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June 2021 | Vol. 1 #2 THE LGBTQ+ STUDIES NEWSLETTER LGBTQ Studies at DePaul June 2021 | Vol. 1 #2 Table of Contents Wrapping Up the Year: A Message from Barrie J. Borich, Director 3 Faculty and Alumni Spotlight: Queering the Classroom (and the Inter- 4–7 view): A Conversation with Mycall Riley and em Katzman by Aviv Goldman Wrapping Up the Year: Recognizing the LGBTQ+ Studies Outstanding 8 Senior Queer Film Gems You Can Stream at Home 9–14 Art by Toni Kardajis 15–20 Summer 2021 LGBTQ Studies Course Offerings 21 Fall 2021 LGBTQ Studies Course Offerings 22 Thank you to Page Gilberg from The University Center for Writing-based Learning for copyediting. Thank you to Cassidy Delahunty for her assistance with InDesign. Meet Toni Karadjias (she/they), the Queer artist and DePaul student whose work is featured throughout this issue. Hi! My name is Toni, and I’m a senior at DePaul studying Psychology, LGBTQ Studies, and Women and Gender Studies. As an artist, my main goals are to transcend heteronormative expectations of art and LGBTQ people through representation and by encompassing my own experiences through my work. I mainly focus on digital collage, color, and painting as a means to tell different narratives about my life, sexuality, and gender. 2 June 2021 | Vol. 1 #2 Wrapping Up the Year The LGBTQ+ Studies Newsletter A Message from the LGBTQ Studies Program Director, Barrie J. Borich Congratulations, everyone! We have nearly made it to the end of this long, strange year. I am sad to think of all the unfor- gettable students I’ve worked with over the past 15 months or so who I may never meet anywhere but on Zoom or on discussion boards, but I am pleased by how well I did get to know so many of you through virtual means. I am also proud of all we did accomplish this year, under such difficult circumstances. Our events with Jaquira Díaz and Danez Smith were invigorating and gorgeous, and our classes were rich, engaging, and filled with so many who have been eager to learn the history and intersections of Queer experience. Through the inspired labor of our mighty LGBTQ Studies Program Assis- tant Aviv Goldman, we launched this newsletter, and we are already thinking about how we can do all of this and more next year—at least some of the time together, in the same rooms. ic forms of living. At the same time, we are the Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for ones who once closed the bars and coffeehous- showing up and doing the work. We have all had es—in my day at least—with the Sister Sledge no choice but to “queer” the way we teach and song “We Are Family.” We have always survived learn in 2020–21, and although I started the year through our creativity, as well as through our with my usual very queer methods and syllabi relations with each other. We can’t get back to already in place, the pivots and re-inventions of the always-evolving work of Queer world-build- this Covid-19 time have changed my view of the ing without each other. Big love to all of you, and classroom forever. may all our rooms fill again soon. LGBTQ+ people have always invented the worlds —Barrie J. Borich (she/her), Director of LGBTQ we want to live in, so in many ways we were Studies and Associate Professor in the Depart- as equipped as anyone to build new pandem- ment of English, June 2021 3 June 2021 | Vol. 1 #2 Faculty and Alumni Spotlight The LGBTQ+ Studies Newsletter Queering the Classroom (and the Interview): a Conversation with Mycall Riley and em Katzman by Aviv Goldman Mycall Akeem Riley is the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center Coor- Aviv: What did you learn from teaching the intro LGQ dinator at DePaul and currently teaches the LGBTQ Studies class? introductory course (LGQ 150). em Katzman is an LGBTQ Studies alum and a Women and Gender Studies graduate Mycall: I’m always reminded of the very complex messi- student. As a WGS independent ness of queerness. Every time I’ve study project, em worked with My- taught the class, I’m reminded that call as a teaching assistant during folks are on this journey of coming Winter 2020. This winter, I had the to themselves as they are learning privilege of taking Introduction to about these things, and it’s never LGBTQ Studies with Mycall and linear. I don’t even know if queer- em. ness has a shape. I think it’s more amorphous and in moments can I initially set out to conduct two be really intense and overbearing. separate interviews—one with em And then there are other moments and one with Mycall. However, when teaching the class reminds when I approached Mycall and em me that queerness, and engaging about the newsletter, they suggested in queerness, can also be incred- a joint interview. Mycall said he felt ibly subtle, like the way that Lac- like there was something inherent- roix has flavors but is so subtle. It’s ly queer about their collaboration like “Is that lemon flavored?” It’s that would come out in a group in- just the essence of it. I’m reminded terview. Thus, with Mycall and em’s how important community is ev- encouragement, we expanded what ery time I teach this class. I’m re- we thought an interview should minded even more while we’re in look like. During our interview, we the pandemic and while the world talked, moved, and took breaks to is on fire. I think because it’s not marvel at Mycall’s new glasses. As safe for us to come together, it’s ap- we collectively ventured through parent how deeply we do need one various incomplete thoughts, inter- “I think because it’s not safe for another in different ways. ruptions by pets and family mem- bers, and unrelated but equally us to come together, it’s apparent em: One of the things I learned [as important pop culture tangents, em how deeply we do need one Mycall’s teaching assistant] was the remarked that we were queering necessity of peer-to-peer conversa- the interview. This desire for collab- another in different ways.” tions. Sometimes the discussions oration, and this willingness to play would be frustrating because some outside the boundaries, illustrates —Mycall Akeem Riley class members had complicated what makes Mycall and em such valuable contributors to the viewpoints, but those were still the things that I learned the LGBTQ Studies Program. most from. I really appreciate being able to do this with My- call. He’s someone who values making spaces—I don’t think safe is the right word to use—supportive and generative. 4 June 2021 | Vol. 1 #2 Faculty and Alumni Spotlight The LGBTQ+ Studies Newsletter “ You need to intentionally include syllabus is white-centered, you need to acknowledge that that’s happening and challenge the works that you are using. works by people who are not just queer LGBTQ Studies as a discipline is deeply flawed within itself; and white and cis —not just the single it’s a very white space. There’s so much work that needs to be done, and if programs aren’t actively making spaces more identity of queer.” ­­—em Katzman supportive then they’re going to continue to be oppressive, I learned the importance of knowing when to move away and LGBT Studies will continue to center whiteness in its and let things sit in a space. work whether they’re trying to or not. M: One of the things that has always been really dope A: You’ve mentioned how syllabi need to decenter whiteness about em’s and my relationship is that we’ve learned from and the singular identity of queer; what are some markers each other quite a bit. We get to of good syllabi? co-create these spaces. In an In- tro to LGBT Studies class or any e: I think a marker of a good kind of LGBT anything, we have syllabus is the wording of ac- an opportunity to queer not just cessibility/accommodation the topic but also to queer how sections—whether they men- we talk about things—to queer tion trigger/content warnings, answers, to queer how we find extend accommodations be- problems, and to queer conflict. yond diagnosed and record- How do we do all these things in ed disabilities, and contain ways that feel inherently differ- generous late work policies. I ent? think any class that is talking through power, privilege, and A: That moves perfectly into an- oppression should have a state- other question I have, which is ment on content warnings. We what does queering curriculum are not talking about abstract and DePaul spaces look like for ideas; the topics we discuss y’all? have real effects on people and not every student is going e: To me queering curriculum to be ready to talk about and/ means actively looking at nonac- or engage in discussions that ademic sources like memoir and speak to their lives. Students’ videos. If you’re interested in ac- wellness is deeply connected tually queering curriculum, you “If you’re interested in actually to education, and having con- need to be engaging with other tent warnings is one way to works outside of what’s created queering curriculum, you need to be check-in. In terms of content, within the academy because the engaging with other works outside of I want to note that just because academy in itself is inherently a professor assigns readings by anti-queer and just generally what’s created within the academy people of color doesn’t mean oppressive to all marginalized because the academy in itself is in- that the discussions facilitated by the professor are going to people.

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