"Joy is realizing that all of natures beauty exists for your pleasure."
~~

All quotes for this section are taken from: "A Book of Bliss: thoughts to make you smile." Sourcebooks, INC. Naperville, Illinois. 2002.

Green tip of the week:

Leave your blinds open during the day to heat your home with natural light to save on energy costs.

CNY Pride Families Exhibition
March 22 - April 4, 1008 The CNY Pride Families exhibit features portraits LGBT people and their families in Central New York and will be displayed in the Panasci Lounge, located in the upper level of Schine Student Center. An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, March 26, from 5:30-7 p.m. in Room 304 of the Schine Student Center. The reception will feature remarks from some of the families included in the exhibit, along with artist Ellen M. Blalock. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the campus community and the public. RSVPs requested to lgbt@syr.edu but not required.

Paving the Way:
Asian Pacific Americans in Sciences
Friday, April 4, 2008
6:00 P.M.
Syracuse University, Bird Library Room 114
The Office of Multicultural Affairs invite you to attend a Panel Discussion with Syracuse University and SUNY UpState esteem Faculty. Please RSVP to Marissa Willingham (mlwill07@syr.edu) by April 3, 2008. Mediterranean Food provided.

Panel on Bias Related Incidents
Day: Tuesday, April 8th
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: Maxwell Auditorium
The undergraduate student group for LGBT students, Pride Union, will be hosting a panel discussion to discuss bias-related incidents on campus. Under- represented students make up a large group of oppressed people on campus, and can sometimes be the target of hate crimes. This panel discussion is intended to help create a plan to improve safety on campus, and establish criteria for how best to respond to these situations where hate is carried out. If you would like to be on the panel, or would like more information, contact Pride Union President Kath Fidler through email kefidler@syr.edu.

William E. Jones
Screening and discussion with film maker
Acclaimed experimental filmaker William E. Jones presents a selection of his recent videos, which address issues of power, visability and queer desire though the recontextualization of found images ranging from gay porn to police surveilance films. Thursday, April 10th
7:00pm
Watson Theater, Watson Hall

Planet Orange
Topic: Planet Orange Gives Back
Time: 7:30 pm
Day: Monday
Location: LGBT Resource Center

Planet Oranger is a weekly discussion group for undergraduate LGBT identified students and their allies. This is a safe space for participants to discuss a range of topics and socialize together. The group is facilitated by Adrianne Musu Jackson-Buckner and Sean Maloney. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information please contact Sean at swmalone@syr.edu.

Cafe Q
Time: 8:00 pm
Day: Thursday
Location: LGBT Resource Center

Cafe Q is the place to be on a Thursday night. Open to all people it is far beyond any coffeehouse you have ever been to. With events ranging from spoken word to open mic, and from game night to guitar hero ... everyone always has a good time at Cafe Q. For more information contact Lauren at lgbt@syr.edu.

Day: Wednesday, April 9th
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Watson Theater, Watson Hall

Mara Kiesling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), will speak on the state of the transgender movement in the United States and the recent debacle in Washington over the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The NCTE is a 501(c)3 social justice organization dedicated to advancing the equality of transgender people through advocacy, collaboration and empowerment.

NCTE Fundraiser!
After Mara's talk there will be a fundraiser for the National Center for Transgender Equality at the Sugar Pearl Espresso Bar and Lounge, 600 Burnet Ave. Admission is $20, but those who can donate more are encourage to do so. Space is limited. Reserve you spot by contacting the LGBT Resource Center at lgbt@syr.edu.

The LGBT Resource Center has two openings for the position of Student Office Assistant and one for Web Media Assistant/Graphic Designer for the 2008-2009 academic year. A detailed description of each position is listed below. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and a copy of your Fall 2008 class schedule (if available) to Lauren Adamski, Program Coordinator, at lgbt@syr.edu. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, April 9th.

Student Office Assistant Position Description:
The LGBT Resource Center is looking for two student office assistants for the 2008-09 academic year. This is an office position of a generally routine nature. It usually includes: answering the phone, reception of visitors, filing, sorting, maintaining records, providing information, running errands, word processing, data entry, operating basic office machines, and checking out resources for our visitors. Staff will be expected to engage in ongoing projects central to the mission of the LGBT Resource Center. Sensitivity to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and allied students, staff, and faculty is a must. Skills in Microsoft Office are essential. Applicants must have Federal Work Study.

Web Media Assistant/Graphic Designer Position Description:
The principal responsibilities of this position include regular maintenance of the LGBT Resource Center website and design/development of various public- relations materials marketing LGBT Resource Center events, programs, and services. Experience with Adobe programs such as Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Illustrator is required, as well as the ability to complete design tasks in a timely fashion. Also, the Web Media Assistant/Graphic Designer will assist with office and clerical duties of a generally routine nature on occasion. Sensitivity to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues is required. Federal Work Study preferred, but not required.

Free Admission. Refreshments served.

Friday April 4th
transparent
In a world that sees only pink or blue, "transparent" presents the extraordinary stories of nineteen transgendered men from fourteen different states who have given birth. 100%
Woman
As the first transgendered athlete ever named to a national team, Canadian downhill mountain biker Michelle Dumaresq is testing the boundaries of gender in sport.

Saturday April 5th
The Bubble
This contemporary, queer Romeo And Juliet is the story of the love between two young men, one Israeli and one Palestinian, and the forces that conspire to drive them apart.

Thursday April 10th
William E. Jones
Queer filmmaker William E. Jones will screen and discuss several films related to queer memory, porn and histories of surveillance.

Friday April 11th
Gloriously Free
A powerful profile of gay immigrants to Canada who are seeking refuge from the injustice and violence they experienced in their homelands.
Truths and Transformations
This film probes whether the gay community should embrace traditional institutions or find ways to preserve their queer identity now that marriage is becoming legal.

Saturday April 12th
Itty Bitty Titty Committee
Winner of the 2007 Best Film award at South by Southwest, this raucous film follows a recent high school grad's transformation from a shy, insecure girl to a radical womyn.

Each night will additionally include a variety of short films.
Questions? Contact Ellen at ecroyse@syr.edu

There are a pile of surveys on the coffee table for students to partake in. They are brightly colored and half a page in size. Each survey asks questions about religious beliefs and utilization of campus services. If individuals would fill out these surveys and return them to Sean Maloney at the LGBT Resource Center, it would help Hendricks Chapel in improving services to the LGBT community on campus.

NUFP is a nationwide, semi-structured mentoring program for undergraduate students wishing to explore and better understand the field of student affairs and/or higher education. Students and mentors apply as a pair, and if selected are provided the foundation to establish a semi-structured mentoring relationship at their institution. Students, once selected, are known as Fellows, and are also given the opportunity to attend a national conference, participate in paid internships, and participate in the Summer Leadership Institute, a student leadership program designed to prepare participants for a career or graduate education in Student Affairs and Higher Education Administration.

To be considered for admission to the NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program, each applicant must meet the following requirements:

• Identify as Black/African American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino(a), Indigenous (Native American, Alaskan, Hawaiian), Multiethnic, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, or as having a physical or psychological impairment
• Have a 2.2 cumulative GPA at the time of application
• Have the support of the institution's chief student affairs officer

Syracuse University's application deadline is Wednesday, April 16.

Students and/or potential mentors interested in learning more about NUFP and the application process can contact Tae-Sun Kim, associate director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Syracuse University's NUFP Coordinator, at ktaesun@syr.edu or 443-9676.

A trustee & alumni of the University, Alex Nason, is donating $10,000 to be used for a student directed wellness initiative. There will be a planning meeting on April 8 with students to generate ideas on how to best use the money to benefit students. If you are interested in participating , are unable to attend the meeting but still ideas, or if you would just like more information contact Michelle Gallant at mpgallon@syr.edu.

By Patricia Farrell Aidem, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 03/26/2008 08:43:04 PM PDT

When a gay teenager was gunned down earlier this year at an Oxnard school, the violence resulted in the unexpected: Young people, gay and straight, rallied across the nation for civil rights.

And even at an age when they're grappling with their own fragile sexuality, teens weren't afraid to stand up for the classmate who had been different.

"In middle school, you don't think about your own sexuality so much as you think of what society thinks is normal for kids, and you try to blend in," said 18- year-old Luis Roman, a gay community college student and youth leader for the Gay-Straight Alliance, an advocacy group active on high school and middle school campuses.

"So for these kids to come out and say that just because he was gay, that isn't a reason to get shot, that was mind-blowing to see that courage, for kids to stand up.

"Unfortunately, it took something of this level to make people realize there are gay people, there are lesbians, there are bisexuals, and they're part of our society."

The slaying of 15-year-old Lawrence King on Feb. 12 and the reaction to it illustrated a social shift characterized by gay youths "coming out" younger and their straight counterparts learning the art of tolerance.

"I think we want to hope that, when something awful like that happens, there are going to be people who stand up against it," said Stacy Sigman, a licensed family counselor who works with families grappling with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender relatives.

"Larry's death has the potential to pick up that speed. This person will not die in vain." Roman is confident things are changing.

This was one of those turning points in society," he said. "It was a reality shock for everybody. They realized, `Hey, people are being bullied, and we're not doing anything about it."'

But even with an estimated 35,000 openly gay students in the Los Angeles Unified School District - a number based on general population statistics - teenagers, school officials, private counselors and advocates agree there's a long road ahead to wipe out discrimination.

"While there is increasing acceptance, the world's still a hostile place for gay teenagers," said Virginia Uribe, a retired LAUSD counselor and founder of the district's Project 10, a support program for gay students.

The Division of Student Affairs Civic Engagement and Sustainability Council is hosting an event to showcase student work related to civic engagement and sustainability. They are inviting students to submit completed visual media pieces on sustainability issues to be considered for the video exhibit. The Sustainability Showcase will be held in conjunction with Earth Day and MayFest on April 22, 2008, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., in Room 304, Schine Student Center. Please encourage your students to submit their completed film, video, documentary or broadcast journalism piece for the Council to consider including in the Sustainability Showcase.

Videos must be submitted on a disc (CD or DVD) with the individual or team name and team members clearly marked on the disc. Students also must include a copy of the information form attached, filled out in its entirety, and include it with their piece.

Submit pieces by Friday, April 18 at 5 PM to:

Sean Maloney
LGBT Resource Center
750 Ostrom Ave
(315) 443-3983
swmalone@syr.edu

Four Friday Nights at Maxwell Auditorium 7:30-9 p.m.

April 4: Pauline Cecere, LCSW, has a private practice of psychotherapy in Cazenovia, NY. She is a long-time Vipassana meditation practitioner and, with Dr. Scott Treatman, has co-taught the Mindful Living and Stress Reduction in Central New York since 1999. http://www.dharma.org

April 11: Paula Miksic, a practioner of Nichiren Buddhism for 35 years as a member of the Soka Gakkai International-USA, currently holds responsibility as the Director of Peace and Community Relations for the East Territory of SGI-USA and is a Vice General Director of SGI-USA. She has lectured on Nichiren Buddhism as practiced by SGI at colleges and universities, participated in numerous interfaith venues and United Nations NGO related activities representing her religious tradition. www.sgi-usa.org

April 18: Rev. Jikyo Bonnie Shoultz is a Zen Buddhist nun who is a student of Roko Osho Sherry Chayat, abbot of the Zen Center of Syracuse, and Buddhist Chaplain at Hendricks Chapel. www.zencenterofsyracuse.org

April 25: Andy Hassinger, a student of His Holiness Domo Geshe Rinpoche for 24 years, has been leading a Tibetan Vajrayana practice initiated by his teacher in the Gelugpa tradition at the Zen Center of Syracuse for 11 years. www.zencenterofsyracuse.org

For more information, call Juliana Bondor, 908-246- 5350

QSX 112 Sexualities, Genders, Bodies - Margaret Himley (MW 3:45-5:05)

WRT 422 Stranger than Fiction: Studies in Creative Nonfiction - Minnie Bruce Pratt (MW 12:45-2:05)

CFE/QSX 300 Queer Youth/Straight Schools - Elizabethe Payne (TTH 12:30-1:50)

WSP/SOC/QSX 300 Queer Families - Lorraine Herbst (TTH 2:00-3:20)

HIS/QSX 389 LGBT Experience in American History - Susan Branson (TTH 2:00-3:20)

ETS 360 Cinema and Sexual Difference - Steven Cohan (MW 2:15-3:35 & screening on W 7:00-9:50)

The Michigan State University LBGT Resource Center seeks an experienced professional to serve as its Assistant Director. The Assistant Director will support the Center's focus on inclusive, campus wide education; connectivity of the student experience with academic, career, international and social justice competencies; and enhance the quality of Center services. This is a full-time, 12 month, APA 12 position. For full information, please see: http://lbgtrc.msu. edu/ad08.htm

They are currently conducting their dissertation research and would like to invite students to participate in a study focusing on a neglected research area of eating issues in men, in particular gay men. The study is a web-based study that will take approximately 20-25 minutes to complete. Both gay and heterosexual men between the ages of 18-25 can participate in the study. Previous or current experiences with eating issues are NOT necessary to participate in the study. It is hoped that the information gathered from this study will help in the prevention and treatment of eating and body image issues in gay and heterosexual men. If you are interested in participating please click on the following link:

http://tinyurl.com/2lbvge

Two Amazon.com gift certificates will be raffled off at the end of the study for those that choose to participate in the study and enter the drawing.

If there are any questions about this study please contact Catherine Do at catherine-do@uiowa.edu