Wednesday, October 18, 2023

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL EDITION

The Daily Beacon

|

Volume 144, Issue 8

|

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

|

@utkdailybeacon

2

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 18, 2023

DAILY BEACON STAFF AND POLICY INFORMATION

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abby Ann Ramsey MANAGING EDITOR: Bella Hughes COPY CHIEF: Emma Johnston NEWS EDITOR: Eli Boldt ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Macy Roberts SPORTS EDITOR: Caleb Jarreau ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR: Eric Woods OPINIONS EDITOR: Calie Wrona PHOTO EDITOR: Edward Cruz DESIGN EDITOR: Emma Fingeret ENGAGEMENT EDITOR: Makenzie Clark PAGE DESIGNERS: Katie Goss, Jibril Foronas,

Julia Paulman ABOUT THE COVER: Knox Pride Fest attendees

with the group Positively Living participate in the Pride Parade. Friday, Oct. 6, 2023.

COVER PHOTO: Amelia Beuscher / Contributor

ADVERTISING/PRODUCTION ADVERTISING MANAGER: Cullen Askew ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES: Shelby

Coppock, Jacob Stromatt ADVERTISING PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Donatella

Thomas, Ailin Lopez

CONTACTS TO REPORT A NEWS ITEM OR SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE, please email editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com or call (865) 974-2348 TO PLACE AN AD, please email admanager@utk.edu.

LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor must be exclusive to The Daily Beacon and cannot have been submitted to or published by other media.

Letters should not exceed 400 words and can be edited or shortened for space. Letters can also be edited for grammar and typographical errors, and Letters that contain excessive grammatical errors can be rejected for this reason. Anonymous Letters will not be published. Authors should include their full name, mailing address, city of residence, phone number and e-mail address for verification purposes. Letters submitted without this information will not be published. The preferred method to submit a Letter to the Editor is to email the Editor-in-Chief.

CORRECTIONS POLICY:It is the Daily Beacon’s policy to quickly correct any factual errors and clarify any potentially misleading information.

Errors brought to our attention by readers or staff members will be corrected and printed on page two of our publication. To report an error please send as much information as possible about where and when the error occurred to managingeditor@ utdailybeacon.com, or call our newsroom at (865) 974-5206.

The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee on Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters. The offices are located at 1345 Circle Park Drive, 11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year or $100/semester.

It is also available online at: www.utdailybeacon. com

Letter from the Pride Center Director BONNIE JOHNSON Director, Pride Center

Dear Volunteer community, Happy LGBTQ+ History Month! Every October we celebrate the achievements, accomplishments, resistance, lives and histories of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities in the United States. The day was created in 1994

by Rodney Wilson, a high school history teacher from Missouri who came out to his class during a lesson about the Holocaust.

The month-long observance was adopted by several prominent LGBTQ+ and educational advocacy organizations, such as GLAAD, the National Education Association, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and Human Rights Campaign, to become the month we celebrate today.

Our community’s history is often hidden due to the stigmatized nature of our identities in addition to a changing understanding of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. History is written and rewritten by those with power, leaving out the details of events, people and movements that push against the status quo.

Unsurprisingly, those often include LGBTQ+ identities and activism. What makes it even more challenging is that many historical figures that we would identify as LGBTQ+ today would have never used those labels for themselves, and they often participated in hiding their own sexualities, behaviors and/or gender diversity to protect themselves in an actively homophobic society.

On the other hand, many others were as out and proud as they could be, eschewing the public’s perceptions of them living their most authentic lives and resisting others’ attempts to erase who they were.

It’s on this spectrum of experiences that we seek connection, understanding and empowerment of our own identities and advocacy in the modern world.

LGBTQ+ history continues to be written every single day in Tennessee and beyond.

Olivia Hill was sworn in earlier this month as the first transgender elected representative in Tennessee on Nashville’s Metro Council.

Thirteen voting members of the 118th United States Congress openly identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual — the highest number in history. The UT Pride Center celebrated 13 years on campus this past February, and the Knoxville Pride Center

Director of the Pride Center Bonnie Johnson writes that LGBTQ representation is a form of power in a society that seeks to erase the LGBTQ community. Courtesy of Bonnie Johnson

celebrated two years in South Knoxville with its largest Pride Fest celebration ever.

Representation is power and resistance in a society that actively seeks to erase us.

As we gear up for another election season, seek out your community around you and wisdom from our LGBTQ+ elders who have fought so far for the progress we have today.

We need to understand and embrace the past to forge a different future. There is a rich history of joy, resistance, advocacy and empowerment around you if you just go looking for it. We suggest checking out the East Tennessee LGBTQ+ History Archive in UT Libraries.

I hope you enjoy this Daily Beacon issue themed around our beautiful community — the student journalists have done a great job highlighting different events, organizations and services our campus offers to make sure every Volunteer matters and belongs.

We have also hosted several events this month that highlight these sometimeshidden histories, including our documentary screening next week of “My Name is Pauli Murray” that profiles the gender diverse civil rights icon the Reverand Dr. Pauli Murray. We hope to see you at this event and others remaining in the month.

Stay warm, stay safe, and go Vols!

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

Wednesday, October 18, 2023 • The Daily Beacon

3

6 LGBTQ-affirming businesses to check out in Knoxville area EMMA JOHNSTON Copy Chief

It can be difficult to find local businesses that you know are affirming and supportive. In and around Knoxville, there are several LGBTQowned and LGTBQ-friendly businesses that are intentional about making customers feel safe and comfortable. Selling everything from coffee to bath and body products to secondhand clothing, here are six LGBTQ-affirming businesses in the Knoxville area to try out during LGBTQ History Month and at all times of the year.

South Press Coffee Located at 3615 Chapman Highway, South Press Coffee is known for being trans-owned and queer-friendly. Owner and curator Joslynn Fish has made it her mission to make the coffee shop a safe place for those who have been marginalized.

South Press is locally sourced, eco friendly and provides customers with games, books and music to make their time in the shop pleasant and fun. The shop sells the typical coffee shop items like drip coffee and lattes, but it also boasts a variety of unique syrup flavors that are likely to put you in the fall spirit including butterscotch, cinnamon bun and toasted marshmallow.

If you have been looking for a place to grab a latte and relax with a good book in a comfortable, LGBTQ-affirming place this fall, consider driving over to South Press.

Yum Yum’s Patisserie This pop-up pastry shop is Knoxville’s “first and only Black, female and LGBTQ-owned bakery.” Yum Yum’s Patisserie sells a variety of pastries and desserts including classic croissants, danishes, donuts, fritters and more.

In addition to being minority-owned, LGBTQ-friendly and European-inspired, Yum Yum’s Patisserie uses ingredients from several local sources. You can find treats from the Yum Yum’s Patisserie at a Wine & Dessert Night hosted at Intrepid Nitro Coffee and Tea Bar or at a pop-up shop. You can also order pastries, merch and treat boxes through their website.

For pop-up shop dates, times and locations, follow Yum Yum’s Patisserie on Instagram or go to their website.

Smoky Mountain Wax & Company Looking for a place to get a candle that smells like duck farts? Look no further. Smoky Mountain Wax & Company requires a bit longer of a drive, but this LGBTQ and female-owned candle company offers creative candle scents, wax melts and lotions as well as LGBTQ-affirming hats, aprons and decor.

Established in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Smoky Mountain Wax & Company features original

scents catered toward East Tennesseans like “Autumn in the Smokies,” “Cowboy Boots” and “Cozy Cabin.”

You can aromatize your apartment with a Smoky Mountain Wax & Company soy candle, wax melt or air freshener, or you can give yourself a nice fragrance with their herbal soaps and lotions.

Greater Goods If you’re an avid thrifter, Greater Goods might be your new favorite place to shop. This LGBTQ-owned thrift store is Knoxville’s only “pay by the pound” secondhand store, and the store’s name is indicative of its mission to serve “the greater good.”

Greater Goods opened in June 2023 and is located on Kingston Pike. One pound of clothing from the store costs $2.99, and the store’s bins feature name brands like Harley Davidson and Chaco. By shopping at Greater Goods, customers are supporting the Cancer Support Community East Tennessee as profits are shared with the organization.

Greater Goods is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m, and you can find the store on Instagram @greatergoodsthrift.

Hey Bear Cafe Hey Bear Cafe is a fan favorite of boba drinkers, and it has been serving Knoxville bubble tea for four years. As is evident on its Instagram account, the cafe is known for being supportive of Knoxville’s LGBTQ community. In June, Hey Bear Cafe celebrated Pride Month by serving a special rainbow drink aptly named Pride Punch.

Hey Bear Cafe features a food truck park behind the store with benches and picnic tables for customers to hang out at. Various food trucks and pop-up shops set up outside for normal evenings as well as for special events like live music performances and karaoke nights.

This month, the boba store is hosting a Halloween Artisan Market with pumpkin painting, axe throwing and other family-friendly activities. To keep up with what is going on at Hey Bear Cafe each week, visit the cafe’s Instagram where it posts weekly food truck and event schedules.

The Bath Lab Do you prefer online shopping over in-person shopping? Do you enjoy warm baths after long days? Then, this Knoxville-based, LGBTQowned bath product company might be for you.

The Bath Lab is an online store that covers all of your bathing needs from bath salts to bath bombs to body butter. The Bath Lab is currently selling Halloween-themed bath bombs shaped like ghosts and zombies to bring a spooky ambiance to your next self-care night.

The business holds pop-ups at other local stores, including Hey Bear Cafe and South Press Coffee, and you can stay up to date on pop-up shop dates on The Bath Lab’s Instagram.

The LGBTQ-owned business Greater Goods is a thrift store that has you pay by the pound.

October 13, 2023. Madelyn Stone/ The Daily Beacon

4

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Knox Pride Fest continues to celebrate despite state’s anti-LGBTQ legislation AALIYAH HAMMONTREE Staff Writer

Despite worries earlier in the year of antiLGBTQ legislation stopping it, Knox Pride held Knox Pride Fest from Oct. 6-8.

Because of how many anti-LGBTQ bills have been proposed or passed in Tennessee so far in 2023, this year’s Pride Fest slogan was “Celebrate. Pride. Protest.”

Pride Fest and other Pride events exist as a way to celebrate the LGBTQ community and the rights that have been won. However, protests have become an even more important avenue of change as those rights begin to be taken away.

Much of the advertising and branding this year included the colors of the transgender pride flag to show support for the transgender community. Many of Tennessee’s anti-LGBTQ laws have directly targeted the transgender community.

Pride Fest started on Friday, Oct. 6 with the parade. In spite of the rain that night, Gay Street was filled with people there to see the parade. The parade showcased many of Pride Fest’s sponsors, local groups that stand in support of the LGBTQ community and nearby pride groups like Upper Cumberland and Blount Pride.

Some groups from UT were even in attendance, like the College of Social Work and the staff from WUTK’s Out Loud Knox radio show.

In addition to the local activist and supportive groups, political leaders such as Rep. Gloria Johnson, Councilwoman Amelia Parker and the Knox County Democratic Party also marched in the parade to show their support.

These groups all showed up to showcase that there is a community and a place for LGBTQ people in Knoxville and that there are people who want to support the community.

The second day of Pride Fest was held at World’s Fair Park. There was plenty to do at World’s Fair Park. The amphitheater held performances from drag queens and musicians and had a variety block. Vendors, local resource groups and the sponsors of Pride Fest allowed people the opportunity to shop, see who was supporting this event and see what resources were available to them.

Because Pride Fest 2023 was partially themed around protest, there was also a stage where local politicians and political leaders spoke to show their support for the LGBTQ community and made promises to continue to help. Rep. Gloria Johnson was once again there to show her support as part of her campaign for the U.S. Senate.

“The attacks on the LGBTQ community are heinous and they are many, and we know that we will see more this year,” Johnson said.

“But we will stand up, push back and we will fight, but we need all of you all fighting with us.”

Positively Living Inc. and Choice Health Network at the Knox Pride Parade. Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. Amelia Beuscher / Contributor Many other current politicians and candidates for office also took the stage promising their continued support of the LGBTQ community alongside local activists. Having those politicians and activists there showed that there are people in the state who want to help the LGBTQ community in spite of all the antiLGBTQ legislation being pushed.

Despite UT’s ranking in The Princeton Review as the fourth most LGBTQ-unfriendly college in the United States, multiple UT organizations were sponsoring Pride Fest. UT Medical, the College of Nursing, the College of Social Work and LGBTQ Alumni were all there.

The Pride Center had plans to attend but had to cancel due to a COVID-19 exposure.

UT has a history of being at the top of The Princeton Review’s ranking, but in recent years, it has improved dramatically in its score on the Campus Pride Index. People from UT organizations in attendance said they were there to show that despite the university’s reputation, there are still ways for LGBTQ students to make a place for themselves at UT, which aligns with Knox Pride’s goals to carve out a space for the community in Knoxville.

Victoria Montefusco, who graduated from UT in 2019, spoke on behalf of the UTK LGBTQ Alumni Council.

“I think it’s really important for alums to know that UTK is becoming a safer space for them and for other queer students as well,” Montefusco said. “When I was on campus, I didn’t feel fully safe to be out, and I only graduated like four or five years ago. So I think it’s really important, especially in a state

like Tennessee where it can feel really unsafe sometimes, just to have this kind of presence here.”

While the political statements and promises were important to the message of this Pride Fest, there was also plenty of entertainment over in the amphitheater. Music, drag performances and other forms of entertainment filled the amphitheater throughout most of the day.

Despite public drag performances being threatened earlier this year, there were plenty of local drag performers showing off their talents throughout the day to a crowd of cheering attendees.

These performances were threatened by legislation that aimed to ban adult cabaret performances, or “adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors,” from public spaces. The wording of this bill included “male or female impersonators” which drag performers would fall under.

The bill was later deemed unconstitutional, but it was a concern when planning Pride Fest.

Pride Fest also acted as a celebration for Knox Pride itself. The final day of Pride Fest was held outside of the Knox Pride Community and Resource Center to celebrate two years of having the space and having the rent secured for 2024.

Without community support and the hard work from the organizers, Pride Fest would not be possible. Knox Pride’s staff members work year-round planning and organizing events to build and foster their community, and they continue to do so while the rights of

the LGBTQ community are being threatened.

John Camp, the CEO of Knox Pride, talked about organizing Pride Fest amidst all of Tennessee’s anti-LGBTQ legislation.

“We never planned to cancel Pride, we used that as a tool to get folks’ attention and get folks to come to action,” Camp said. “I think that over the last 6 months, we have seen exactly that. We could not have a Pride Festival if all of our community could not be involved.”

According to Camp, Knox Pride starts planning for the next year’s Pride Fest as soon as the last one ends. If an issue pops up, Knox Pride continues to push on.

“You just have to do extra on the outside for each whatever obstacle we are facing,” Camp said. “If we stopped every time there was an issue we wouldn’t be able to plan.”

The main priority in organizing Pride Fest is to make sure everyone is safe. Knox Pride works closely with the City of Knoxville to get permits, road closures and any other behind the scenes work to keep the event running smoothly and safely. At the same time, they keep an eye on political issues that threaten the LGBTQ community’s safety and plan for that as well.

Pride Fest exists to show people that the LGBTQ community is here in Knoxville and will not be going away any time soon.

“Showing a united front for our community will always be key to let politicians know we are here,” Camp said. “Pride Fest weekend is a beacon of hope and it always reminds folks we are here as a community and that will not change.”

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, Ocotber 18, 2023

5

LGBTQ social organization returns to campus after going inactive MACY ROBERTS Arts and Culture Editor

After years of inactivity, the social organization for LGBTQ students, VolOUT, has returned to UT’s campus. According to Lakin Breeden, a senior political science and anthropology major who serves as co-president of VolOUT, the club went inactive in 2018 due to a lack of interest in leadership.

Burch Harbison, a senior political science major, is also co-president of VolOUT. When Harbison and Breeden realized that the organization was inactive last summer, they worked together to register VolOUT as an official club at UT by July 2023.

They spoke on the urgency of reactivating VolOUT as an official club.

“Our biggest concern … was that state-funded departments like the Pride Center and Diversity and Engagement may have their funding revoked within the near future,” Breeden said.

“If that happens, we want VolOUT to exist now so that we can set up infrastructure that will be much needed later.”

Before it was VolOUT, the organization was known as the Lambda Student Union, which Breeden and Harbison said was founded in 1994 as a means of communication between lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning and straight students.

VolOUT previously existed under the Lambda Student Union, an organization founded in 1994 as a means of communication between students of all sexualities. Published by the UT Gay Liberation Front on June 3, 1971 However, its roots extend back to at least 1971 when the Gay Liberation Front was founded but denied official student organization status.

“The goal of bringing back VolOUT was to create a safe space for UT students, especially in our current political climate in Tennessee,” Harbison said. “We wanted to act as support for the Pride Center while still hosting events for the student body — a more direct relationship with students on campus.”

A broader scope and organization goals distinguish the current VolOUT from its past versions.

“In the past, the queer community was much smaller and more intimate than it is today,”

Breeden said. “Lambda Student Union and the first iteration of VolOUT did everything queerrelated on campus since it served a small community and was too politically radioactive for the school to associate with.”

Harbison agreed and emphasized the importance of collaboration across campus.

“Now that the stigma has lessened and the queer community has grown, so have the student organizations that cater to it,” Harbison said. “Today, it is much harder to serve the needs of the entire queer community at UTK with just one club. That’s why working with other clubs to meet everyone’s needs is integral to our strategy

moving forward.”

According to Breeden and Harbison, because VolOUT is an organization that serves the entire queer community on campus, they encourage anyone and everyone to participate in club activities.

In the past, VolOUT held a movie night with the Pride Center for Bi Pride Week, and they also tabled on Ped Walkway for Banned Books Week.

“Since the club is so new, we’re working on creating bigger events that we can continue holding yearly, similar to Sex Week and Pride Prom,” Harbison said. “But our main goal is to create a space where people can have fun and be themselves, which is something we will continue to do moving forward.”

In the future, VolOUT plans on holding more events with the LGBTQ community in Knoxville, such as hangouts at South Press Coffee and taking advantage of all the events Knox Pride offers.

“We’re both extremely proud of the progress that the organization has made so far,” Breeden said. “We’re glad we can be a part of something bigger than ourselves and help represent this community on campus. We both want to continue doing work like this in the future.”

To stay in touch with what VolOUT is doing on campus, follow their updated Instagram account, @utkvolout, and look for posters around campus with QR codes to scan for access to the VolOUT GroupMe.

6

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 18, 2023

New Kidd on the block

As the new Pride Center coordinator, English Fields brings activism and expertise to the role.

BELLA HUGHES Managing Editor

This year the Pride Center expanded its team with the addition of English Fields, a new coordinator. Fields elevates the student experience by bringing energy and activism to the Pride Center. As a coordinator, she hopes to provide a sense of likeness in identity for those who frequent the Pride Center.

Fields has taken many paths before landing at UT. She studied biology at Alcorn State University in 2007 with the intent to become the first Black female optometrist from her hometown. Her goal was to provide eyecare to minorities who were under the poverty rate.

Plans quickly changed when family hardships struck, causing Fields to leave school.

“I needed to have a mental break,” Fields said. “I also wanted to give back to my community. At that point, I went and tried to do a nonprofit called Kidd for Kids.”

Inspired by The Brown Boi Project, Fields started Kidd for Kids to support children from her hometown of Corinth, Mississippi. The Brown Boi Project is an organization composed of LGBTQ-identifying people devoted to changing the way people of color talk about gender.

Participating in the Brown Boi Projectwas pivotal for Fields because she discovered the possibilities of gender-preferred pronouns.

“It was like 14 of us from all walks of life that are doing LGBTQ social justice work. That’s when I kind of discovered outside of my box what preferred gender pronouns were,” Fields said.

Including preferred pronouns in a personal introduction is becoming a common practice. Fields faced a moment of ignorance when she misinformed people about her pronouns.

“Introducing yourself is the same scenario, ‘Hey, my name is English. I’m from Corinth, Mississippi. I go by she, her, hers, but I go by them all,’” Fields said. “In that instance, because I felt like I was ignorant in mind, I would say, ‘Oh, I go by them all,’ but I don’t feel comfort-

able saying I go by them all.”

Looking back at that experience, Fields realizes her ignorance and now recognizes gender-preferred pronouns as a part of identifying oneself.

Fields uses the she series, with the addition of Kidd — a unique pronoun that spawned from a nickname from her dressing as a “prep kid” in college.

“Kidd really is my identity because that’s something that I embody,” Fields said. “I’ve molded that from the ground up. So I dropped the rest of the genderpreferred pronouns, and I will just do she, her, hers because I know and I love my Black woman self.”

Although English had a transformative experience participating in The Brown Boi Project, her hometown didn’t agree.

“I ended up losing support with my nonprofit because it was dealing with kids and in my hometown,” Fields said.

“They were like, ‘You know, if you do this, we’re not going to support you because you’re out, but we don’t want to be too out.’”

Faced with the choice to silence oneself or continue self exploration, Fields decided to continue working in activism by participating in protests and leadership projects. She was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education for her involvement in Southerners on New Ground, an organization working to create inclusive communities that shape the future of southern regions.

After a collegiate hiatus, Fields returned to higher education at Rust College in Mississippi. There, she was heavily involved in the peer mentoring program which landed her the opportunity to serve as a White House Initiative HBCU All-Star Ambassador in 2015.

Fields set the initiative to tweak the Title IX policy to reflect LGBTQ students and faculty on Rust’s campus. In this initiative, Fields participated in theAsk Me Campaign, an interview conducted by The Chronicle that asked LGBT students to share challenges they faced within Title IX protections.

The Pride Center coordinator role is new to UT. With her extensive background in activism and grassroots community work, Fields brings experience and advocacy to the coordinator role.

English Fields speaks on a panel during Campus Pride 2023. Fields attended camp as a student in 2015 and returned as a mentor and panelist on 2023. Courtesy of English Fields

“I think coming into the role knowing that it was mostly white people in this space, I think adding me gave it a sense that they’re accepting of all minorities,” Fields said.

Fields adds a sense of identity —something many students may have struggled with before.

“Having me here to be that voice of reason in certain aspects. It was like, ‘Okay, there’s someone here that may be my skin tone or may understand what struggles I go through as a minority student,’” Fields said.

Anthony Prewitt, director of Multicultural Student Life, was on the hiring committee for Fields. The two quickly formed a friendship that led to a partnership between MSL and the Pride Center.

MSL and the Pride Center are housed under the same umbrella called Inclusive Excellence, a program designed to connect, support and relate to students of minority groups. The collaboration between two safe spaces for students allows for more connections and education.

“We curate through our programs, initiatives and resources to make this larger community smaller,” Prewitt said. “We connect students from varying identities and backgrounds to the necessary things and people that they’re going to need to be successful.”

In efforts to make UT more LGBTQ-

friendly, Fields took the initiative to attend Campus Pride — a camp for LGBTQidentifying people and allies to develop leadership skills and be around people of similar identities and interests. UT never attended Campus Pride — despite having a campus pride index of 4.5 — until Fields came into the picture.

“There’s a lack in the counseling part,” Fields said. “But I think I kind of understand why. Because if you look at the makeup of the Counseling Center, in a sense, it’s not minority friendly.”

Given a lack of minority-friendly counseling, Fields pushed for UT student participation in Campus Pride. Fields attended Campus Pride as a student and returned to camp as a mentor and panelist, bringing two students along with her.

Students were able to attend seminars, immerse themselves in a community of acceptance and bring back leadership skills they could apply within the Pride Center.

Going back to camp as a mentor wasn’t an easy choice to make for Fields, but she said it was the right one.

“It was surreal. It was a beautiful thing to go back, give back and see my students shine in another light,” Fields said.

Fields is all about uplifting others to help them live their authentic life. She hopes that her work as a coordinator will help the Pride Center continue to flourish.

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

Wednesday, October 18, 2023 • The Daily Beacon

This week’s crossword Week of 10/16/23 - 10/22/23 brought to you by

A look into WGS classes offered next spring ABBIE SMITH Staff Writer

The Women, Gender, and Sexuality program at the University of Tennessee was designed to teach students how gender and sexuality shape human culture. A myriad of WGS classes are offered each semester, often intersecting with other departments to cover topics such as women in literature, sexuality in cinema and more.

Two WGS classes that are being offered during the upcoming spring 2024 semester are Sexuality & Social Media (WGS 400: Topics in Women, Gender, and Sexuality) and Gender & Crime (WGS/Sociology 453). These classes will be taught by Alexandra Chiasson and Lois Presser respectively.

Chiasson is an associate director and lecturer in the WGS program. It is her first year at UT as an instructor, though she was an English major here until her graduation in 2015. Her research is focused on internet culture and sexuality, which easily qualifies her to teach Sexuality & Social Media this spring.

With her knowledge of the subject, Chiasson plans to make this class interesting for her students.

“Social media is intimately bound to how we discuss sex and sexuality today,” Chiasson said. “The internet is now such a fixture of our lives that it doesn’t make sense to discuss sexuality without also working to understand the social media cultures that now so often structure sexual identities, practices and communities.”

With social media becoming so prevalent in

everyday life, Chiasson hopes that this class will pique the interest of students who would like to study internet culture in the academic context.

Similarly, Presser hopes that her class on Gender & Crime will make students understand the problems of daily life as bigger than the individual. Crime can be incredibly individualized, though this course will address the question of how gender shapes harm-doing, victimization and social control.

Presser is a professor of sociology at UT, a role that she’s been in since 2002. Her research is focused on how stories and language in general shape patterns of harm. This spring will not be the first time she has taught Gender & Crime, so her history with the subject will make for a well-polished class.

The class will cover various forms of violence, much like how Chiasson’s class will focus on various forms of social media. Additionally, like how studying social media is intended to help people better understand their own use of social media, Gender & Crime aims to help students understand themselves.

“The class is designed to help students understand how their actions, inclinations and even feelings are influenced by social institutions, expectations and discourses and how they are constructed in language,” Presser said.

These classes are just two of the WGS classes offered for spring 2024. Even if these classes aren’t your cup of tea, you may be able to find another WGS class that you’re are interested in. Even though LGBTQ History Month will be over by the time these classes begin, it is never too late to become more educated on topics that pertain to LGBTQ history.

7

Hibachi Factory Week of 10/18-10/22

The Weekly Crossword

by Margie E. Burke

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ACROSS 1 Medicine 14 15 16 amounts 18 19 17 6 Furtive summons 22 20 21 10 ___-bodied 14 Hollywood's 23 24 Eastwood 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 15 Skin cream additive 35 36 33 34 16 Family fight 37 38 39 17 County of Ireland 42 40 41 18 Carton material 44 45 46 20 Palestinian of old 43 22 Stallone role 47 48 49 50 23 Airport arriver 53 54 55 56 24 Part of "GWTW" 51 52 25 "Babylon" star 59 57 58 28 9Lives spokes61 62 60 cat 30 Droning sound 64 65 63 33 Bury 35 PDF document, Copyright 2023 by The Puzzle Syndicate for one 37 He played 61 Church nook 9 Kind of talk 36 Yuri Gagarin, Archie 62 Piece of cave 10 Walking for one 39 Do some nit art 11 Coastal 38 Book end? picking?

63 Cincinnati team getaway 41 Navajo newborn 40 Very involved 64 Forest dweller 12 Sneak around 45 Brit's sawbuck 42 Minor 65 Strong, drink13 Counter current 48 Some 43 Pirate's domain wise 19 Take offense tournaments 44 Probate concern 21 How some shall 50 Contract 46 NY team DOWN remain provisions 47 Mix a salad 1 Roman 800 24 Like bachelors 51 Burn 49 Marinara alter2 Earthenware pot 25 MLB draft 52 Pantheon locale native 3 City in central decisions 53 Deal with 51 Slithered along China 26 Nonsensical 54 Voice of the 53 Collective 4 Send into a 27 Growled at, say iPhone opinion swoon 29 Stewart of song 55 Amer. military 57 Wedding 5 Pick pockets 31 Surprise win fliers follower 6 "Scarface" star 32 Mike who 56 Mirror image 59 Worker's wish 7 Certain roofers voiced Shrek 58 "Spy vs. Spy" 60 Grace period?

8 Like some losers 34 Humble nature magazine

865 - 521- 6555

Authentic Japanese Grilled Chicken, Steak, & Seafood

ORDER ONLINE NOW!

Lois Presser, a Women, Gender, and Sexuality professor who is set to teach Gender & Crime in the spring, lectures during a class. Oct. 17, 2023. Madelyn Stone / The Daily Beacon

@

8

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Bridging the gap

LGBTQ nonprofit Bryant’s Bridge reflects on its progress in housing homeless youth as it looks to its upcoming costume masquerade fundraiser.

ALLISON MURPHY Staff Writer

Bryant’s Bridge, a new non profit organization, has provided nearly two years of housing to LGBTQ youth ages 18 to 24. The organization is also coming up on a fundraiser to help expand its efforts. Proceeds from A Prideful Soiree: Costumes for a Cause will go toward creating a safe, supportive community for vulnerable people.

Bryant’s Bridge uses a housing-first model, which gives qualifying individuals a place to stay regardless of hindering factors, unlike the treatment-first model which requires sobriety or other steps. Sean Bryant, founder and former social work field supervisor, said they could not find evidence of the model being used just for youth, so they decided to try it. Residents are allowed to stay at Byrant’s Bridge anywhere from one to five years — another aspect that Bryant said sets the organization apart.

Bryant said part of his motivation was having seen Knoxville’s tent cities. The Knoxville/ Knox County Homeless Coalition’s 2020 annual report found that of 555 of the homeless people in the area, 7%, were unaccompanied youth ages 12-24. The average age was 19, and 17% of that group — almost a hundred people — identified as LGBTQ. “What would happen if we truly give young people the time they need to recover, to heal and to gain the skills that they need?” Bryant said.

“Will they be able to not be in those cities in 20 years?”

Bryant’s other motivation was his personal story of being trans, experiencing pushback and couch surfing in his early 20s. He said it takes three years to get settled and to be able go out in public in an authentic way. Most teenagers have material and emotional support from their families well into college and adulthood, and the organization seeks to stand in place for those without.

“We’re not their family, but we operate as if,” Bryant said. “What would your parents help you with?”

Bryant came up with the idea in December 2020. But in November of the next year, the organization made a leap after a high school student, Nico Clayton, worked with them for a capstone project.

The doors opened on Dec. 22, 2021. The first resident moved in before the end of the week, the second before the end of the year, and within a month, the house was full of seven people. The organization pays nominal rent and puts all do-

nations toward the residents.

They took the residents they felt were in the most need — on the streets in dangerous situations or in shelters. Many of them had been unable to keep a job.

“They didn’t have really the skill set, and they were just young,” Bryant said. “And they didn’t have family support for the most part.”

One of those reasons was the foster care system. According to Bryant, five of the seven had been in the aging out process but had not been able to earn a high school diploma or access resources they needed.

In addition to navigating life after a foster home or institution, Bryant said LGBTQ teenagers face more social challenges if they’re in a gender transition. Six of the first seven residents were trans.

“They were staying on the wrong side of shelters and being mistreated … they came to us firsthand with a lot of sort of insecurity and safety issues,” Bryant said.

Bryant has worked with those issues. He received his master’s degree in social work from UT and worked in that capacity at UT for 10 years, the last three as a field education specialist. Bryant’s Bridge continues to partner with the College of Social Work as well as the UT Psychological Clinic and area agencies to support residents based on what each individual needs. Leticia Flores, director of the clinic, trains graduate students in cultural competence to help LGBTQ clients and sees Bryant’s Bridge as a lifeline.

“I was very excited because I knew they were meeting a great unmet need in the community for trans and gender diverse youth who were estranged from family and needed a safe and supportive place to live,” Flores said.

The organization has helped 14 people so far, with 10 in just the first year. Though it’s difficult at the moment to expand and have lots of residents in just one house, they hope to streamline and grow by hiring an executive director.

On Friday, Oct. 20, Bryant’s Bridge is holding a fundraiser for the position that will be a costume masquerade at the Emporium.

“We hope that people will come out in their most fun and crazy costumes,” Bryant said.

“Now they can wear whatever they want to, but the trick is you need a mask.”

The event runs from 7-11 p.m. For a $60 ticket there will be dinner, drinks, dancing with music

by DJ Von, a presentation about Bryant’s Bridge and a silent auction featuring items from 865 Candle Company, A Dopo Pizza, a Dollywood vacation package and gifts from other businesses.

In the current house, residents have their own tasks like attending house meetings and volun-

Founder of Bryant’s Bridge, Sean Bryant, is hosting a fundraiser on Oct. 20 to expand the organization’s effort to provide housing for LGBTQ youth. Courtesy of Sean Bryant teering in the community.

The organization makes daily life happen — helping with rides to doctor appointments, insurance, food stamps and with the process of name changing, which several residents have gone through.

If young people just get what they need and have the space to learn how to use resources, Bryant said they can be OK. Community creates change, and Bryant hopes Knoxville will see more young adult housing as a result of groups coming together. He has firsthand experience, calling his hometown of Johnson City a tight community.

“I had friends who said, ‘I know you can’t believe it right now, but it’s gonna be OK,’” Bryant said. “‘You’re gonna be OK.’ And when people are really down and they’re at their lowest, I think that is something they need to hear.”

Bryant’s father was a renowned minister, and after he was outed to his mother, he lost his family, the main source of his support.

“My first girlfriend broke up with me because I couldn’t get my act together, which often happens, but she told my mom,” Bryant said. “And she didn’t do it to be mean … but my mom went into panic mode and said, ‘Don’t tell your father, it’ll break his heart. Don’t tell your brother, he’ll never accept you.’ Which, none of that was true.”

Bryant ended up in an abusive relationship and left with nowhere to go at first, eventually staying with friends and later his brother. The organization is named after Bryant’s mother and a realization he had after her funeral.

“All of my friends came back to her funeral,” Bryant said. “They came from all over the country to her funeral ... Although my mother couldn’t stand in my gap when I was coming out, she had done that for all of my friends when they had been abandoned by their families, and they had. And this is a real common thing, this gap, and that’s why I would call it Bryant’s Bridge in her memory and her honor.”

Bryant said not only did he end up with a great life, but all his friends were successful as well.

The residents have their own chance through the organization’s partnership with Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development. SEEED builds energy-efficient homes for low-income families and offers a career readiness program that teaches job skills, life skills and placement skills.

SEEED’s chief operating officer, JD Jackson, met Bryant through a UT intern assisting with the program and joined the board early on.

Jackson said several residents have completed the program so far, including one who graduated last week.

“It is great to see that that pipeline of young people just try to better themselves and get a livable wage career,” Jackson said. “We love the young people that come through Bryant’s Bridge to SEEED and try to better them.”

The most recent graduate just got her CDL license and is in school with a local truck driving company, and after that, Bryant thinks she will basically be independent. He said the success stories in Bryant’s Bridge tend to make all the resources work for them. The very first resident from December 2021 spent almost a year in the house, Bryant said, and worked with Youth WINS and Knox Pride. He got one job, then landed another at the Knoxville City-County Building and has his own apartment.

One day Bryant would like to eliminate youth homelessness in Knoxville, period. But he is starting with the LGBTQ community.

“They are the most abused and brutalized,” Bryant said. “They are the most mistreated out there, misunderstood and that’s my community.

We’re starting there.”

Bryant said their bridge may start with the house, but it doesn’t end there.

“We say ‘once a bridger, always a bridger.’

And so whether or not you live in our home, if you need us, you still have our support,” Bryant said.

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

Wednesday, October 18, 2023 • The Daily Beacon

9

A deep dive into what’s been dubbed the ‘Tennessee drag ban’ GREY MACNICOLL Contributor

On March 2, 2023, Gov. Bill Lee signed into law the Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act. Although the word “drag” does not appear in the act, Senate Bill 3 quickly gained the title of “Tennessee’s Drag Ban.” The act made a few changes to the law that determines how adult-oriented businesses operate within the state.

Firstly, the term “adult cabaret performance” in the law was officially defined, significantly including “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration” in the description.

Secondly, it made it illegal to hold an adult cabaret performance on public property or anywhere the performance could be seen by a minor. On a first offense, violators could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. However, on a second offense, violators could be charged with a Class E felony which has a minimum mandatory sentence of one year.

The worry from the LGBTQ community stemmed from the impact this bill would have

on where drag performers can even go while in drag, like parades and festivals. Another concern, due to the vague language, was for the trans community.

Ivy Kiernan, a first-year master’s student in the English department, voiced their irritation with the policies as part of the trans community. They explained that most of their frustration comes from using children’s safety as justification for most anti-LGBTQ laws.

“I feel so tired of having to coddle people whose beliefs are so fundamentally against other people,” Kiernan said.

Tennessee earned the label as the first state to ban drag, but the ban did not make it to law.

On March 27, an LGBTQ theatre troupe in Memphis called Friends of George’s challenged the law in Tennessee’s Western District Court.

Friends of George’s holds drag performances, comedy shows and plays. In their challenge, the troupe claimed that the new law would “explicitly restrict or chill speech and expression protected by the First Amendment based on its content, its message, and its messenger.”

U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker presided over the case and issued a temporary restraining order, thus stopping the act from going into law.

In his ruling, Judge Parker decided the act to

OCTOBER

20

21

be “unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad.”

John Scheb, the interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs who has taught courses in American government, constitutional law and civil rights and liberties, explained that historic Supreme Court decisions expanded the freedom of speech to include the freedom of expression.

This freedom of expression includes most performances, including drag shows. Exceptions to this freedom would be in the case of obscenity, which subsequent rulings have strictly defined, and public indecency or nudity.

“If it doesn’t meet those standards, then it’s protected by the First Amendment as any artistic performance would be,” Scheb said. “It’s kind of as simple as that.”

On June 2, the temporary restraining order was changed to permanent, thus putting the final nail in the coffin of Tennessee’s Drag Ban. But even with the bill stopped, laws putting limits on the LGBTQ community have continued to be passed around the United States.

The most recent development with Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act came when Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed to appeal Judge Parker’s decision. The appeal has yet to go to court.

22

The Demon Drag of Barber Street at Hi-Wire Brewing 9:00PM Illusions - The Drag Queen Show of Knoxville Dinner at 6 Market Square 7:00PM (Oct. 20-21, 27-28)

27

28

A performer holds up tips from audience members at a UT Halloqueen drag show. Thursday, October 31, 2019. File/ The Daily Beacon

UPCO M

ING D SHOW RAG S

Drag Bingo at The Cannabis Bar 2:00PM

29

Illusions - The Drag Queen Show of Knoxville Brunch at 6 Market Square 1:30PM (Oct. 21-22, 28-29)

Abigail Riggs Emma Fingeret

10

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Queer History class gives students community, background ELI BOLDT News Editor

Queer history, one of the many specialized first-year studies classes, brings LGBTQ history to students at the University of Tennessee.

The professor for the class, Donna Braquet, is a librarian at UT. She uses her expertise in LGBTQ history to help provide a comprehensive background for the students in an environment that encourages discussion and community.

Braquet is not a professor by trade but is able to teach this particular class because it is a first-year studies course. The class, FYS 129, allows faculty to develop a course around a topic that they have expertise in. For Braquet, LGBTQ history is something she is passionate about and actively does work in. This type of class allows students to be in a smaller classroom with a dedicated professor.

“I thought, ‘Well maybe I can find a niche in the fact that maybe students haven’t been taught much about LGBT history,’” Braquet said. “And that was something that I was interested in.”

This is at least the eighth time Braquet has taught a course of this kind. She used to teach a class called “That’s So Gay” about queerness in pop culture, but she insisted she was getting too old to know enough about current pop culture.

Teaching the history of the LGBTQ community is important to Braquet because the vast majority of students who come into her classroom have not been taught much or anything about queer history.

“I think it’s important for queer students or ally students who maybe are coming from smaller towns or high schools where they couldn’t be out — I think it’s important for them to have an academic class where they can talk about these issues,” Braquet said.

Cyrus Townsend, a freshman majoring in physics, found the class while scrolling through the catalog. He wanted to take it because he loves history and is queer. Being from Tennessee, he did not see LGBTQ history being discussed.

“I found this class and was like, ‘Oh this is definitely something I’m interested in,’” Townsend said.

Braquet is teaching the class in person after being on Zoom for several semesters and she enjoys seeing her students gel together and form a community in the classroom. Lotus Tadlock, another student in the class and a freshman theatre major, was surprised at how accepting the environment is, not only in the classroom but at UT. “It’s important to feel heard and acknowledged and to know you’re not alone,” Tadlock said. “I genuinely thought I would be alone.”

Tadlock hid themself for much of high school, only feeling comfortable to be out re-

cently. They did not know much queer history because they were never taught any.

For Braquet, choosing what to teach can be difficult because she wants to jam-pack as much information into the course as possible.

The curriculum has been refined over the years as she had to be practical with how much information she could realistically provide. The most important thing to Braquet is discussion, so she does her best to provide an overview while allowing time for talk.

The class meets once a week for 50 minutes in a bright classroom tucked away in Hodges Library. Their chairs are set up in a circle and they all face each other. Braquet often brings stickers or candy — to bribe the students, she joked.

“It’s easy for the environment to be very comfortable,” Townsend said.

The class is highly structured around visual learning and physical materials.

“I rely heavily now on archival material as a librarian, you might expect,” Braquet said. “So we watch documentary clips, we listen to clips of oral histories, we might look at a newspaper article.”

Using these documents and sources allows Braquet to show the physical history. At the end of all her presentations, she will include extra readings so her students can do more research on their own.

Braquet teaches the events that have defined the LGBTQ community over the years including the Stonewall riots and the AIDS crisis for example. But she also does her best to provide the history of queer joy and liberation.

“There are so many depressing things in queer history. It feels like we’re always having to fight for something or something horrible is happening,” Braquet said. “So I do try to make sure that there are these pieces of fun: Look we’re here. We’ve always been here. We’re going to continue to be here.”

In the class’s first meeting, Braquet taught about Edythe Eyde. Eyde created the first known lesbian publication in America, a magazine called Vice Versa. This lesson about a queer woman in the 1940s, Braquet said, helped set the tone for the rest of the semester. The lesson included a recording of songs Eyde had written about being queer.

“It warms my heart to think that queer people have always been around and they found ways to find other queer people or to bring joy to other people,” Braquet said. “Like imagine going someplace in the 40s, probably thinking you’re the only person who’s gay and then hearing this woman sing about how she wants to kiss this other girl.”

A little over halfway through the semester now, they have just gotten past Stonewall.

Stonewall is an iconic event in queer history, but many people do not know the specifics of what happened.

“As soon as you get into the LGBTQ community, you understand that Stonewall happened

Donna Braquet uses her own personal family history to teach about queer history, including finding photos of her great aunt from the 1920s. Courtesy of Donna Braquet and Stonewall led up to the pride parades, but you don’t really know about it,” Tadlock said.

“So looking into it and knowing it’s not just white, gay men — it’s everyone.”

Braquet taught the lesson with documentary footage and videos from the 1970 pride marches. While teaching about the broad American history of the time period, Braquet also taught about UT’s own Gay Liberation Front in the early 1970s and its endeavor to become a formalized club on campus. She had the students read newspaper articles about the group’s many attempts and ultimate failures to be recognized.

Localizing American history to Knoxville and relating it to the present allows students to have a stronger connection with the past.

“It’s also important for them to realize some of the recurring themes that happen throughout history,” Braquet said.

LGBTQ history in Knoxville is important to Braquet, and she has dedicated extensive time to documenting and saving it. One of her many projects is Voices Out Loud. This project chronicles the history of the LGBTQ community in East Tennessee through oral histories. She is also working to create an archive of Knoxville’s queer history. There is currently a pop-up display in South Press Coffee showcasing some of the documents, such as panels on the first Knoxville Pride and on the history of UT’s Pride

Center.

Braquet integrates these missions into her class through the final project where the students will pick something they believe should go into the Knoxville court history archive.

Tadlock wants to try and find an art piece that fits the brief.

Braquet’s passion for the subject and her discussion-led classes gave the students a safe environment to learn in.

“I’ve made friends through this class,” Townsend said. “It definitely makes me feel a lot more comfortable around campus.”

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

Wednesday, October 18, 2023 • The Daily Beacon

CEB to host ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ shadow cast ADAM DELAHOUSSAYE Staff Writer

As the leaves begin to fall with the temperature, the Campus Events Board has been hard at work preparing to premiere its annual shadow cast screening of the cult classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The screening is set to take place on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.

An annual event, CEB along with All Campus Theatre screens the film annually around the month of October in the midst of the Halloween season. Although, if you’re unfamiliar with the movie’s history, their version of watching the film may differ from yours.

Without getting into a lesson on film history, here are the details: After its initial premiere in 1975, negative reception would be wrought on the film up until a screening at the Waverly Theater in New York in 1976.

Audiences began to interact heavily with the film, providing counter dialogue and even dressing up as some of their favorite characters. Simultaneously, theater groups in Pittsburgh would begin acting out the film alongside the projection screen, and thus the term “shadow cast” was born.

For the resident shadow cast of Rocky Top, there’s a lot to be excited about as their season of scandalous spooks approaches.

If you hadn’t gathered this much already, “Rocky” is far more than a movie to these actors and this audience ­— it’s an event.

“I don’t think there’d be screenings of ‘Rocky’ period if it wasn’t for the shadow cast aspect,” said Jenni Rice, a senior double majoring in English and cinema studies and this year’s master of ceremonies. “There’s this really cool interactive experience that not only the cast gets but the audience gets to participate in as well that I think is irreplicable.”

Tradition and the event of “Rocky” extends far past the film’s 100-minute runtime. On top of rehearsal after rehearsal for the cast, they also prepare a litany of activities that can be found at most “Rocky” screenings, commonly referred to as “Virgin Games.” Here, first-time audience members — or anyone willing to participate — are marked with a large “V” on their foreheads and participate in games that include candy, absurdity and a fun foreshadowing of what — or who — is to come.

The film seems to invite this kind of interaction all on its own. Its absurdity is welcomed by audiences with open arms and bellies full of laughter at the hijinks of Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his cronies.

“It’s a performance that doesn’t take itself seriously in any capacity, and that’s

Students rehearse for their performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show, which involves themes of androgyny and liberation. Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. Parker Phegley / Contributor

Rocky Horror Picture Show has become a cult classic and the UT performace will be an interactive experience for all. Monday, Oct. 16 2023. Parker Phegley / Contributor what makes it entertaining,” Aliah Mahalati, a theater and political science double major and this year’s Frank-N-Furter said. “You don’t have to have any special knowledge of anything to enjoy it because it doesn’t really make sense. It’s just so much fun, and it still impacts people. It’s wacky, flamboyant and there’s no judgment. You’re all at (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”), you know, so who’s judging who?”

For decades now, “Rocky” screenings and the film itself have become a sense of comfort and community for many within the LGBTQ community. Mahalati and Rice stated that a large portion of their cast identifies with the community in one form or another.

It’s not hard to see why. Androgyny, liberation and self-revelation are all prevalent themes throughout the film.

Judith A. Peraino, a professor of music at Cornell, even goes on to elaborate that Brad and Janet’s immersion into Frank-N-Furt-

er’s world is reminiscent of identity being discovered.

“It’s just deeply open and experimenting with gender, sexuality and becoming a person you didn’t know you could be,” Rice said. “And I think in that time, it gave space for the LGBTQ community to explore where they otherwise couldn’t. Each character kind of represents a different possibility for a person’s identity, which I think is really important.”

The event is open to any and all students wishing to get in on the experience, though those with light and sound sensitivity should be aware of the strobes and loud noises throughout the performance. Once there, seating will be provided alongside free CEB T-shirts, and “Rocky” screening classics like lipstick and condoms.

“I’ve never met anyone who left a show and wasn’t the least bit entertained,” Mahalati said. “It’s a very fun experience.”

11 11

12

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 18, 2023

2023

Football

PICK ‘EM

Caleb Jarreau Sports Editor (30-12) oSTEM member Jacob Hatfield (left) and oSTEM president Luke Leftwich (right) study together at a meeting in HSS. Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. Abby Ann Ramsey / The Daily Beacon

oSTEM provides space for LGBTQ students majoring in STEM

ABBY ANN RAMSEY Editor-in-Chief

As a double major in biochemistry and creative writing, senior Luke Leftwich sees lots of differences in his classes from day to day — differences that do not stop at flipping from organic chemistry to fiction writing as Leftwich witnesses a contrast between the two when it comes to being an open space for LGBTQ students.

Professors and students in his STEM classes are often still affirming of the LGBTQ community, but Leftwich says there’s a difference in the demographics. While he knows many LGBTQ students in his liberal arts classes, the STEM ones tend to yield fewer LGBTQ students.

“There really isn’t a lot of support for queer people in the STEM field,” Leftwich said. “I know that maybe it seems silly like, yeah, there’s queer people everywhere, but it feels pretty alienating.” oSTEM, an organization for students who are out and in STEM, works to fill that gap and provides Leftwich and others with a space to be authentically themselves while meeting students who are in similar classes.

Leftwich, a junior and the president of oSTEM, and Chloe Mitchell, a senior neuroscience and psychology major and vice president of the club, see oSTEM as an organization that draws out the people who may feel isolated in their classes and gives them a space to connect with other students.

Mitchell noted that there are seemingly few students who identify as LGBTQ and are majoring in a STEM-related field. Not only does the space support and affirm the identities of students, but just like other clubs, it unites people through a common interest.

“I think part of the mission of oSTEM is just building that support because being a STEM major, other people sometimes don’t know

what your classes are like and what you’re going through,” Mitchell said. “And so somebody who shares your experience of, like, this is my identity as well as this is what I’m studying, it makes for a really good way to form connections with other people and to have people that share your same ideas and experiences.” oSTEM works to provide that community for students, a community that to LGBTQ students is important not only in STEM but also at UT. Chilson Whittum, a first-year graduate student in nuclear engineering, is a member of oSTEM and said that in a state like Tennessee with legislation targeting the community, having something like oSTEM is vital to wellbeing.

“Having groups like that, that you know will have your back and be a group you can fall back on and will understand you as a person not question you as a person is huge,” Whittum said.

The club fosters this community through arts and crafts-themed meetings as well as holiday celebrations. Outside of just the community aspect, though, a large purpose of the club is to prepare students for careers in STEM. They aim for their meetings to have professional development opportunities. Sometimes it’s in the form of guest speakers from STEM professions, sometimes it’s help with resumes and other times it’s simply a study night.

Because the STEM field can feel alienating for LGBTQ students, Leftwich and Mitchell said there are ways that professors make the environment feel more open or ways in which they could improve the environment. Something as simple as telling students that the room is a safe space on the first day of class can make a difference.

“I think something to emphasize is like it can be hard to speak up when you’re the odd one out in an environment,” Leftwich said. “So yeah, I definitely think including those kind of value statements when you’re teaching your class and mentioning resources, stuff like that, it really does make a difference because you feel like you want to be heard.”

Eric Woods AssT. Sports Editor (29-13)

Tanner Johnson Staff Writer (27-15)

Madeline McNeely Contributor (24-18)

Jack Church Staff Writer (23-19)

Bella Hughes Managing Editor (23-19)

Alabama 30 vs. Tennessee 17 Penn State vs. Ohio State Utah vs. USC Florida State vs. Duke Oregon vs. Washington State Ole Miss vs. Auburn Air Force vs. Navy Alabama 27 vs. Tennessee 17 Penn State vs. Ohio State Utah vs. USC Florida State vs. Duke Oregon vs. Washington State Ole Miss vs. Auburn Air Force vs. Navy Alabama 28 vs. Tennessee 21 Penn State vs. Ohio State Utah vs. USC Florida State vs. Duke Oregon vs. Wash St. Ole Miss vs. Auburn Air Force vs. Navy Alabama 31 vs. Tennessee 34 Penn State vs. Ohio State Utah vs. USC Florida State vs. Duke Oregon vs. Wash St. Ole Miss vs. Auburn Air Force vs. Navy Alabama 27 vs. Tennessee 14 Penn State vs. Ohio State Utah vs. USC Florida State vs. Duke Oregon vs. Washington State Ole Miss vs. Auburn Air Force vs. Navy Alabama 52 vs. Tennessee 49 Penn State vs. Ohio State Utah vs. USC Florida State vs. Duke Oregon vs. Wash St. Ole Miss vs. Auburn Air Force vs. Navy