Native American Cultural Programs

The Out to Lunch Gender, Sexuality, and Community is a weekly academic lecture and discussion series with guest scholars and community activists from various disciplines examining a variety of topics related to gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality. Each semester offers a broad sampling of the areas.

The Fall 2019 semester is co-sponsored by the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department (http://wgss.uconn.edu).

Today's lecture is entitled, "Queerness, Race, and Toxic Masculinity" and will be presented by Tiffany Thompson (she/her/hers).

Synopsis: As a masculine of center, queer identified black woman Thompson has personally observed how toxic masculinity in the queer and trans community is sometimes overshadowed by the desire for visibility and acceptances. Through open discussion and personal reflection, attendees will explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of masculinity while pointing out how racism and colonization is used to reinforce these toxic behaviors to further oppress communities of color.

Biography: Tiffany Thompson, the Associate Director of Gender and Sexuality Initiates at Swarthmore College, always brings her passion for presenting and critiquing the intersection of identities. As a queer person of color with over 15 years of experience in sexuality, race, gender justice, trauma and restorative practices, youth and young adults, and LGBTQ+ advocacy, she works to bridges theory and reality. Tiffany attended Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and later earned a MS in Strategic Communications from Temple University. She has traveled nationally as a member of the Brown Boi Project facilitating conversation on race, gender, and sexuality through the lens of masculinity. Currently, she serves as the city liaison for the Philly Dyke March and a grantee selection member for the Jonathan Lax Scholarship Fund.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunches