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ARTS/West Athens Presents the Musical “Fun Home”
ARTS/West Presents Fun Home, the 2015 Best Musical Tony Award Winner -Music by Jeanine Tesori -Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron -Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel -FUN HOME is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com Athens, Ohio – ARTS/West will present the musical Fun Home, taking place at ARTS/West… Read More

Nearly half of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide, survey finds
By: Rina Torchinsky | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — Nearly half of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, according to a survey from the Trevor Project. The Trevor Project, an organization that provides crisis support for LGBTQ youth, published its annual survey this week. The survey found rising rates of suicidal thoughts, as well as significant… Read More
Shawnee State University pays $400K to professor who refused to use a student’s pronouns
By: Jonathan Franklin | NPR
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PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (NPR) — A public university professor in Ohio who was disciplined four years ago for refusing to use a transgender student’s pronouns is being awarded $400,000 following a lawsuit against the university. Nick Meriwether, a philosophy professor at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio, sued the college in 2018 after he was disciplined… Read More

House Republicans introduce Ohio version of the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMUBS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Lawmakers are proposing legislation in Ohio that would ban schools from teaching about “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” to students kindergarten through third grade. The bill, HB616, is similar to language used in a Florida measure which came to be known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. It is also legislation… Read More

Supreme Court Delivers Major Victory To LGBTQ Employees
By: Nina Totenberg | NPR
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The Supreme Court says the federal ban on discrimination “based on sex” also applies to gay, lesbian, and transgender employees.

Transgender Health Protections Reversed By Trump Administration
By: Selena Simmons-Duffin | NPR
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Trump has reversed Obama-era protections that prohibit discrimination in health care based on gender identity. Critics warn the rule could harm a vulnerable group — LGBTQ people — during a pandemic.

Film, “The Gender Revolution” and Panel Discussion
Welcome parents, teachers, community members! Learn more about gender diversity and how to support our transgender and gender non-conforming students. We will be showing the 2017 documentary, “The Gender Revolution” followed by a panel discussion that includes a transgender/gnc high school student, a supportive teacher, a supportive parent of a transgender/gnc student, and a former… Read More

Kasich Signs Order Against Gender Identity Discrimination
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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Gov. John Kasich has included a new category into state protections against discrimination in an executive order he signed Wednesday. But those protections might not last very long. Kasich’s order includes gender identity, which wasn’t included in previous executive orders or in state law on discrimination. This is a change for Kasich, who says he’s a conservative but… Read More

Queer Touring Bands Find Their Own Spaces in Athens, Ohio
By: Devon Hannan
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By Devon Hannan Between bars and commercial venues, lines can be blurred in terms of what makes a safe space actually a safe. For bands on tour, efforts made my space owners around the country soon become very apparent. Are space owners actually providing a safe space to include artists of all backgrounds and identities… Read More

Finding Diversity in Theater
By: Seth Eggenschwiller
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Young people all across the country are speaking up and calling for a more inclusive culture that celebrates a wide diversity of experiences. OUtlet reporter and freshman theater major Seth Eggenschwiller explores students’ push for their vision of a more diverse and inclusive theater division at Ohio University. Here in Athens, diversity is a noticeable… Read More

Film Festivals and Queer Film Representation
By: Kenyetta Whitfield, Tanner Bidish
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Recently queer films like moonlight and call me by your name have been embraced by mainstream audiences but there are still issues with queer film representation within cinematic spaces. The Outlet’s Kenyetta Whitfield spoke with some folks involved in the queer film world about the importance of having a space for movies about the queer… Read More

Queer Representation in Video Games
By: Anna Turner, Ian Kenyon, Kay Jurma
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A new generation of queer video game developers are trying to expand the options for LGBTQ gamers and change the narrative when it comes to queer representation in games. The Outlet’s Anna Turner has more. People often think players of video games like Overwatch are heterosexual men…but that’s not the case. Waverly Wilson is a queer… Read More

Gender Neutral Housing at Ohio University is Expanding this Fall
By: Michael Kromer, Salgu Wissmath
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This Fall Gender Neutral Housing is expanding at Ohio University. It’s a regular Thursday afternoon for Alex Petras. He lives in a cramped single room in Smith House on the back of South Green. Located about a 15 minute walk from the center of campus, Smith is currently the only dorm at Ohio University offering… Read More

Queer Fashion
By: Delaney Murray, Juli Holbert
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Fashion has historically been a means for folks to facilitate and express cultural elements through identification and unification. Queer fashion specifically has helped LGBTQ+ individuals recognize, meet and connect with other members of the community. The OUtlet’s Delaney Murray and Juli Holbert explore and define queer fashion through the decades. “Queer fashion” has always existed,… Read More

LGBT Media Action Activism Podcast
By: Brittany Irwin, Mikaela Ashburn
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The students taking LGBT Media action this semester have been hard at work. Their most recent stories have been focusing on activism. Listen as Bee Irwin and Mikaela Ashburn host a podcast featuring the class’ activism stories.

New Policy Restricts Book Access for Inmates in Ohio Prisons
By: Anna Turner, Salgu Wissmath
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There is a program in Columbus that is helping prisoners in Ohio get books, but a new policy is making that harder. It’s a typical Sunday evening in the living room at the Midden, a housing cooperative in Columbus. Paintings made by inmates lean against the coffee table, and volunteers circle the dining room table… Read More

Generational Activism
By: Juli Holbert, Tanner Bidish
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Activism has long, historical roots in the United States that are sewn into the Constitution. The right for individuals to peaceably assemble has, and does, pave the way for groups to achieve political goals. But has activism changed? The OUtlet’s Juli Holbert takes a look at how different generations view protest and activism. Nina Richner,… Read More

Business Power: Athens businesses try to combat harassment
By: Devon Hannan, Kenyetta Whitfield, Ky Cobb
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While some activists show support for their causes by creating signs and publicly protesting, others are using other methods to create and influence change. One local group is working with local businesses to help create a more welcoming environment for people from all walks of life. People’s Justice League is an organization dedicated to creating… Read More

Activism Through LGBTQ+ Centers
By: Adriana Navarro, Michael Kromer
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The sound of presenters at the Ohio University LGBT Center discussing craftivism rings through the room. Today’s craft is feminist banners, and the participants challenge their peers for short but witty words to display in their craft. The center is quite literally the center for a lot of activism at Ohio University from members taking… Read More

Self-care as Activism
By: Delaney Murray, Mikaela Ashburn
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In 2018 it seems like there is always something going on, and there are constantly new causes to fight for. Julian Shepherd is no stranger to fighting for something. Shepherd is a junior studying English Creative Writing and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and treasurer of Intersectional Feminist Alliance (IFA). Shepherd refers to herself as… Read More

Athens LGBTQ Legacy Project
The School of Art + Design proudly presents the “Athens LGBTQ Legacy Project,” a historical tour, stories, film and panel discussion facilitated by Becky Chmielewski, at Seigfred Hall’s Mitchell Auditorium April 13 and 14. “The Legacy Walk,” will begin at Seigfred Hall on Friday, April 13 at 4:30 p.m. and conclude at Athens Uncorked by 7:30… Read More

#NeverAgain in Athens
By: Kay Jurma, Seth Eggenschwiller
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On February 14th, 2018, 17 lives were lost in a high school in Parkland, Florida to an active shooter with an assault rifle. As ripples of grief passed through the United States the following weeks, Americans were crudely reminded that over 30,000 people die each year due to gun violence. Since the shooting, several activist… Read More

The Colors of Pride
By: Kalila Bell, Kenyetta Whitfield
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Wearing a hot pink hello kitty fleece, filling the air with their warm voice is Athens resident, Pop Peterson. Peterson identifies as Black, Latinx, pansexual and genderfluid. Pop also uses the pronouns they and them. “I carry my blackness on my sleeve wherever I go,” said Peterson. Pop’s perspective on their blackness is one shared… Read More

Transgender Faith Leaders Answer the Call to Become Prophets
By: Delaney Murray, Michael Kromer, Salgu Wissmath
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Attending an affirming church is not always an option for members of the LGBTQ community, so queer people often have to seek out nontraditional ways to do faith. For transgender people who are called to serve as clergy, there are a handful of protestant denominations that will ordain them. However for those in denominations that… Read More

LGBTQ…K?: Kink’s Place in the Alphabet Soup of Queerness
By: Juli Holbert, Ky Cobb
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As more people find acceptance in the LGBTQ community for a wide range of sexual and gender identities, conversation within the community has turned to the question of what defines queerness…“Kink” culture has been a visible part of Pride events and parades in the past, but whether BDSM IS queer remains unanswered. In other words;… Read More