Pride Month Reflections from V.P. of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Today is the start of Pride Month across the nation and in many countries elsewhere in the world. Fielding Graduate University’s global learning community is proud to join with 2SLGBTQIA+ people in this hard-won recognition of the valuable contributions and achievements they continue to make in the world. Rich in diversity, this community embraces individuals who identify as Two-Spirit (2S), Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual, and many other identities. Fielding stands in solidarity, not only with the ongoing struggle that many who are 2SLGBTQIA+ wage against injustice, violence, and discrimination, but with those 2SLGBTQIA+ people of color who bear the added burdens of racism and trans/homophobia.

Every day our 2SLGBTQIA+ students, staff, faculty and alumni enhance the Fielding, global educational experience by being role models in their embrace of what Fielding values, especially social justice, diversity, inclusion, and openness. But it’s not always easy, as Fielding’s Anna DiStefano, Ed.D., Provost Emerita and a retired faculty member, reminded us in the 2021 Pride Month post she shared. For her, “it took the lesbians of St. Louis, the staff of Fielding, the support of the Unitarian Society, and the friends in my Santa Barbara community – not to mention Deb, my partner of 40 years – to help me live with honor and integrity and dare I say, pride.”

Recognizing and uplifting LGBTQ voices in our learning community and beyond is important year-round, not just in the month of June. At the same time, we can’t forget the trials that can also silence those voices. We reflect on an uprising more than 50 years ago that ignited the modern 2SLGBTQ rights movement in the U.S. and around the world. On June 28, 1969, a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City, sparked the nearly weeklong rebellion. Pride Month, although still an evolution, is celebrated each June to commemorate what happened at Stonewall. We also need to remind ourselves of the importance to remain vigilant against homophobic/transphobic tropes that paint the 2SLGBTQIA+ community with a broad brush and seek to scapegoat whenever our society is faced with a health or social challenge. The work of those in the 2SLGBTQIA+rights community, especially in light of violent attacks like the one against Matthew Shepard, should serve as a reminder to us all that we are deeply connected to each other and share a collective responsibility to act in ways that honor and respect life.

As we move forward through June, we are pleased to share some resources that you can use to learn more about Pride Month and those in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community for whom the struggle for inclusion and equality wages on:

• GLAAD
• National Center for Transgender Equality
• Understanding Black LGBTQ History
• The Library of Congress
• National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network
• Stonewall
• Two Spirit Societies and Organizations

Fielding Graduate University dissertations:

• The Social, Emotional, and Spiritual Experiences of Parents of LGBTQ+ Children Within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: A Qualitative Study
  • Author: Allen, Lesli
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2021. 28770572.
• Intentions of Men in Same-Sex Relationships to Seek Help for Abuse: The Influence of Religiosity on Minority Stress
  • Author: Ivory-Horton, Falesa
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2021. 28651048.
• An Examination of the Protective Factors That Reduce Risk Behaviors for LGBT High School Students in Massachusetts
  • Author: Holdren, Julia
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2020. 28313925.
• Exploring Internalized Transphobia and Coping Through Photovoice
  • Author: Owens, Trenton K.
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2020. 28153324.
• Demoralization, Community Connectedness, and Well-Being among Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals
  • Author: Woodrum, T. Dawson
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2020. 27666257.
• #Yasssforthebody: Social Media, Body Dissatisfaction, and Disordered Eating among Gay Men
  • Author: Blassingame, Jonathan Curtis, III
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2020. 22617574.
• College Students’ Likability Ratings of Elder Lesbians and Gay Men: The Impact of Attitudes towards Aging and Homosexuality
  • Author: Hubbard, Lisa N.
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2018. 10823226.
• “All You Have to Do is Stand Tall”: A Narrative Inquiry Into the Process of Embodiment and Liberation
  • Author: Chiang, Amy I-Ling
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2017. 10639663.
• Transprejudice: Personality Traits that Predict Anti-transgender Attitudes
  • Author: Loo, Margaret M.
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2015. 3740342.
• Seen but Not Heard: Pathways to Improve Inclusion of LGBT Persons and Sexual Trauma Survivors in Sexual Health Education
  • Author: McGuire, Laura Jean
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2015. 3739278.
• A phenomenological study of risk and resilience: LGB youths’ perceptions of homophobia and their resilience
  • Author: Jordan, Mark J.
  • Publication info:  Fielding Graduate University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2015. 3702706.

Also, see this curated list of virtual global Pride events happening this month:

• National Portrait Gallery June 17, 2022

Explores themes related to queer identity and disability.

• Pride Summit 2022, June 6-10-2022/ Lesbians WHO Tech & Allies

Brings together an amazing array of national leaders and speakers on issues of relevance to 2SLGBTQIA leadership

• Leading with Pride: Activating advocacy through authenticity June 29, 2022

Explores the journey of prominent leaders on their paths of LGBT+ Advocacy and allyship

• Queer(ing) Religion: Transnational perspectives on gender and sexual diversity in religious communities and texts June 14-15, 2022

Queer Disrupt and Berlin Graduate School Muslim Culture and Societies

The conference addresses not only the lack of a comprehensive exploration of the ways in which queerness and religion can be “reconciled,” but also aspires to a critical re-evaluation of the assumptions this binary is based on. In doing so, we aim to offer a platform to foster and strengthen transnational connections between and within marginalized communities and to envision alternative patterns of solidarity.

In Spirit,

Allison Davis-White Eyes, Ph.D.

V.P. of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion