In partnership with the Stonewall National Museum & Archives in Fort Lauderdale, this exhibition explores the LGBTQ civil rights movement from the first part of the 20th century to the present day. Drawing on Stonewall’s vast archive of over six million pages of materials, including many serials and publications, we look at a time when it was illegal for gay people to congregate together. We see how in the 1950s the first gay civil rights movement developed, and many people found ways to communicate, network, and support each other. We see the impact of the 1960s cultural revolution on LGBTQ rights which led to the Stonewall uprising in 1969. The 1970s brought about an age of enlightenment and cultural growth. The 1980s saw a continuation of the fight for legal rights, while at the same time, gay men were confronted with a new and terrifying deadly disease. Despite continued opposition, progress continued, and changes were made to state laws. LGBTQ people began to see success in their professional and personal lives which ultimately led to the US Supreme Court recognizing the right to marry and prevention of discrimination based on sexual orientation.
- Welcome to Fairyland: Snapshots of Miami's LGBTQ PastRecorded May 3, 2022
Presented by Julio Capó, Jr., an Associate Professor of History and Deputy Director of the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab at Florida International University.
This lecture provides snapshots of Miami’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) past and describes those events in their national and international contexts. Stories include the Klan raid of a gay bar in 1937, a transgender woman sparking a marriage equality debate in the 1950s, the Anita Bryant-led campaign to overturn a progressive ordinance shielding sexual minorities from discrimination, the Mariel boatlift, and more.
Dr. Capó is the award-winning author of the book Welcome to Fairyland: Queer Miami before 1940 and curator of the Queer Miami: A History of LGBTQ Communities exhibition at HistoryMiami Museum. - Say Gay! LGBTQ+ Censorship and SafetyRecorded May 10, 2022
Panel Members: Peter Caproni, Associate Professor, NSU College of Psychology, Department of Clinical and School Psychology
Brandon Hensler, Executive Director, NSU Division of Public Relations, Marketing, and Creative Services
Sherry Hindelang, Fifth Grade Teacher/Team Leader, NSU University School
Jeanette Jennings, Co-Founder TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation
Moderator: Dr. Jim Doan, Professor, NSU Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Humanities and Politics
This engaging panel comprised of local parents, activists, and NSU faculty will discuss current events and topics surrounding the LGBTQ+ community. Drawing from their own experiences and expertise they will lead the audience in an interactive discussion regarding student safety, censorship, and access to information. - Fireside Chat with Misty EyezRecorded May 19, 2022
Presented by Misty Eyez Alicea
Misty will lead an Interactive discussion with the audience allowing them to gain insights into her personal life, as well as an inclusive perspective of the entire LGBTQIA2S+ community. Misty is comfortable answering questions and sharing her personal journey to offer a more in-depth understanding of transgender individuals. The audience can expect to learn about the gender spectrum, gender identity, and the history and life experiences of transgender individuals. They will also learn how to serve the LGBTQ+ population more effectively with a higher level of understanding. Providing participants the skills on how to better relate to LGBTQ+ coworkers and students.
Presented by Misty Eyez Alicea a highly celebrated and award-winning entertainer, emcee, educator, journalist, and makeup artist whose accomplishments have been featured in popular TV and print vehicles, including the New York Times. She is currently featured prominently in promotional videos and print campaigns for The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau highlighting Fort Lauderdale’s welcoming environment. She is a regular on the Happening Out Network as a guest Anchor for Queer News Tonight and a permanent Host for TRANSlation. - The Open Classroom: Queer History-- Out, Proud, and Here to StayRecorded May 21, 2022
Hosted by Andrea Nevins Ph.D., M.F.A.
Featured speaker: Kate Waites, Professor Emerita, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Humanities and Politics
As with most historically marginalized and repressed groups, Queer History is fraught, fractured, and not at all monolithic. Originally, the word “queer” was an adjective used to refer to a strange or peculiar behavior. By the early 20th century however, the word Queer became a noun, and a pejorative one at that since it referred in a condemnatory way to a homosexual. By the 1990s, a sea-change in social attitudes, stemming from two decades of political activism that began with the 1969 Stonewall Riots in NYC, led to an empowering reclaiming of both the word and the personal identifier, “Queer.” This activism was accompanied by a kind of theorizing about queerness that would add to the discourse and, once again, stretch the flexible boundaries of the word itself. Viewed through the lens of popular culture, specifically, epochal films and theatrical productions, as well as groundbreaking theoretical texts, such as Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble, Queer History is a rich and complicated account of a social and political identity formed in struggle. - The Open Classroom: Mirror Reflections-- Examining the Rhetoric of Language and InclusivityRecorded May 31, 2022
Hosted by Andrea Nevins Ph.D., M.F.A.
Featured speaker: Kelly Concannon, Assistant Professor Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Writing and Communication
Language is one of the most powerful tools through which to create our realities and it reflects what we do and do not value. While there has been progress in the cultural attitudes toward the LGBTQA+ community, language gender bias impacts all areas of private and public life. In this lecture, we will discuss the evolution of language inclusivity—paying close attention to how the language we use reinforces harmful binaries—and will explore approaches to integrating more inclusive uses of language (I.e. gender-neutral pronouns).