: Thank you so much, Julián. I want to thank everybody for being here today. We have reached the end of our program I want to say thank you again to our speakers. I want to say thank you to Mark, Julián, Landen, Juliet, Catherine, Neha, Cathy, V, Jonathan, Esther, Katy, and our GSC students I also wanna say thank you to Lena for helping us with the tech. I also want to say thank you again to everybody who is watching and everybody who is in this Zoom call. My name is Just JP if you would like to connect with the Boston drag scene and watch some shows. I have some shows coming up tomorrow you can find all about them on my Instagram. My Instagram is @DragQueenJP Very easy to remember. I am a drag queen. My name is JP. JP does not stand for Jamaica Plain; I do not live there so don't come find me there. But you can find me on the serve network because I'll be doing a little make up show with champagne starting next week on Wednesday on Twitch. Thank you so much again. Let's give a huge, huge round of applause and stay connected. Black Lives Matter and stop killing Black trans women. Thank you so much for being here.