"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
~Helen Keller~

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:

Try going one week without consuming any meat.

Planet Orange:
Topic: Body Image
Time: 7:30 pm
Day: MONDAY
Location: LGBT Resource Center

Planet Orange is a weekly discussion group for LGBTQ and Ally members of the SU/ESF campus community. This group gathers each week to discuss different topics of interest. Facilitated by Sean Maloney and Adrianne Musu this is a group no one will want to miss! For more information email Sean at swmalone@syr.edu

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

Who would want to miss another exciting Cafe Q?! No one! So come enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and great company Cafe Q provides. Open to anyone and everyone, stop on by for a great time.

Totally Fabulous Preliminaries
Friday, February 8th
8:00 pm
Schine - The Underground

IT'S TIME FOR TOTALLY FABULOUS VI, HOSTED BY SYRACUSE'S LONGEST LIVED LGBT UNDERGRAD UNION - PRIDE UNION! Co-Sponsored by the Black Communication Society and Delta Lambda Phi! Come watch as Nikki Fenmore hosts the battle of the beauties and the beasts as Syracuse's finest queens and kings battle to claim their place on the hill. The semi-finals showcase brings "out" Syracuse's Best and Boldest bring some friends and lets show Syracuse what a Gender Bender really looks like!

*Tips given to performers goes to Connect and AIDS Community Resources programming

Tickets can be purchased for $3.00 at the Schine Box Office

The Out Crowd!

For anyone who still has not seen the first issue of The Out Crowd, SU's new LGBT magazine, they can be found around campus or at the Resource Center. Pick one up and enjoy!

QSX 400/600
May 22 - July 5, 2008
Margaret Himley, Ph.d
Robin L. Riley, Ph.d

How do sexual and gender identities come to be named and claimed in different times and places? Are masculinity and femininity practiced in the same way in Spain and the U.S.? Why, for example, do the ancient Greeks seem 'weird' by contemporary standards, and what does that mean about our understanding of sex/gender systems historically, or across cultures and geographic borders? What is it like to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) in Spain, what is LGBT life like, and where does it happen? How do folks name themselves? How are LGBT folks represented on TV and in film and through youth culture, discussed in the newspapers, presented in churches, and defined by the government? Why did Spain, a country with a long Catholic tradition, make same sex marriage legal? What values in Spanish culture and history might have made such a radical outcome possible - while the U. S., a supposedly liberal and secular country, enforces the Defense of Marriage Act? How might we study sexuality from different disciplinary and national perspectives?

Syracuse University Madrid's course in Sexualities and Social Life in Spain (QSX 400/600) is just this exploration of sexuality in Spain as well as an introduction to the transnational and multidisciplinary field of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Studies. We will begin with a broad view of sexuality and gender studies so that we have some shared theoretical and historical concepts. Then we will learn more about the immense changes Spain has gone through in a very short period of time - from an agricultural society to an urban one, from a dictatorship to a democracy, with dramatic changes in gender and sexuality. And for most of the course we will look in detail and across many contexts at sexuality and gender identity/expression in Spain, especially Madrid - through course readings, films, guest speakers, and our own observational research. We will fieldwork together, and tour Chueca, the neighborhood north of the old city known as the 'gay village' of Madrid, and a key site of Madrid's growing and affluent LGBT community.

25th Annual
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Memorial Public Affairs Lecture
The State of the Union:
A Civil Rights Perspective
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Public Lecture
Maxwell Auditorium, 7 p.m.

There are few like Mary Frances Berry. For over four decades, she has been one of the most recognized and respected voices in our nation's civil rights, gender equality, and social justice agendas. Fighting for fairness and justice under four Presidential administrations, she lead the way as Chairperson of the US Civil Rights Commission for many years. Berry also served as Assistant Secretary for Education in the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare. One of the founders of the Free South Africa Movement, she was the first woman of any race to head a major research university, the University of Colorado at Boulder. Lauded by many honorary degrees and awards, including one of "America's Women of the Century," from the Women's Hall of Fame, Berry is never one to rest on her laurels. She continues to speak boldly for those who can't speak for themselves. Her vision of social freedom and equality, her wisdom and candor, assure her place in the future agenda of America.

Now the Professor of American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania, she teaches history and law. Her most recent book, My Face Is Black Is True: Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations follows in the footsteps of her numerous other ground breaking books. With fierce determination, Berry never backs down. She educates, transforms, and inspires us all. Her clarion call challenges everyone to stand up, get it, and don't give up the fight.

For more information on this speaker please visit www.apbspeakers.com For more information about this event, please contact the Department of African American Studies at 315-443-4302.

Syracuse University The Department of African American Studies Cosponsored by: Office of the Chancellor, Imagining America, Ws Studies Program, Department of Political Science, iLearn Dr. Mary Frances Berry Former Chairperson of US Civil Rights Commission

The Q Center @ ACR, a youth center serving LGBTQ young people ages 13-22, is looking for a graduate student to work with the arts program. Responsibilities would include arranging arts workshops, networking with area high school art teachers, hanging shows in the OUTArt Gallery, working with students to develop their own art shows. Requirements: Experience in the arts. At least 24 years old, able to pass a background check, and have reliable transportation to the Center. Pay is $11.00 an hour. 8-10 hours a week. For more information about the Q and/or the position, contact Q Center Director, Elizabethe Payne: ecpayne@syr.edu

he University of Maryland is offering a 3 week, *3 credit course on International LGBT Human Rights*. The dates are *July 14, - August 4, 2008* and will be based one week each in *Washington, D.C, Geneva and Stockholm*, the site of this year's EuroPride celebration. Applications are now being accepted at this web page.

Students will examine the current international human rights framework from the perspective of the legal and political challenges encountered in extending human rights protections to at-risk, LGBT (and same-sex-practicing) communities.

In Washington, D.C.*, the focus will be on exploring programming strategies, including various models of direct service provision, policy advocacy and political organizing with a special focus on the upcoming Presidential election.

While *in Geneva*, students will meet with United Nations representatives to discuss integrated HIV/AIDS prevention strategies and LGBT human rights initiatives.

*In Stockholm*, both before and during the EuroPride celebrations, they will explore European diplomatic and development strategies that extend support and protection to LGBT communities in hostile environments, and compare both Swedish bilateral and EU-led efforts with the efforts of the US government to extend similar diplomatic, financial and technical support to LGBT communities overseas.

Students participating on the summer study abroad course may request assistance with locating an internship in Washington, D.C. before the start of the course. Students may register through UM's summer school with the proper prerequisites. No guarantee of a placement is provided.

Graduate Student Internship - Joint appointment with Housing Services and LGBT Resource Center
Full time, 5 to 8 weeks - Flexible start and end time between June 16 and August 8, 2008.
Room and board provided. Unpaid position.

Deadline to apply: February 29, 2008

Essential Functions:

The Summer Intern will be supervised by professional staff from within the LGBTRC and from within Residence Life. Projects may include, but are not limited to:

• Training module for Housing student staff on LGBT issues
• Welcome Week programming around LGBT concerns
• LGBT-related program modules for use by student Program Coordinators
• Working with staff to develop program efforts in Stonewall Hall (LGBTIQQA living-learning community)
• Additional assignments in Housing and in the LGBT Resource Center to be determined by supervisors.

Qualifications:

Currently enrolled graduate student within a student affairs graduate program or a student applying to enter a student affairs graduate program in Fall 2008. Experience working with Housing/Residence Life or with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender students in a higher education environment. The successful candidate will understand sexual orientation, gender identity, and student development issues; be sensitive to the effects of racism, sexism, heterosexism, genderism, and other forms of oppression on the student experience; and have excellent oral and written communication skills.

Application:

Please provide the following via email (nancy.tubbs@ucr.edu): a Resume and Cover Letter explaining the relevance of the internship to your career objectives in the field of LGBT resources in higher education AND the skills you hope to gain from this internship experience. Deadline is February 29, 2008.

The University of California, Riverside enrolls approximately 15,000 undergraduate students. 25 percent of UC Riverside students live on campus in school housing. This is 75 percent of the freshman class. The student population is culturally diverse, with approximately 75% of undergraduates identifying as Asian Pacific Islander, African American, Latino/a, or Native American. The LGBT Resource Center, established in 1993, provides support, education, and advocacy regarding sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Learn more on the web at http://www.ucr.edu, http://www.out.ucr.edu, or http://www.housing.ucr.edu.

For more information, please contact:
Nancy Tubbs
Director, LGBT Resource Center
951.827.2267, nancy.tubbs@ucr.edu
James C. Smith
Assistant Director for Residence Life- Housing Services
951.827.6075, james.smith@ucr.edu

February 1, 2008 - In a unanimous decision, a New York appellate court today ruled that marriages of same-sex couples entered into outside of New York must be recognized in this state. The case, filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union, is the first appellate court decision in the state and the first known decision in the country to hold that a valid same-sex marriage must be recognized. "This is a victory for families, it's a victory for fairness and it's a victory for human rights," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU. "Congratulations to all same-sex couples validly married outside of New York State: You are now husband and husband, and wife and wife. Now we need to work toward a New York where you don't have to cross state or country lines to get married."

The case, Martinez v. County of Monroe, was filed in 2005 in State Supreme Court on behalf of Patricia Martinez , an employee of Monroe Community College in Rochester, seeking health care benefits for her female partner whom she married in Canada in 2004.

This case raised the issue of whether the time honored "marriage recognition rule," which requires New York State to recognize marriages that were solemnized outside the state, applies to same-sex marriages. The court answered with a resounding yes, holding that the couple's valid Canadian marriage at issue in the case is entitled to recognition. "If a marriage is valid in the state or country in which the marriage took place, New York law generally requires the recognition of that marriage," said Arthur Eisenberg, the NYCLU's legal director. "This case involved a straightforward application of that principle."

Martinez has been a word processing supervisor for Monroe Community College in Rochester since 1994. Her wife, Lisa Golden, was employed as an inventory control specialist and had her own benefits until she lost her benefits in the spring of 2004. The women have been in a long term, committed relationship since 2000. They own a home together, share financial responsibility for their expenses and each other's needs and have drawn up mutual wills.

"Gay and lesbian couples make the same long term commitments to each other as heterosexual couples," said Gary Pudup, director of the NYCLU's Genessee Valley Chapter. "This case highlights the fact that same sex couples are entitled to the same protection under state law." "Today's decision is a great step forward for same-sex couples in New York," said James Esseks, litigation director of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project of the ACLU. "But there is still lots of work to be done here. It's now up to the state legislature to finish the job it started last year and pass the marriage bill so that lesbian and gay New Yorkers won't have to leave the state to celebrate their commitments." To read the full decision, please visit www.nyclu.org.

The study is about coming out to parents as a lesbian or bisexual woman. They hope to learn more about the experiences and reactions that occur after coming out to parents.

Requirements for participation:

• must be a U.S. resident
• must be 18-28 years old
• must have access to a computer and internet
• must be a lesbian or bisexual woman
• must have come out to parents sometime in the past

If you are eligible and decide to participate, a series of questionnaires will be given to you through a website on the internet. You must take the questionnaires in one sitting, but will be given as much time as needed. However, it should take you between 30 minutes and 1 hour to complete. The questions asked in these questionnaires are fairly personal and may bring up uncomfortable memories; nevertheless your participation may help to better understand the needs of the lesbian and bisexual communities. Filling out the questionnaire in a place that you feel comfortable and you know is private will be up to you. We cannot and do not guarantee or promise that you will receive any benefits from this study.

To access the website with the questionnaires and to begin participation today go to: THIS LINK

Provided that the requirements for participation are met, you, the members of your organization or anyone else (friends, family, other LGBTQ oganizations) you can forward this information to are invited to participate in my research study.

For more questions/information, please contact the researcher, Erica Friedman, at efriedm1@binghamton.edu or ericajfriedman@gmail.com