All Events
Wonderful/terrible: Being non-binary in a world still trying to figure out what that means
Dr. Lee Airton
MCC Theater; Book signing in the MCC Lounge
Gender is wonderful, and gender is terrible. It is a way of finding joy in one’s self as well as community and connection with others, and it is a way that people harm each other in small and large ways on a daily basis. This is true in transgender communities, among cisgender people, and in spaces where cis and trans people share space together. For Dr. Lee Airton, the question has always been: how can each of us make gender more joyful and less harmful, for ourselves and for everyone we interact with whether we know them or not?
After a lifetime of feeling their way through the maze of gender binary expectations within and outside of transgender communities, in 2011 Dr. Lee Airton founded They is My Pronoun, the first Q&A-based blog on gender-neutral pronouns. Ten years later in 2021, they archived the blog for good because every question coming in had already been answered. In this talk, Dr. Airton reflects on the decade (2011-2021) in which they came to know they were non-binary, and society came to realize that gender is more than most people had ever thought possible. Coming out as non-binary and finding their forever pronouns (they/them) happened while Dr. Airton was starting a career as a university professor, researcher and gender diversity educator who today supports dozens of public and private organizations in welcoming all the ways people live gender. They will reflect on that experience and make predictions for the future, sharing stories from their book Gender: Your Guide that bring to life how gender is – for everyone, whether cis or trans – wonderful and terrible, but also hilarious.
– Book signing to follow in the MCC Lounge
– Co-hosted with Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity
– Co-sponsors: CITRAL, DEI, Women's Center, LGBTQ Studies Minor in the Department of Feminist Studies, Title IX
BIO:
Dr. Lee Airton is an Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies in Education at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. In 2012, Dr. Airton founded They Is My Pronoun, the first Q+A-based blog about gender-neutral pronoun usage and user support with over 30,000 unique visitors in 2017 alone. In 2016, Dr. Airton founded the No Big Deal Campaign, a national social media initiative that helps people show support for transgender peoples' right to have their pronouns used. In 2021, Dr. Airton and their research team launched gegi.ca [pronounced gee gee dot c a], the first bilingual self-advocacy resource for K-12 students who are experiencing gender expression and gender identity discrimination at school. In recognition of their advocacy work, Dr. Airton received a 2017 Youth Role Model of the Year Award from the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
Dr. Airton's first book, Gender – Your Guide: A Gender-Friendly Primer on What to Know, What to Say and What to Do in the New Gender Culture offers practical steps for welcoming gender diversity in everyday life, and has been adopted as a key professional development text in teacher education programs, school districts, public sector and private sector organizations. With Dr. Susan Woolley, they recently edited Teaching About Gender Diversity: Teacher-Tested Lesson Plans for K-12 Classrooms (Canadian Scholars Press), the first such anthology to be published.
Dr. Airton's SSHRC-funded research program on gender diversity, human rights, policy, law, teaching, and learning has received 10 merit-based research grants since 2018 alone. Their research explores how the Ontario K-12 education system is responding to the inclusion of gender identity and gender expression protections in human rights legislation, and how to make the collection of gender-based data in large studies more reflective of how gender is read and negotiated. Dr. Airton also leads an action research project in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, collaborating with staff to remove barriers for transgender and/or gender non-conforming teacher candidates. Dr. Airton is a frequent speaker and media commentator, and has been interviewed over 60 times in nationally and internationally on topics related to gender diversity. Dr. Airton’s scholarly publications have appeared in top-tier research journals such as Teachers College Record, Gender and Education, and the Journal of Education Policy."
Body Autonomy & the Overturn of Roe v Wade: A Collective Processing Space
Online
Feeling angry and confused about the state of reproductive health and rights with the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade? Concerned about how this devastating decision will impact BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities?
Join the MCC, RCSGD, Women’s Center, Health & Wellness, Student Health, Office of Black Student Development, CAPS, Feminist Studies, Chicana and Chicano Studies, Asian American Studies, and Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, for a community reflection and processing space.
CANCELLED: Voces Nuevas Latinx Author Series
CANCELLED
Event cancelled due to unforseen circumstances
Workshop Description: Join us for a reading and discussion lead by poet and playwright Darrel Alejandro Holnes, along with a roundtable panel discussion with faculty and students, and a community centered mini-reading and workshop.
Open House
MCC Lounge
OPEN HOUSE: 6-9 PM NEW DIRECTOR MEET & GREET: 6-7:30 PM
Join us at the MultiCultural Center as we kick off the 2022-2023 academic school year. Come meet our team, learn about our upcoming events and programs, meet many student organizations affiliated with the MCC, and meet our new director, Onar Primitivo, and have a discussion about community. Bring a friend or two, and enjoy a fun night in our center with small bites and entertainment! Free and open to the public.
A word from the director:
It is with excitement to join the MultiCultural Center and the dedicated, committed, talented team who is championing equity and social justice for our campus and outlying community. As I begin a new chapter with UCSB, our work towards equity and social justice is imperative and central as I serve as the MCC Director. As a part of the meet and greet, I would also like to listen at this gathering for all UCSB community members and stakeholders. Aligning with the mission of the MultiCultural Center, I want to truly understand what our undergraduate scholars and partners are thinking and share your visions as it relates to equity, justice and a sense of belonging. I think for me it’s so important to really assess, to really listen to what our needs and concerns are of our community.
Center photo by Rod Rolle.
