As January brings a new year and a new semester, it also brings in a busy month for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services.
At this time last year, Bloomington received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.
This perfect score highlights Bloomington as one of the most LGBT-inclusive cities in the nation in 2015.
Doug Bader, the director of the GLBT office, said the month kicks off with an announcement of a name change for the GLBT office. There will be more information Monday after a press release.
After this event for the GLBT office, the office will co-sponsor an event with Union Board for Kate Bornstein on Jan. 17. Bornstein is a prominent, long-time trans activist.
The GLBT office and Union Board will work together again six days later to co-sponsor the Legacy Wall with an opening reception.
The Legacy Wall is a traveling exhibit that is part of the Legacy Project in Chicago. The project displays monuments for LGBT activists. The Legacy Wall will spend two weeks in the Indiana Memorial Union’s East Lounge.
Bauder said the exhibit will give people a chance to reflect on queer peoples’ contributions and on our larger culture.
The opening reception at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 in the IMU’s East Lounge will begin the exhibit’s two weeks on campus.
To finish the busy month for the GLBT office, the Bloomington PRIDE Film Festival will take place Jan. 26-28. Though the event is put on by Bloomington PRIDE, Bauder said the film festival originally started as a student project about 15 years ago.
“It’s really a community event,” he said. “It started with a couple of our students coming to us, but it has expanded to a community event.”
That same weekend, the GLBT Alumni Association will be host to two events that are separate from the film festival.
At 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, the GLBT Alumni Association will be host to an awards ceremony in the Neal-Marshall Center. The ceremony is for distinguished alumni and four students who are receiving the GLBT Spirit Award. According to the GLBT Office’s website, this award is presented to those who portray the spirit and strength of the GLBT office.
Additionally, Bauder said from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, the GLBT Alumni Association will be host to a reception and silent auction at Grazi! Italiano.
“We basically take over the place that night,” Bauder said.
Tickets for the event will be sold for $20 at the door, and the event is used as a fundraiser for LGBT scholarships.
According to Bauder, the weekend of the film festival and alumni events is a large and active weekend for the office. He said though it was originally the source of a lot of controversy, the GLBT Alumni Association is now one of the most active alumni affiliations and thousands come into town for the festival.
“It’s sort of our little alumni weekend in conjunction with the film festival,” Bauder said.
