We started the meeting with introductions and the ice-breaker, "most awkward elevator story."
We discussed the change in language from "gender neutral housing" to "gender inclusive housing", and how gender neutral housing sounds very specific and not as encompassing as gender inclusive housing. We discussed some details of the upcoming campaign, such as getting parents of our members to write supportive letters about gender inclusive housing that we can attach to our proposal.
We then split up into 3 groups: a handout group, a petition group, and a website group, all centered on the gender inclusive housing campaign.
The handout group worked on handouts to give out when StandOut tables on West Mall next week. The handouts include a logo, a brief description of the campaign, and a tinyurl to the gender inclusive housing tab on our website.
The petition group worked on creating a petition for UT students to sign, and how to best ensure that the petition will be easy to access while making sure that only UT students are able to sign it (so as to have realistic stats on student support).
The website group worked on adding a new tab to StandOut's blogspot for gender inclusive housing, and worked out what information to include and how to organize it within the post. They also made a tinyurl for the new tab: www.tinyurl.com/inclusivehousing.
StandOut provides a platform for positive queer political activism and an inclusive environment for LGBTQ individuals and allies throughout the University of Texas at Austin.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Be an Ally!
StandOut is having an "Ally Campaign" all semester to gauge the climate of UT students who are allies and support the LGBT community. The campaign is designed to encourage students to critically think about what it means to be an ally, as well as educate students about the issues affecting LGBT persons.
What is an "Ally"?
An ally is a member of the majority or dominant group who works to end oppression by supporting and advocating for the oppressed population.
What can you do to be an ally:
Speak out against homophobia or if you hear someone using homophobic slurs on campus.
Reach out to LGBT students on campus and get a sense of their experiences as an LGBT person.
Get involved in activism for LGBT rights at UT. Attend rallies on campus or contact your representative when anti-LGBT legislation is being pushed.
Get to know the GSC and the resources it provides to students.
Get to know the various LGBT student organizations on campus, and attend one of their meetings.
Be aware of the issues affecting LGBT persons, at UT specifically or nationwide:
Faculty and staff who aren't married don't have their partners recognized by UT. Therefore, the partners of all LGBT faculty/staff are denied important health insurance and other benefits.
UT does not offer "Gender Neutral Housing" as many other large universities do, resulting in many transgender or gender-nonconforming students to be put in uncomfortable, intimidating, or unsafe living conditions.
Similarly, UT lacks the option of gender-neutral restroom facilities in many buildings.
Nine out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experienced harassment at school; three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation; and about one-third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe (GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2009).
It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (2006 National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: An Epidemic of Homelessness).
You can be legally fired in 29 states, including Texas, for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
55% of transgender youth report being physically attacked, and 33.2% of transgender youth have attempted suicide.
For more information, check out:
UT's own Gender and Sexuality Center: http://www.utexas.edu/dive
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network:
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-b
StandOut: Advocates for Queer Equality
Meetings Tuesdays, 7-8pm SAC 3.112
What is an "Ally"?
An ally is a member of the majority or dominant group who works to end oppression by supporting and advocating for the oppressed population.
What can you do to be an ally:
Speak out against homophobia or if you hear someone using homophobic slurs on campus.
Reach out to LGBT students on campus and get a sense of their experiences as an LGBT person.
Get involved in activism for LGBT rights at UT. Attend rallies on campus or contact your representative when anti-LGBT legislation is being pushed.
Get to know the GSC and the resources it provides to students.
Get to know the various LGBT student organizations on campus, and attend one of their meetings.
Be aware of the issues affecting LGBT persons, at UT specifically or nationwide:
Faculty and staff who aren't married don't have their partners recognized by UT. Therefore, the partners of all LGBT faculty/staff are denied important health insurance and other benefits.
UT does not offer "Gender Neutral Housing" as many other large universities do, resulting in many transgender or gender-nonconforming students to be put in uncomfortable, intimidating, or unsafe living conditions.
Similarly, UT lacks the option of gender-neutral restroom facilities in many buildings.
Nine out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experienced harassment at school; three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation; and about one-third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe (GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2009).
It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (2006 National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: An Epidemic of Homelessness).
You can be legally fired in 29 states, including Texas, for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
55% of transgender youth report being physically attacked, and 33.2% of transgender youth have attempted suicide.
For more information, check out:
UT's own Gender and Sexuality Center: http://www.utexas.edu/dive
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network:
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-b
StandOut: Advocates for Queer Equality
Meetings Tuesdays, 7-8pm SAC 3.112
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Meeting Recap 9/13/11
The meeting began with this video:
Introductions:
Name, major, year, and which famous person you'd like to have dinner with.
Highlights included:
As part of our awareness campaign we have broken up the work into 4 groups covering different areas of action.
Demonstrations Group:
Mark Bingham was a gay man on flight 93 on 9/11 and helped lead a charge against the hijackers and prevented the plane from reaching its intended destination.
Introductions:
Name, major, year, and which famous person you'd like to have dinner with.
Highlights included:
- Einstein
- Schrödinger
- Harvey Milk
- Bayard Rustin
- Lady Gaga
As part of our awareness campaign we have broken up the work into 4 groups covering different areas of action.
Demonstrations Group:
Direct Action workm so they focus on sit-ins, sleep-ins, die-ins, rallies, protests, etc.
Our first action of a "Campaign Kickoff Celebration" will be on Sept. 26th!
Our first action of a "Campaign Kickoff Celebration" will be on Sept. 26th!
- We decided to hold a carnival event from 11-3pm at Gregory Plaza
- The goal would be to kick off our awareness campaign
- We would try to get tons of random people to attend
- We would like 3 tables with:
- Ally face paint
- Ally pictures booth
- Fliers on both StandOut and other queer orgs
- We would additionally like music and will be looking to the MEC for speakers, possibly working with QPOCA
- We need to develop a way for people to sign up for times
Advertising Group:
Makes flyers, covert chalk operations, other means of advertising
We discussed the most effective methods of advertising on and around campus. Ideas included:
Video Group:
Working on filming different people about queer issues in a variety of contexts.
The date we are going to film our first video is now Friday, September 23rd from 12-5 in the afternoon!
Makes flyers, covert chalk operations, other means of advertising
We discussed the most effective methods of advertising on and around campus. Ideas included:
- Posting fliers weekly on kiosks
- Having the "Ally" colored signs or something similar for us to distribute online and at events so that people can post it on their dorm windows or doors
- We want to concentrate on posting in high traffic areas such as Welch, Jester, RLM, the PCL and other libraries, and also reaching out to typically "heteronormative" pockets of campus, such as the engineering/non-liberal arts buildings
- We want to get approval from as many stores on the drag as we can to allow us to post our campaign fliers in their windows
- We will begin flyering immediately after the "Campaign Kickoff Celebration" that the demonstration group is organizing
Working on filming different people about queer issues in a variety of contexts.
The date we are going to film our first video is now Friday, September 23rd from 12-5 in the afternoon!
- We decided that we are going to have a second video asking people to define what it means for them to be an ally or queer individuals, and ask them for their defining moments in either respect
- We would like to film around three during coming out week and post them to the StandOut Youtube page and ask for submissions which we can put all together as a coming out as an ally or queer individual video series
Web Group:
Sets up the website to coordinate all the action and getting people to visit the site.
The Web group started their project this meeting with everyone making their own Ally Sign!
The meeting ended with everyone participating in the Web Groups project and making an Ally sign and taking a picture.
Sets up the website to coordinate all the action and getting people to visit the site.
The Web group started their project this meeting with everyone making their own Ally Sign!
- Our first project is to create a stop-motion video of people holding an Ally sign
- We also discussed future plans for how to get more people to make one
- We were small this meeting, come join us!
The meeting ended with everyone participating in the Web Groups project and making an Ally sign and taking a picture.
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| Torsten Knabe - Secretary |
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| Ashley Hall - Co-Director |
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
First Meeting
Our first meeting was a huge success. We had over 50 people in attendance! This post will be a recap of the meeting for anyone interested.
We started by introducing the officers who introduced what Standout has done in the past, and ideas for this semester such as trans housing, volunteer events, and an awareness campaign.
Then every other person found a new seat and introduced themselves to the person next to them. Everyone then introduced to the group the person next to them with their name, major, year, and 'Song of the Summer'.
Next, everyone went around and put up an answer to four questions with markers on big sheets of paper. When we were done we discussed each question.
What queer issues are most important to you?
- Asexuality issues
- Homeless advocacy
- Trans housing on campus
- Coming out
- ENDA
- Protecting the GSC
Queer individuals that inspire you?
- Lady Gaga
What brought you here?
- The desire to help others
- Showing people queer people aren't harmful
How do we make change?
- Volunteering
- Advertising
- Conversations with people
- Protests/Rallies
- Lobbying
The remaining portion of the meeting held announcements.
- HangOut starts 8/31 from 10pm-12am at the Starbucks in the Union, and is every Wednesday at the same time and place.
- The Queer Welcome Carnival is 9/2 from 5-9pm in the Rec Sports Center
After the meeting a large group headed down to TCBY for some frozen treats!
Please join us for our next meeting 9/6 from 7-8pm in SAC 3.112 Balcony Room B everyone (including allies!!) is welcome.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Welcome Newcomers!
We want to welcome all orientees and new students this summer. We also want to invite anyone from Orientation week 4 to go to the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) today from 3-4 to meet with the StandOut officers and other queer organizations on campus. Everyone be sure to check out our first meeting of the fall semester on August 30th at 7pm in SAC 3.112 Balcony Room B, it will be a blast!
Click the button below to add our first meeting to your Google Calendar.
Below are the minutes from a sample meeting from a previous semester so anyone interested can get a feel for how meetings are run and what the organization is like. Click on the links in the minutes to see the fulfillment of our plans or for more information about a topic.
Click the button below to add our first meeting to your Google Calendar.
Below are the minutes from a sample meeting from a previous semester so anyone interested can get a feel for how meetings are run and what the organization is like. Click on the links in the minutes to see the fulfillment of our plans or for more information about a topic.
We started by viewing:
Daily Show with Jon Stewart clip – Ken Mehlmen
Introductions and ice breaker question – Which human rights activist do you find most inspiring?
Discussion:
Discussion:
Coming Out Week – What should StandOut do for our event for Coming Out Week?
- “Coming out closet” door on West Mall for people to sign
- Have a kiss-in with the door display
- Rally?
Remaining time was a discussion on Competitive Insurance Benefits:
- Overview of the issue
- Faculty Benefits article
- Cooperation vs Separation
• Scott Parks, UT Student Body President spoke at meeting:
- Board of Regents has ability to change CIB policy
- All appointees of Gov. Rick Perry
• Done in other states
- Using the language “Other qualified individual” allows it to go around DOMA laws
- Want to bring together faculty, staff, alumni, and student groups who are
all in support, but are separate
• There is a void in unified voice for UT at the capitol
- The bill will be most effective with broad coalition of support
- Elliot Naishtat is expected to introduce the bill
- More powerful if someone unexpected brought up issue in session
- StandOut will serve as a student voice for CIB
- Possibilities of what we can accomplish for CIB as a student org:
- Testifying in front of Congressional committees
• Easy to do
- Letters to editor
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| CIB Rally on Valentines Day 2011 |
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Meeting Time and Location for Fall 2011
All meetings are every Tuesday from 7-8PM in SAC 3.112 Balcony Room B, starting 8/30/11 and ending 12/13/11. We finally got a consistent room for every meeting!
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South Entrance![]()
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Map of SAC:
http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/sac.html
North Entrance
North Entrance
South Entrance
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