Welcome to the LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Collective!
Open Letter - Trans Erasure (10/29/2018)
Dear Muhlenberg Community,
Recent statements from the White House have suggested that policies designed to protect people from discrimination based on gender identity—protections that result from years of advocacy, decades of research, and a powerful civil rights movement—may be dismantled in the coming days. We have observed the College’s quick response to this action, and are writing to add our voice as LGBT faculty and staff at the College.
The LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Collective condemns this attack on the existence of trans and gender non-conforming communities. As a group of queer professionals and academics, our organization stands in solidarity with our trans, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and genderqueer community members, and as a support for our community. Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, wrote about the memo drafted by the current administration, "Here, written out plain, is their attempt to erase our very existence as transgender people. This memo reveals that this administration intends nothing short of our destruction." To our trans and non-binary faculty, staff, students and community members, please know that the Collective is with you, behind you, and alongside you. We fight with you against trans erasure and hatred. We see you. We embrace you. You are not alone. The Collective is committed to contributing our resources and voices to support actions against this attack on our community.
We encourage the community to check in with those close to you who are impacted by the news. In addition to taking care of yourselves and one another, we encourage you to get involved in the efforts occurring across our community. Consider phone banking with SQuAd and MTAC or attending their next meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday at 5pm in the Multicultural Center. Please also do not hesitate to reach out to Mark Smiley, LGBT Coordinator and LGBTQ+ Collective Co-Chair for support and resources.
In Solidarity,
The LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Collective Leadership Team (Kassie Hartford, Mark Smiley, Bill McGlinn, Andrew Ardizzoia, and Casey Miller)
The LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Collective at Muhlenberg College is committed to advancing equity and creating community for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people and their families. The caucus Collective seeks to improve the lives of LGBTQ professionals both at the college and in the wider Lehigh Valley through educational programming, social activities, advocacy and outreach. To read our mission statement and meet our leadership team, please visit our About Us page.
Events
The Collective organizes two major social events each academic year: a welcome-back potluck at the beginning of the fall semester and an end-of-year barbecue at the end of the spring term. Together with our allies, we also strive to gather and share information on the queer experience at Muhlenberg and initiate progressive community change as we visibly work for social justice and human rights.
We hold our business meeting dinner around the fourth Thursday of each month. Business meetings are generally held at 5:00 pm at the Hoffman House. Occasionally we will meet at Union & Finch (check Google Group/calendar for exact the location of our next meeting). We tend to blend in a bit, but either look for the fabulous people and/or let us know, and we’d be glad to meet you before the meeting to drive over. All community members are welcome to attend business meetings to socialize and learn more about the Collective!
The Collective also organizes occaisional outings in the community for members to engage with and be together. Outings may include seeing films, visiting art galleries, happy hours, etc. These outings allow those who are unable to attend the luncheon business meetings to interact with the Collective. Check the calendar on our Events page to see where we are meeting this month.
