Programming & Tabling
Trans Day of Visibility Sashay
Our third annual Trans Day of Visibility Sashay attracted more than 50 participants from Illinois State University and the Bloomington-Normal community. We marched around the interior of the Quad, then returned to the Multicultural Center for cookies from Grove Street Bakery and remarks by President Aondover Tarhule, Interim Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Byron Craig, and Queer Coalition Co-President Brigid Aslin. Media organizations covering the event included TV-10, The Pantagraph, and Illinois Eagle.
Queer Talks Lunch ‘n’ Learns
In collaboration with the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, Queer Coalition hosted four Queer Talks Lunch ‘n’ Learn events during fall semester 2023 and spring 2024.
- “Fighting Florida’s Stop WOKE Act” presented by Drs. Shelley Park and Jen Sandoval of the University of Central Florida (September 2023)
- “A Survey of Transgender Legislation in 2023” presented by Brigid Aslin and Samantha Vazquez (October 2023)
- “‘I Adore You Forever’: The Performative Past of Mercedes de Acosta and Marlene Dietrich” presented by Dr. Bridget Sundin (February 2024)
- “Ace 101: Asexual Representation in Fiction, Television, and Cinema” presented by Claudia Sterbini, a visiting graduate student from the University of Edinburgh (April 2024)
Nature Walks
We brought the rainbow to several natural areas in Central Illinois, including COMLARA Park, Merwin Nature Preserve, and Kickapoo Creek Park.
Cultural Heritage Chats
During summer 2024 QC members and Milner Library staff enjoyed three queer-focused presentations from the curators of Illinois State University’s diverse cultural heritage collections, including Milner Library Special Collections, Lois Jett Historic Costume Collection, and Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives.
Bloomington PrideFest
Queer Coalition Executive Board members brought our Redbird pride to The Bistro’s 6th annual PrideFest in downtown Bloomington. Despite temperatures in the high 90s, we distributed hundreds of buttons, stickers, and resource flyers, making connections with folks from across Central Illinois and beyond!