Spring 2016 Highlights

Spring 2016 was very active for us and our campus partners. Here are a few highlights!

Events

Poetry Reading (March 7). With the support of Writing Seminars, we were glad to sponsor Christopher Soto aka Loma as a speaker. Loma’s talk was titled “Our Lives Are Criminalized: Poetry Against Mass Incarceration and the Policing of Homeless Queer Youth.”

Alumni Weekend (April 9 – 10). About 30 alumni, students, staff, and faculty gathered in the LGBTQ Life office for an alumni weekend reception. We discussed LGBTQ history and our future. The following day we held an Alumni Brunch with students, at Gertrude’s restaurant at the Baltimore Art Museum. The brunch was attended by about 20 people. We are grateful for the support of the JHU Alumni Association at this event.

Lavender Celebration (April 30). We concluded the year with a celebration of our graduating students and all we had accomplished this year. This marked the third Lavender Celebration at Hopkins. Graduating students invited friends to share introductions and memories as a part of the event. About 45 students, staff, faculty, and alumni enjoyed conversation, community, and rainbow cake.

Programs and Projects

Safe Zone. Safe Zone trainings are 3 hour sessions that anyone can attend in order to learn more about the LGBTQ community. They are led by trained facilitators (who can be students, staff, and faculty), each able to offer their own perspectives and experiences. At the end of the session, participants are given a Safe Zone sticker that they can post in order to be visible supporters. We currently have 46 facilitators, which includes 7 new facilitators who were trained this semester. In Spring 2016, we trained 206 people, which is a 60% increase from fall 2015.

LGBTQ+ Intersectionality Series. We sponsored a series of events about intersections of identities, including discussions on feminism, people of color, and ability. Movie screenings and discussions brought students together to share perspectives and food.

All gender restrooms. We have continued work on identifying all-gender restrooms, which are listed on the LGBTQ Life website. On April 27, five students met to catalogue restrooms at the Homewood campus. The data collected will be combined with existing data about other buildings on campus to produce a broader picture of what is left to achieve for restroom inclusion and safety. We have also met with stakeholders from across the Hopkins institution to discuss ways to ensure that all members of community are able to access restrooms that are safe and inclusive. Efforts are ongoing at the School of Nursing and in some of the medical office buildings.

LGBTQA Community Council. On February 22, 12 representatives from various LGBTQA groups around Hopkins gathered at the LGBTQ Life office. We shared successes, concerns, and hopes. We have an email list to connect group leadership and share events. We also made plans to represent Hopkins in the Baltimore Pride Parade in July.