IU students can learn more about queer professionalism, academia, advocacy and legislation at the Outreach, Amplify and Support Initiative for Students conference this Saturday.
Queer Students in Healthcare at IU, Out at Kelley, Queer Student Union and Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic will host OASIS from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Ernie Pyle Hall room 257.
"We wanted an opportunity to bring our resources and experiences together to create this professional development opportunity for LGBTQ+ students or anyone interested in our topics,” Gabrielle Wheeler, Queer Students in Healthcare at IU co-founder and president, said.
The conference will include panelists from healthcare providers, researchers, faculty members and alumni. Wheeler will be leading the panel covering gender affirming care, a practice that has been restricted in Indiana.
In April 2023, Indiana passed Senate Enrolled Act 480, prohibiting physicians or other actioners from providing gender-affirming care to anyone under the age of 18.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a class action lawsuit on March 28, challenging Governor Mike Braun’s executive order that ended the process for updating gender markers on state documents. He directed state agencies to “enforce the biological binary.” In compliance with this order, the Indiana Department of Health issued guidance to local and county health departments, ordering them to stop accepting gender change requests on birth certificates.
According to the event flyer, panelists will discuss topics including queer professionalism, queer academia, queer legislation and queer advocacy. Each panelist is invited to share their story, answer questions and open the discussion to the audience.
“The most important thing is that this will open up the idea that LGBTQ+ students are here, and we are making a difference,” Wheeler said. “We are not going to be silenced by some of the actions of the government.”
This event will serve as the first collaboration between the four organizations, but Wheeler hopes to continue this partnership for future events. This conference is free for all students and RSVP for this event will remain open until the day of the conference.
