This semester’s events from the LGBTQ-centric campus organizations

Alex Rodabaugh ‘10

Queer Coalition of Vassar College

QCVC’s semester is packed with activities and will more than satisfy those looking to reach out to the community and get a little entertainment on the side.

• The first event on Queer Coalition of Vassar College (QCVC)’s list is a collaborative effort from QCVC and the Black Students Union to foster discussion about the overlap between homophobia and race discrimination and how these factors affect individuals and the community

• Next up, GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) will be holding a Gay-Straight Alliance summit for high school students, during which a QCVC representative will offer input from the college perspective

• QCVC and ACT OUT will be working together to help Dutchess County Community College attain same-sex partner benefits

• On March 29th, QCVC will welcome Chris Vargas and Eric Stanley, creators of Homotopia, a radical queer film about queer partnerships and their relation to the state.

• QCVC is also planning the celebration everyone has been waiting for: Drag Show night in the Mug! Come celebrate your chance to let your inner Drag Queens and Kings shine

• When Parent’s Weekend rolls around this spring, QCVC will be holding a discussion for parents and families of gay students, strengthening the Vassar queer community and the understanding of its allies

ACT OUT: Student Activists for Gay Rights

ACT OUT is beginning this spring semester with an ambitious set of new projects. With five major undertakings, the group is hoping to gain as much support as it can get from Vassar students, faculty, and staff to fight for gay rights at the local and national level.

• The first endeavor is a vigil and fundraiser at Vassar on Feb. 22 for Soulforce’s second installment of Equality Ride. The Equality Riders, including ACT OUT’s own former president Curt Peterson, will visit schools around the nation with explicit rules against homosexual conduct, places where being homosexual, or even vocalizing the belief homosexuals deserve the same rights as heterosexuals, can get a student expelled from school

• On a local level, ACT OUT plans to help Dutchess Community College fight for same-sex partner rights in collaboration with QCVC

• On March 6th, ACT OUT and Vassar Dems will host a panel discussion with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) to discuss issues non-heterosexual servicemembers must deal with in the military

• ACT OUT and Vassar Democrats (Dems) members will head down to Washington, D.C. on March 26th to participate in SLDN’s Lobby Day, meeting with Representatives about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the harm of this federal law

• This summer, ACT OUT is planning a two-week long journey across New York state to personally meet and raise discussion with state senators who oppose equal marriage rights