Thursday, August 30, 2007

A new academic year - 2007-2008

Classes at the University of Texas at San Antonio resumed approximately one week ago, and I am sure we all can tell a difference. Staff and faculty are busier as they work with students to help them follow degree requirements or learn the ropes of academic and student life success. Each student has had the chance to re-connect with those friends they were apart from during the summer and maybe even make some new friends already. However, during the first week of class or any time throughout the academic year, many students may experience an uneasy feeling.
The Allies Program is here at UTSA as a visible resource for those students who are facing the challenge of discovering new gender and sexuality issues that do not fit with what they have learned before. It is our hope that the Allies on campus can provide a safe, non-judgemental environment for any student to further discuss these issues and provide assistance as you search for resources. Just look for the symbol in offices or contact David Kessler about ways to become an Ally at UTSA.
Alpha Lambda Tau was established at UTSA as a Greek social fraternity for men who are gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning with opportunities for social interaction and educational and leadership development. As a member of the Interfraternity Council at UTSA, they participate in recruitment events and attempt to raise awareness on campus of gender and sexuality issues through service.
Lambda Alliance is a registered student organization at UTSA also known as its gay/straight alliance. This organization is open to all community members and has meetings and social events on Thursday evenings beginning at 7 p.m. in the University Center or another location on campus.
The Inclusion and Community Engagement Center is an office that will soon open in the University Center to address campus climate issues for all underrepresented populations of students and coordinate volunteer and community engagement opportunities for students. Their staff includes: Marlon Anderson, Director; Ann Margaret Trujillo, Assistant Director; Jennifer Lilly, Assistant Director. Until the official center opens, their staff can be found at the Student Activities Office.
May all of UTSA have Pride and Success!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Que Queer! - The San Antonio LGBT Community


At the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center thru September 2007
A celebration of the heritage and history of our San Antonio lesbian, gay, bisexual, Two Spirit, transgender and queer communities through art, artifacts, ephemera, images and mementos.Aquí en San Antonio, we are taught to present images through filtered lenses. Lenses that hide who we really are, that erase our histories. We aren’t allowed to tell the true stories of what it means to live in San Antonio and be brown, black, working class, poor, female, queer…
As lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, Two-Spirits, transgender and other queer peoples, our stories and the images of our lives are made invisible. Pero aquí estamos. We are here and have been for generations. The lives of Queer people and communities are a part of the fabric of San Antonio. Our stories reside on every street, in every home, in every school, in every park, in every establishment.
To tell our stories out loud is a revolutionary act.
from the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center website

The Family Comica at the Esperanza Center

The Esperanza Peace & Justice Center presents
Marga Gomez inThe Family Comica
A One Woman Theatrical Performance
Two Nights Only!Friday & Saturday Sept. 7th & 8th 2007 @ 8:00 pm
922 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212(1 mile North of Downtown on the corner of San Pedro & Evergreen St.)
Buy your tickets now! Call 210.228.0201Presale: $7 Door: $10

Marga Gomez tours nationally as the writer/performer of seven solo shows and as one of the first openly gay comedians in America. One of the most versatile Latina playwrights and actresses, she performs “The Family Comica”, a loving and lethal tour-de-force tribute to her show-biz parents. Marga was a backstage baby born in Manhattan to a Cuban comedian, known as Willy Chevalier and Puerto Rican dancer, Margarita. She portrays her mom, dad, the bodega busybody, Queen Latifah, Kathleen Turner, and all of the vivid characters in this wild but true tale interweaving a moving family saga with an all-out skewering of celebrity.

Read more about The Family Comica on the Esperanza website and check out a YouTube preview at http://www.esperanzacenter.org/.For more info on Marga, visit her website athttp://www.margagomez.com/

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center 922 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio 78212 210.228.0201

from the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center website

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Television, other media and GLAAD

It's so addicting sometimes . . . the primetime television season will begin soon on some networks while it is still a month or more away for some programs. In preparation, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has released the first Network Responsibility Index. This report critiques the public networks and their primetime television programming based on the "quantity and quality of images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people on network television."

While there are many opportunities, especially if you subscribe to the cable or satellite services, to view television programming and movies that have an actual or perceived gay character or address LGBT issues, this report covers the ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC. (Not included in this report are Noggin - where episodes (like the one entitled Pride) of Degrassi: The Next Generation and South of Nowhere continue to have LGBT teen-related storylines - and ABC Family, to name just a couple of the cable channels that also feature LGBT characters and/or issues.)

* GLAAD presents media awards each year, going beyond the major television networks, to recognize outstanding portrayals of LGBT people and their issues. To find out more about this initiative and the 2007 nominees you can visit the GLAAD: 18th Annual Media Awards website.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

1st Presidential Forum on LGBT issues - Tonight on Logo

In case you have not already heard, and if you have access to the Logo channel (Time Warner Cable channel 249), the first-ever presidential forum (like a debate but the candidates will not share the stage together) will be televised at 8 p.m. CST. Learn what questions are being asked by the LGBT community, and judge for yourself how the Democratic Presidential candidates stand on equality issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Campus Recreation - Domestic Partner Benefits

For Faculty and Staff and Students - there will be an added benefit that comes with the expansion of the Recreation/Wellness Center on the UTSA 1604 Campus: spouses/domestic partners will also be able to join. The Allies Program commends Campus Recreation on their efforts to create a welcoming environment for all individuals.

A new endeavor

Welcome to the blog space for the Allies Program at UTSA! We are excited to begin this new endeavor as an effort to utilize technology to benefit the members of the Allies Program and its constituents. After discussion among some of our members, this seems like the perfect way to share items - news stories, updates from campus offices and departments, etc. - that can be vital to continued education of Allies and reach beyond our membership so that UTSA students, staff, faculty and others can find the common thread that links sexual orientation and gender identity issues with the world around us.