Dear members of the 91社区 community,听
Welcome to October at 91社区, which is also the month during which our campus community celebrates听Queer History Month (QHM). Throughout, we will have occasion to celebrate the history and contributions of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, past, present, and future both within and beyond 91社区. A series of events planned over the course of October foreground the academic, creative, and community-based contributions of these communities.听听
QHM, which this year centres the theme 鈥�Other Worlds鈥�, opens officially this Thursday with a keynote delivered by听, Professor in the Department of Creative Writing at UBC and award-winning science fiction and fantasy novelist. Professor Hopkinson鈥檚 lecture will launch a month-long range of events that include writing workshops, panel discussions, and 91社区鈥檚 annual 鈥淩eturn of the Rainbow鈥� Homecoming Event.听听
I am most grateful to the Faculty of Arts and the Department of English for co-sponsoring the Opening Ceremony, and to all units that have developed QHM events this year. In particular, I signal my thanks to the QHM planning committee who鈥檝e worked diligently under the leadership of听Andrea Clegg听to build an amazing听QHM 2023 Calendar of Events.听听
While QHM is a time of pride and celebration, it is also a moment to take stock in our efforts to challenge transphobia, biphobia, and homophobia and to foster a robust sense of belonging for all within our campus community, regardless of gender or sexual identity. Notably, the historic and ongoing work of the听Subcommittee on Queer People,听, the听91社区 Equity Team, and the 91社区 Queer Alumni Association has made some important strides in this regard. At the same time, our work is far from听done,听especially in the wake of听protests and political mobilization against gender identity equality,听and we are accelerating our efforts to build an inclusive campus environment where persons of all genders and sexual orientations can flourish. This ongoing work will continue.听
Happy Queer History Month 2023 to all!听
听
Christopher Manfredi 听
Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic)