On October 17, more than 100 students, faculty, staff and local community members joined the LBGTQIA Resource Center for their OUT Week reception and panel discussion focused on the intersections of being queer and black. 

“This has been a tough time for Georgia Tech and my hope for this event was for it to be a part of a bigger conversation on how we move forward, together,” said Aby Parsons, director of the LGBTQIA Resource Center.

Co-hosted by the African American Student Union, panelists E.R. Anderson, Lorraine Fontana, Dean Steed and Rev. Duncan Teague, for Fruits of Our Labor: Racial Justice and Queer Liberation in the Deep South answered questions about their lives and identities and their work in social justice movements throughout the South.

“The panelists were very real and open. Their insights and perspectives brought a much deeper understanding of the issues and concerns that the LGBTQIA community are facing today and over the years. This event had a great impact on me, and as usual, I learned something new about the community,” said S. Gordon Moore, Jr., executive director of Institute Diversity’s Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion.

Topics covered by the panelists included the challenges and joys of their work, how allies can become better allies to queer and trans people of color, how faith communities played a role in advancing the movement, and what attendees could take away or do right away to help create a safer campus community for members of the queer and trans community, especially for those of color.

“The panelists' discussion had me forgetting that my phone even existed, let alone that the ending of the event was quickly approaching. I found myself wishing that the mediators would be so captivated by the panelists that they would forget to check the time and let them talk forever,” said Maria Yagnye, second year Industrial Systems Engineering student.  “I wanted to learn and talk to each one individually and gather the wealth of knowledge that they each possessed. I truly believe that everyone in that room walked away with a new sense of activism and drive to further advocate for the equity and equality of all intersections of life.”

This OUT week reception and panel as held as a part of the Black Queer Lives Matter partnership between the African American Student Union and the LGBTQIA Resource Center.  The next big event for the LGBTQIA Resource center is the Trans Day of Remembrance: Stories of Hope and Resilience on November 20.