Our Speaker Series

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program co-sponsors two speaker series every year: OUTspoken (an LGBT speaker series) and the Women and Gender Speaker Series.  These presentations are free and open to the public.  If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for either of these speaker series please contact Coral Wayland at or 704-687-2290.  All contributions are tax deductible.

OUTspoken

Every fall, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, the Multicultural Resource Center, the Counseling Center, and PRIDE co-sponsor OUTspoken, an LGBTQ speaker series that brings a nationally known speaker to campus to talk about gay, lesbian and/or transgender issues.  Past OUTspoken guests include Kate Bornstein, noted transgender queer youth activist, and Eliabeth Birch, former Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign.

For OUTspoken 2009 we will bring Keith Boykin to campus.  Boykin is a well known author and commentator whose work examines race, politics, and LGBQ issues.  He has written three books that explore these issues: One More River to Cross: Black and Gay in America (1996); Respecting the Soul (1999); and Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies and Denial in Black America (2005). Each of these was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and Respecting the Soul won. Currently he edits the Daily Voice, co-hosts BET’s My Two Cents, and serves as a commentator on CNN, NPR, Fox News, CNBC, and MSNBC.

Boykin’s presentation will be held in McKnight Hal, located on the UNC Charlotte campus, on October 7 at 7:00 p.m.  His speech topic will be “One More River to Cross: Black and Gay in America”.  Boykin’s talk is made possible with support from the Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund, the Wesley Mancini Foundation, and the Black Student Union.

The Women’s and Gender Speaker Series

Every spring the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Feminist Union nationally known speaker to campus to address issues that are central to women’s and gender studies.  Past speakers include international best selling author Naomi Wolf, foremost African American feminist bell hooks, and anti-sexist educator Jackson Katz.