1st Annual Nationwide You-Are-Loved Chalk Message Project

Taking a hint from students at Drew University who put pro-gay chalk messages into their sidewalks, students nationwide will join a campaign to promote love. Messages such as "you are loved", "you are beautiful" and other positive and gay affirming messages will be written.

The project encourages everyone to go out by themselves or with a group of friends and use sidewalk chalk to create positive messages. The campaign also urges people to write an op-ed for their school newspaper about gay rights and why dialogue is needed over divisive hate speech.

What: 1st Annual Nationwide You-Are-Loved Chalk Message Project
When: Monday October 5th, 2009
Where: College campuses and high schools everywhere

*Please contact the project to let them know if your school will be participating. Also note that some private schools have policies against sidewalk chalk, so check with the administration first, and if you encounter problems in this peaceful demo please contact Jen at chalkmessages@gmail.com for help on how to convince them to allow it.

NYU's New Anti-Gay Professor

New York University Law School has hired a new Human Rights professor. Dr. Li-ann Thio, a professor at the National University of Singapore, will be teaching two courses during the Fall 2009 semester as a Global Visiting Professor of Law at NYU.

This professor has been outspoken against gay rights in Singapore. She argued before the parliament to keep statute 377A which criminalizes homosexual sex. She made outrageous claims such as "diversity is not a license for perversity" and "anal sex is like shoving a straw up your nose to drink". Dr. Li-Ann Thio calls "homosexuality a gender identity disorder" and a "moral wrong that cannot be compared to a human right." She supported a 15,000 dollar fine against a television station that portrayed a gay family and a child.

Students, LGBT and human rights activists are outraged at NYU's decision to bring in this controversial and homophobic woman.

She is scheduled to teach two classes: Human Rights in Asia and Constitutionalism in Asia. The classes are in jeopardy of being canceled since many students refuse to sign up.

Please sign the petition in opposition to Dr. Thio Li-Ann teaching at NYU.

West Coast Gay-Friendly College Fair

Campus Pride announces LGBT & Ally College Admission Fairs, specifically designed for prospective students and their families to find LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. Free and open to the public, any individual interested in LGBT-Friendly colleges/universities may attend the fair. Registration is not required prior. To exhibit, any college/university may register for a nominal fee to showcase their LGBT and Ally programs and services.

DATE
Saturday, April 18, 2009 1 PM - 4 PM
Pacific Time Zone

LOCATION
San Diego LGBT Community Center
3909 Centre Street
San Diego, CA 92103

Register your college or university here.

Equality on Campus Day - T-Shirts Available!

Equality on Campus Day shirts are now available on the Students for Equality website.

The t-shirt will be worn by high school and college students across the country on January 27th, and the proceeds will go to Lambda Legal to help revoke Prop 8.

Also, be sure to RSVP via facebook and invite your friends!

Web Spotlight: Community Psychology At Penn State Harrisburg

Community Psychology At Penn State Harrisburg is a blog about a lesbian who faced discrimination at her college. In her words she says:

"I am a graduate student who faced discrimination at Penn State Univ. of Harrisburg for creating a graduate project focused on Queer Studies. I was told my project had to be a “Women’s Studies” project because Penn State Univ. as an institution does not support Queer Studies”. While at PSH I faced verbal abuse and sexual harassment due to my gender expression as a working-class lesbian."

Trans Woman Suspended Over Bathroom Use

"A transgender Pennsylvania woman has filed a bias complaint alleging mistreatment by instructors at a community college where she was studying to become an X-ray technician.

Jamie Nicole Anderson was born male and had a sex-change operation. She says she was suspended by Harrisburg Area Community College for three days in October for using the women's restroom at a hospital where one of her classes was held.

Anderson says she was told not to use that restroom because some operating room employees felt uncomfortable about it.

Anderson says she was dismissed from the program on Oct. 30 for violating a dress code by wearing too many ear piercings.

A college spokesman says officials haven't seen the complaint to the state Human Relations Commission and don't have any comment" (Philly).

Contact Harrisburg Area Community College, demand an apology, and urge them to institute protections for transgender students and faculty members, at on and off campus facilities.

Nationwide Student Protest for Marriage Equality 12/3/08

NATIONWIDE STUDENT PROTEST
FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY

On 12/3 Walk out of class at 9 am in your own time zone.
When you leave, please leave a note on your desk or chair that says, "SCHOOL TAUGHT ME NOT TO DISCRIMINATE. SAY NO TO H8. SAY YES TO EQUALITY".

We'll leave it up to the students at each school to figure out what they want to do while they are out of class, but we encourage you all to meet up as a group somewhere nearby and protest for equal rights for everyone. Coordinate through facebook, myspace, text messages, and word of mouth.

Home Page, Facebook Group, Myspace Page

CLICK HERE to print flyers that allow you to write in a place for local students to meet up and protest.

CLICK HERE to print a flyer without adding a place to meet up.

CONTACT:
Eric Ross - eross@studentsforequality.com

Elijah Nouvelage - enouvelage@studentsforequality.com

Defending Traditional Sidewalks

Princeton University students in light of the passage of proposition 8 banning equal marriage rights in California have come up with "Princeton Proposition 8". This would ensure that sidewalks would be protected for sophomores, juniors, seniors, grad students and faculty members and make sure that freshmen activists and freshmen enablers are not permitted to betray the will of the majority of the campus. Proponents of "Princeton Proposition 8" say they love freshmen, but want to protect traditional sidewalks, while opponents say that "separate is not equal."

Out & Greek Conference 2008

"Never has there been a leadership conference to share, network and learn strategies to create safer, more LGBT inclusive fraternity and sorority communities. The Out & Greek National Leadership Conference is the first of its kind for undergraduate fraternity and sorority leaders and is sponsored by the landmark Lambda 10 Project, an educational initiative of Campus Pride. The Lambda 10 Project founded in 1995 works to heighten the visibility of LGBT members of the college fraternity and sorority by serving as a clearinghouse for educational resources and materials related to sexual orientation and gender identity/expression."

November 14-16 at DePaul University, Chicago, IL, register now!

LGBT Friendly College Fairs

Campus Pride is offering more LGBT-friendly college fairs this fall. Participation is free for all LGBT students, allies, and their families.

FALL 2008

MIDWEST FAIR
Twin Cities, MN
Friday, October 3, 2008
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Great Hall, Coffman Memorial Union
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
300 Washington Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN

EAST COAST FAIR
Philadelphia, PA
Saturday, October 11, 2008
(National Coming Out Day)
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall
University of Pennsylvania
3417 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA

LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index www.campusclimateindex.org/events Spring 2009 Dates to be announced in August 2008

Oppose Army ROTC at UMBC

According to the Baltimore Sun:

"Faculty and other members of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County community have started circulating an online petition to protest a proposed ROTC unit at the Catonsville campus, which could open this fall.

The petition says the Army's treatment of homosexual soldiers conflicts with the university's nondiscrimination policy, and also declares concern about "militarization" of the student body. Worchesky said the petition is "part of the joy of being at a university. Everyone gets to voice their opinion, and we listen to each other."

Sign the Petition!

Ding Dong the Witch is Getting an Honorary Degree?

Washington University in St. Louis is set to give an honorary degree to anti-gay, anti-feminist activist Ms. Phylis Schlafly at the graduation ceremony on May 16 in St. Louis, Mo.

Schlafly, founder of the Eagle Forum (a right-wing anti-Queer think tank) has been an opponent of LGBT rights and feminism. She has dedicated her life to being an anti-gay advocate pushing against equal rights legislation and Queer visibility within Washington U. her alma-matter.


Email the Washington University in St. Louis to let them know that having a bigot receive an honorary degree is inappropriate.

Click Here to take action on the issue!

Tell Notre Dame Sexual Orientation Ain't No Game!

According to: The Observer

"Students from the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA) will deliver a petition to the Office of the President Wednesday to add sexual orientation to Notre Dame's Non-Discrimination, PSA member Mike McCann said.

In 1998, PSA "organized the 300 person demonstration in support of Fr. David Garrick, the Holy Cross priest who was dismissed from his duties at the Basilica after coming out as a celibate homosexual priest," PSA member McCann said in an e-mail. Garrick came out in an April 4, 1996 letter in The Observer.

Garrick resigned from the University in March 1998.

Later in the year, both the Faculty and the Student Senates passed resolutions in favor of adding sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clause, McCann said.

PSA then formed a petition in Oct. 1998 to add the term and obtained more than 1,100 signatures, he said. They also held a rally before a meeting of the Academic Council and brought speakers in favor of changing the clause to campus in November, McCann said.

The Academic Council passed the motion to change the clause by one vote in November, McCann said.

On Dec. 1, 1998, "the Board of Fellows met and unanimously voted against including sexual orientation in the non-discrimination clause," McCann said.
PSA member Rob Plasschaert said 2,500 to 3,000 members of the Notre Dame community signed the petition."

Whether you are a student or alumni of Notre Dame, or just a concerned citizen. Send them an email and let them know sexual orientation/gender identity should be a protected category.

Contact Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins