The Queer Action Coalition’s (QAC) “F to eMbody” is back to “bring trans-art and visibility to college campuses,” according to QAC’s mission statement.
The event will have workshop to address transphobia, both on and off campus, and make people more knowledgeable about the queer community, according to president of QAC Cody Hill.
“A lot of people who are not in the community do not know what language is appropriate [when talking] about trans people,” said Hill. “[It] will explain what it means to be transgender, what terminology to use when talking about trans people, how to respect [them] and how to recognize and end transphobia.”
According to Hill, last year’s event was last minute and not publicized. This year the event will be on Monday, Nov. 21 from 6 to 11 p.m. in the Student Union Multipurpose Room, and will have a workshop aimed to educate people about the transgendered experience.
“The climate in general for trans people at SUNY New Paltz is not up to par with where it should be. The lack of awareness for the trans community needs to be addressed, and this [event will] provide a forum for discussing gender in a different way [and in a] more
welcoming environment,” said Hill.
There will also be spoken-word and hip-hop performances by trans artists, The Athens Boys Choir and Katastrophe.
“[The multi-media entertainment will] provide more insight into the queer community and the validity of all trans identities,” said Hill.
According to Jamie Rose, a fourth-year art history major, QAC is “dedicated [to] creating a safe space for the LGBTQ community and its allies.”
“We focus on education, social and activist-oriented events for and by the queer community in New Paltz,” said Rose. “The performances are entertainment but the pieces they perform are queer-oriented.”
QAC is also planning events for the spring, including their annual Drag Ball and a potential trip to the Lesbian History Archives. Hill said the group will also create something called “Paltz Secret, a community art project based off of Post Secret.” The campus can send in “anonymous secrets on construction paper” where they will be displayed in the library, and then made into a book.
“Trans people are a very oppressed and marginalized group,” Hill said. “Everyone could always use more insight.”