Speakers Bureau Manual 2011-2012 The Stonewall Center A Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Queer, and Transgender Resource Center Crampton Hall, 256 Sunset Ave. University of Massachusetts, Amherst 413-545-4824 [email protected] www.umass.edu/stonewall Table of Contents ABOUT THE SPEAKERS BUREAU .................................................................................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 2 THE HISTORY OF THE STONEWALL CENTER ...................................................................................................... 2 ABOUT THE MANUAL ........................................................................................................................................ 2 DOES THE SPEAKERS BUREAU MAKE A DIFFERENCE? ....................................................................................... 3 SAMPLE EVALUATION FEEDBACK ..................................................................................................................... 3 SPEAKERS BUREAU GOALS................................................................................................................................ 4 SPEAKERS BUREAU MECHANICS ................................................................................................................. 5 HOW MEMBERS ARE ASSIGNED TO A SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT ........................................................................ 5 PANEL FORMAT ................................................................................................................................................. 5 RESPONSIBILITIES OF SPEAKERS BUREAU MEMBERS ........................................................................................ 6 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LEAD SPEAKER ......................................................................................................... 6 GROUND RULES ................................................................................................................................................. 7 GIVING AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION ................................................................................................... 8 BEFORE THE PRESENTATION .............................................................................................................................. 8 WHILE SPEAKING .............................................................................................................................................. 8 ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR SPEAKING EFFECTIVELY ................................................................................................ 9 AFTER SPEAKING ............................................................................................................................................... 9 SUGGESTIONS ON ANSWERING QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................10 COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS .......................................................................................................................12 HANDLING RESISTANCE AND HOSTILITY ..........................................................................................................14 INFORMATION ABOUT LGBTQA EXPERIENCES ......................................................................................17 THE LEGAL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS OF LGBTQ PEOPLE…………………………………………………......17 RESOURCES FOR LGBTQA YOUTH ..................................................................................................................19 LGBTQ AND SAME-GENDER LOVING PEOPLE OF COLOR RESOURCES.............................................................20 INTERSEX RESOURCES ......................................................................................................................................21 LGBTQ AND RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY RESOURCES .........................................................................................23 ALLY PACKET ....................................................................................................................................................24 BECOMING AN ALLY.........................................................................................................................................24 DEFINITIONS: TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE ALLY ..........................................................25 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BIASED AGAINST LGBTQ PEOPLE? ...................................................................27 HOW TO BE AN ALLY TO LGBTQ PEOPLE .......................................................................................................28 WHAT IS HETEROSEXUAL PRIVILEGE? .............................................................................................................29 MYTHS AND REALITIES OF LGBTQ LIFE .........................................................................................................30 TRANSGENDER PACKET ................................................................................................................................32 TRANSGENDER TERMINOLOGY .........................................................................................................................32 HOW MIGHT THE NEEDS OF TRANSGENDER PEOPLE DIFFER FROM THE NEEDS OF NON-TRANSGENDER LESBIANS, GAYS, AND BISEXUALS (LGB)? ......................................................................................................34 HOW TO BE AN ALLY TO TRANSGENDER PEOPLE .............................................................................................35 GENDER NORMATIVE PRIVILEGE ......................................................................................................................36 THE LEGAL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ......................................................................37 TRANSGENDER CAMPUS RESOURCES ...............................................................................................................38 1 About the Speakers Bureau Introduction Welcome to the Stonewall Center‟s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Ally (LGBTQA) Speakers Bureau! The Speakers Bureau is a volunteer organization that is coordinated by a part-time staff member of the Stonewall Center. The Speakers Bureau recruits and trains lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and ally speakers to conduct panel presentations about LGBTQA experiences for residence halls, academic classrooms, local high schools, and community organizations. We are grateful for the commitment you have made to the Speakers Bureau and the work that you will be doing to address LGBTQ oppression. We hope that your participation in the Speakers Bureau will be a meaningful and empowering experience, in addition to being an important form of political activism and education. Because the time and resources available for conducting training sessions for Speakers Bureau members are limited, it is extremely important that you read through the manual thoroughly and use it as a reference guide until you are familiar with the material. The Speakers Bureau is only effective when its members actively participate; therefore we hope that you will take your commitment seriously. Any suggestions for improving the Bureau are greatly appreciated. The History of the Stonewall Center A series of anti-gay incidents in 1984 led to protests and the development of a report on the campus climate for lesbian, gay, and bisexual students at UMass Amherst. One of the report‟s main recommendations was the creation of the Program for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Concerns. The Program was established in fall 1985 as an administrative office in Student Affairs, becoming just the third LGBTQ center on a college campus. The office served as a model for many other colleges and universities, and today more than 150 LGBTQ campus centers and offices exist across the United States. In 1995, the Program for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Concerns was renamed “The Stonewall Center: A Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender Educational Resource Center.” This change reflected a desire to recognize the distinct yet overlapping experiences of transgender people within lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities. In 2006, “queer” was added to the subtitle to reflect the many ways that students identify beyond dominant gender and sexual categories. In addition to administering the Speakers Bureau, the Stonewall Center provides cultural and educational programming; a dvd, video, and book library; information and referrals; support for individuals who experience harassment and discrimination; advocacy for LGBTQ people at UMass Amherst; and community outreach through Queer-e, a weekly listserv of LGBTQ campus and community events. About the Manual This manual is designed for Speakers Bureau members to familiarize themselves with the format for presentations, learn more about LGBTQ experiences, and become more adept at public speaking, particularly speaking about LGBTQ issues. If you already are well-skilled as a public speaker and/or are very knowledgeable about LGBTQ concerns, we ask that you stay open to reviewing the basics, but also invite you to share your experiences to benefit other members. 2 In this manual, you will find information about the mechanics of the Speakers Bureau, your role and responsibilities as a speaker, suggestions for preparing your story, tips for