The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center is set to kick off its trans* awareness campaign later this week at the University of Wisconsin.
Associate Director of the LGBT Campus Center Katherine Briggs said the LGBT Campus Center spreads awareness in a pattern that is woven through yearly programming.
Briggs said work at the LGBT Campus Center is not simply constricted to this week and stressed the center aims to use the week to facilitate programming particularly targeted on trans* awareness and visibility.
“Part of our mission is to serve all students and all communities,” Briggs said.
Gabe Javier, director of the LGBT Campus Center, said the idea for trans* awareness week started with celebrating Nov. 20 as the national Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Briggs said the day honors and mourns the people who have been victims and survivors of hate crimes. She said it celebrates the resilience, vibrancy, creativity and power of trans* and gender variant communities.
Javier said it is important to celebrate the spectrum and experience of the lives of people across the gender spectrum.
“[The week provides] an opportunity for us to look at our own gender expressions and genders to deconstruct the gender binary,” Javier said.
According to Briggs, the center serves as a space for mourning, celebration and community building. She said it is also important to note the week is not just focused on trans* awareness, but also about visibility for the center on campus.
Briggs said the LGBT Campus Center wants UW students and faculty to recognize they have a lot of power to make the university a welcoming and inclusive space for trans* folks and other people.
“UW folks are curious, engaged and have a lot of power to educate themselves and make campus a welcoming place for everyone no matter where they recognize themselves on the gender spectrum,” Briggs said.
Javier said he is looking forward to the week and added he hopes people will come out and show support for the trans* identified community.
Javier said the events are not just for those who identify as transgender, but are also for those who are allies of trans* individuals. He added he hopes people will come out and show support for the trans* identified community.
“We have trans* identified people as our neighbors and classmates,” Javier said. “We are really committed to all of Wisconsin and all UW Badgers, including those who identify as transgender at UW-Madison.”
Highlighted events of the week include a trans* monologue and gender spectrum open mic Wednesday at 6 p.m. in A Room of One’s Own bookstore and the Tranny Roadshow Friday at 7 p.m. in the Humanities building.
Those interested in a full listing of events can look to the LGBT CC website.
