Russ White 0:00
Jesse Bilas director and Oprah jenelle is assistant director of Michigan State University's lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender Resource Center. That's a Division of Student Affairs and services. And Jesse and Oprah, great to welcome you both to the show. Hi, thanks so much for so glad to be here with you. Thank you for having us. And Jesse, why don't we start with you tell us a little bit about your role at the center. What do you do?

Unknown Speaker 0:25
Great. So my name is Jesse Bo. I'm the director for the LBD trc. As you've already said, I use they them pronouns. A lot of what I do in the center is our trainings and workshops for faculty and staff, curriculum development, doing consultation services to make sure that our departments all over campus are as LGBTQ a plus inclusive as possible. And I supervise a fabulous staff team that includes Oprah.

Unknown Speaker 0:50
Hi, I'm Oprah. Now I'm the assistant director. As was mentioned, I use she her hers pronouns. And I do our large scale programming primarily. So our LGBTQ History Month trans day of remembrance, trans day of visibility, our lavender reception pride, prom, those huge events that take a lot of planning and a lot of moving pieces, also over our student facing trainings and workshops. So I'll go to different students staff across campus, our resident assistants in residence halls, new student orientation leaders, and train them on LGBTQ inclusion. I also advise our alliance for queer and allied students, and do general support for students who come into the Resource Center connecting them to resources across campus.

Russ White 1:41
And you know, you've both started to answer this a little bit. But tell us more about what the center does. What are some of your short and long term goals for the center.

Unknown Speaker 1:51
So the LBD trc is a home away from home for a lot of queer and trans students across campus, we have a family room where people are often found napping or watching endless YouTube videos. But mostly just hanging out connecting with one another finding community because chosen community is so important to us in the LGBTQIA plus community. We do tons of trainings and workshops, we do all of the beautiful and amazing programs that Oprah just listed, and so very many more. But I think for me, at the end of the day, our job is we affirm that LGBTQ plus people on our campus, and in particular, our students are perfect and whole and complete exactly as they are. And we celebrate, affirm and empower them.

Russ White 2:36
Oprah, what would you add? Guys?

Unknown Speaker 2:37
What is there to add? That was like the perfect answer. That's great.

Unknown Speaker 2:45
Yeah, I would say, um, I mean, we are a resource center, right? So we're kind of that middle person. So Jesse has done a great job of making connections across campus. So when a student comes in, and they're like, you know, this thing happened, Jesse is able to go through the Rolodex of people they know, and say, Oh, I can connect you to this human in that college, who can support you with making the choice on that, or to figure out how to fix that. And so many of our students like our campus is so huge, right? So they come to us. And we have to connect them so that they can get support at other places. And that's why it's so important that we do all the workshops and trainings and keeping our website up to date with Glock, a glossary of terminology so that folks who are just sitting in their offices can go, gee, I heard this word today, what does that even mean? And they can try to figure it out to best support students. And I think that we do a great job of that. Our website has so many resources on it. So folks really don't want to talk to a human, they can always go to our website and explore more about our community. I'm glad you gave that, that shout out. So

Russ White 3:56
a little bit more about how people can engage with the center Jesse,

Unknown Speaker 4:01
if it's okay for me to just go back for one second, I do want to give a shout out to our coordinator, Morgan Doherty. Morgan is responsible for that amazing website and keeps up with all of the resources on there and is currently in the process of actually updating everything for the new school year. So there's three of us that are full time professional staff in the office.

Russ White 4:24
So a little bit more about how people can engage with the center Jesse,

Unknown Speaker 4:27
the easiest way for faculty and staff to engage with our center is to either attend one of our trainings or workshops or to bring us in for consultation. So we have the quest program, which is our curriculum. Right now. We are just doing that in person. And by in person. We mean over zoom currently, but eventually we'll be back on campus and doing it in person. And then in August, we'll have an online quest program for folks to take at their own pace. For consulting services you can bring us in to look at what you're doing the paperwork you have The forms that you ask folks to fill out to look at your practices, and how students, faculty and staff interface with your office so that we can ensure that you're being as LGBTQIA plus inclusive as possible. For students, I think the easiest way for folks to engage is to well, a start with social media, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, our website, or to come to one of our many events and programs. Oprah, I'd love for you to talk about new to you, um, and some of the other ways that students will be able to engage with campus when they get back.

Unknown Speaker 5:31
Absolutely. So um, our new two year program runs six weeks, those first six weeks after everything starts to calm down. And I say that with like, money years, because, you know, September, and October, like folks are just full speed ahead with everything on campus. But we do run a six week on new LGBTQ students a campus resource sharing community building events, and it's a series of events, all announced before students even get to campus. But it's all geared towards making campus a little smaller. So students don't feel so lost, because it's very easy to get lost on mscs campus, between your classes and your residence hall. like trying to find that space where folks know your name, they know your pronouns, and you matter, and you can show up. And when you don't show up someone notices, right? Like, if that doesn't happen, lots of students maybe don't come back for their second year, their third year. So it's really important to make campus smaller. how students can get involved when they first show up this year, August 31. We're planning in an evening of new student welcome events. So we'll have a welcome event for LGBTQ students of color. Right after that the large new student welcome. And then a welcome for graduate students to campus so that folks can start building that community. It's especially important for graduate students, because they are in their building. Their cohort might be like four people, they might be the only queer trans person in their four people cohort. So how do they make community outside when you know, from sunup to sundown they're in their building in their classrooms are or working their teaching assistant jobs? So we really try to make sure that we have something for everyone.

Russ White 7:30
I'm talking with Jesse Beale and Oprah journal from Ms. Us lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender Resource Center. And you've both talked about the pronouns. Could you explain the pronouns and also the various letters with the A plus added on?

Unknown Speaker 7:46
Sure. So pronouns are words that we use in place of your name. So most people have pronouns that they expect people to use for them when they're not in the room. Right? The most common ones are the he series he him his or the she series, she hers, her, she her hers, I think it's important for folks to remember that they've done theirs pronouns has been used as a singular, since I think it's 1375. Right? Oprah, you are correct, very, very early. So this is not a new thing. But it feels like a new thing to a lot of people because they haven't heard about folks using they as a singular for people who have a non binary or transgender identity, right? I use they them pronouns, those are the pronouns I expect for Pope people to use for me, when I'm not in the space, or when they're talking about being when I'm even in front of them. And I've been using those pronouns for a really, really long time. All they take is a little bit of practice, people can be very helpful and creating an inclusive space for transgender and non binary folks by simply using the pronouns that we asked you to use for us. And all it takes a little practice. I mean, you know,

Unknown Speaker 8:55
I agree. Yeah, it's, a lot of the pushback will be, you know, how do I even how do I even learn what a person's pronouns are? Well, you ask you, right, you don't assume that you know someone's pronouns. Because when you assume that you know, someone's pronouns, you assume that, you know, you know, their gender, and when they wake up the words that they use for themselves in their brain and in their heart. And we don't know that by looking at someone, what you're doing is you're taking cues from their body, from the length of their hair. Sometimes from a name on a on a list, you might just have a roster for your classroom. And so, you're assuming so much from so little, when all you have to do is really ask someone who they are and get to know them, like when you meet that person actually meet them, and leave whatever bias stereotype stuff that you might have to try to put someone in a box really quickly. Like As humans, we want to know, as much as we can, with as little time spent as we can, right like I want to put you in a box so that I can Move on. But we that hasn't served people for a long time, it hasn't served all of us for a very long time. And it's very damaging, very harmful. So if folks are propelled to create more inclusive environments, like one thing is to take your time and and ask people, their pronouns provide a space for them to share them. So Jesse mentioned a while ago, like intake forms, website forms where, you know, students can sign up for a meeting at a spot in there for them to add their pronouns that way, you know, when that student comes into the room, how to talk about them in a way that's respectful

Unknown Speaker 10:37
for you said, one of my favorite things that you say in trainings and workshops, which is when you meet somebody, meet them, right, don't assume things about them, get to know them for the perfect, amazing human that they are in the world. Absolutely. And want to add one tiny thing to that, which is for folks who are not transgender or non binary, or who don't use a gender neutral pronoun, the easiest thing you can do to normalize and make it okay for people to share their pronouns is to just share yours, right? And that may happen in your email signature, or it could be Russ, you could so easily say, Hi, my name is Russ. And these are the pronouns I use. And that gives me as a non binary person in the world a little bit more space to say, Hey, I'm Jessie, I use they them pronouns. Thanks so much, right. So some of the job is not just ours, right? Some of the job is everybody else's,

Russ White 11:25
and explain the inclusive significance of the a plus.

Unknown Speaker 11:29
Oh, yeah, that's great. So you'll notice that we're the LBGT RC, right, which is not the common usage of the acronym, but that's our name right now. And so a lot of folks tend to have questions about that. The more current acronym is either LGBTQ a plus or LGBTQ i a plus. And so that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, a gender. asexual, and plus means on and on and on and the rest of the acronym right, because the problem with the acronym is we're going to leave somebody out unless we have it go very, very, very, very long time. I jokingly call it the ever expanding acronym. Which I get to make that joke. I don't know that, you know, people who don't belong to the LGBTQIA plus community get to, but you know, no, no, the answer. Um, but I think the more inclusive way to have the acronym these days is to include the plus sign to indicate that there are more identities that are not included in the first set. Because we are ever growing and we are huge. And we are not just one community.

Russ White 12:40
Yes. Oprah anything to add. Friends speaks my mind. Well, and of course, June is Pride Month. How do you celebrate pride month? Why is pride important to celebrate?

Unknown Speaker 12:50
Yeah, so Pride Month is June, internationally. And that commemorates the Stonewall uprising from 1969, which was several nights of protests against police brutality. And the following year was celebrated as pride and then year after that, and year after that. So look it up if you don't know much about Stonewall, but it is internationally in June, our campus and many college campuses celebrate in May or April, because that's when students are still on campus. They usually leave right after that for summer breaks. But what we do, we have what I call our big three, which is we start off with a pride month kickoff in April. And then that goes into our pride prom, which is usually around the end of that week, which is just an opportunity for folks to get together dance, play games, eat some food and hang out last year, we were able to have it in the MSU museum on campus, which is really exciting to partner with the amazing MSU museum folks, and to get to have that space. Because a lot of students if they were out in high school or not, weren't able to go to their prom with people that they wanted to go to go with or dates that they wanted to go with or wear the clothing that feels the best for them at their high school prom, so it's really important to give folks an opportunity to show up just as they are as amazing as they want with with as much glitter as they want glitter on last year. So it's very exciting. Um, but yeah, and then we close out our big programming pieces in April with our lavender reception, which is our LGBTQ graduation ceremony that we have historically held at Kellogg, but this year we did virtually, which was an adjustment, but still wanted to honor our LGBTQ graduate students at all levels. Bachelor masters, PhD MD, anyone who is LGBTQ and graduating gets to print To speak on that.

Unknown Speaker 15:01
I think everything you said was awesome. And pride month this year with a little bit different right in April for our students on campus. It's a little bit different for us to all of us LGBTQIA plus folks across the world with COVID-19 happening. And I think what you said Oprah at the very beginning about us remembering that pride began as a protest against police brutality, is really important given where we are today with the protests that are happening all the time, it's really important for us to hold fast to the pride is not just parades and glitter, and rainbows and all of those wonderful things. It's also a fight for freedom. And for me, pride has a special significance this year, that is good for us to remember and hold on to because a part of being queer in this country, in my opinion, is struggling to create more freedom and more space for all of us to exist.

Russ White 15:55
Would you like people to understand about the LGBTQIA plus community at MSU? in sort of a two part question, is there either a fact you'd like to reinforce or a myth you'd like to dispel about the community?

Unknown Speaker 16:11
Sure, I think for the LGBTQIA plus community at MSU. I think we can't think about it as if it's just one community, right? The LGBTQIA plus communities are diverse. And LGBTQ plus people exist in every, you know, employee group, and every racial identity, and every religious group and every student group all we're everywhere. I don't say that to sound scary, but we are, we're everywhere. And we are so representative of the diversity that makes MSU so beautiful. And there are so many, many ways to engage with us. So we've talked a lot about how faculty and staff can engage with our center and how students can engage with our programming and with each of us as individuals. But there's a few other ways to engage with the LGBTQIA plus communities on campus. One is epic, our employee pride and inclusion coalition, which is our faculty and staff organization for LGBTQIA. Plus, folks, they're fabulous. They just got relaunched at the beginning of this past year. So they're about a one year anniversary, but they've existed for a long, long time under a different name. And that's a fabulous way if you're LGBTQIA, plus identified and want some community member community with other faculty and staff, fabulous way to get involved. We also have an LGBTQ minor housed in the Jensen, and I think that's a great way for folks who are current students to be able to engage with LGBTQ scholarship.

Russ White 17:43
Is there a fact you'd like to reinforce or a myth you'd like to dispel?

Unknown Speaker 17:47
One of the things we hear a lot is that, you know, all these pronouns have come out of nowhere. All this stuff like, Well, what does all this mean? You know, and it hasn't come out of nowhere, like Jesse talked about 1375 being the first time, the first recorded to be specific recorded time that they was used as a singular pronoun, and 1375. Like, none of us were alive. Like, at that time. So if this hadn't come out of nowhere, it's just that folks weren't paying attention. Folks, we're under the threat of of death and safety and losing jobs and all these different things, you know, folks were oppressed, and, or are oppressed. And so, yeah, you you don't, you're not going to have someone you know, tell you who they are, when they can't trust you that they're gonna have their job the next day. And so it's important to understand that we've always been here. And we're everywhere, just like Jesse said. So I think that's one of the things that I want folks to understand is like, the stuff is new.

Unknown Speaker 18:53
Yeah. And the language is changing so rapidly, but a part of why the language which why the language is changing so rapidly, is because we haven't been able to talk about ourselves freely and in public for very long at all, right? Like, we have only been able to be fully who we are in the world. LGBTQIA plus people have existed since humans existed. We just have different language for that all throughout history. And so this is not a new thing. It just looks a little different than it used to. Right. And I am so glad you said like, you know, people are still oppressed, because just today, right. We had a ruling from the Supreme Court, which said that title seven of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 will would prevent gay folks and transgender folks from being fired, which is huge and amazing and a gigantic win. It was a six three decision. It has huge implications for other sex based discrimination cases and thinking about Title Nine. Looking also to the recent Health and Human Services rule. Which was going to basically allow discrimination and health care. And then the recent HUD rule that would allow folks to be denied housing in homeless shelters. So this is a huge and impactful ruling today, that's going to make it a lot easier for us to be able to make a case that you can't actually discriminate against us based on our gender, or sexual orientation.

Russ White 20:24
Just a little bit more about inclusion and ways all of us can practice solidarity,

Unknown Speaker 20:28
then what number one thing I'm seeing right now, given our current political moment, is the need for folks to diversify their media consumption. Right? If you're not hearing the stories of LGBTQ plus people, that has to do with what newspaper you read, or what movies you watch, and so something that everyone can do, it's actually super easy. And also fun, right, is to actually start reading books about queer and trans people, watching films, learning more about who we are, because we are you, we are a part of what it is to be human, and we exist, and we'd probably exist in everyone's families and communities, right. So learning a little bit about who we are, and our story, and our struggle is incredibly vital. And I have some film suggestions if anyone's interested, right? Very simple things folks can do on campus, please put your pronouns in your email signature, that is such an easy way to just do a simple thing that will make a difference and teach somebody something about what it means to be LGBTQIA plus in the world, change your forums, go to a training. Don't assume people's gender or pronouns, when you're talking to them actually get to know them, as Oprah said, Oprah, anything else to add? Gosh,

Unknown Speaker 21:46
take your time. And I would say it's a it's like one line on one of our slides. But it's like, you don't have to know everything. Jesse, and I don't know, everything. And I think a lot of folks stop completely get turned off by the concept of inclusion, because they feel like they need to know every single thing before they can do any actions at all. And that's just not true. We just need you to show up, and to try. And when you mess up to apologize, and then do better the next time, and then do better the next time after that. Because it's about progress, not perfection. And so always and we need folks to to start and to keep going. You know,

Russ White 22:39
that's great. But what either of you like to add anything before we go?

Unknown Speaker 22:43
I'll just say it's such a pleasure to work with Oprah and Morgan in the Resource Center. I think we have an incredible staff team. And I'm really proud of the work that we do.

Russ White 22:53
Well, Jesse and Oprah, thanks for the conversation and thanks for your important work.

Unknown Speaker 22:57
Thanks so much for inviting us. Yes,

Russ White 22:59
that's Jesse Beale and Oprah journal from Michigan State University's lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender Resource Center. And I'm Russ white, this is MSU today

Transcribed by https://otter.ai