QSA General Meeting Minutes
10/7/2012
Board Attendance
Board Present: Ben, Philip, Roland, Trevor, Josh, Ivel, Ariel, Sarina
Board Absent: Neimy, Edith, Ken
Check-ins: High points, low points, preferred gender pronouns!
Ground rules: Be respectful. Assume best intentions. No laptops except co-chairs and secretary. Sign-in sheet explanation: putting your name down adds you to the QSA-members email list. No one sees your name except co-chairs and secretary.
Upcoming Events
National Coming Out Day: This Thursday, woohoo! Tabling in front of Annenburg on Thursday morning from 10-11:30 AM: music, pamphlets, paraphernalia, and friendsies! Joseph Vitti, BGLTQ proctor for the Yard, will be organizing tabling inside the Yard, and we’ll be sending out emails about that too.
Coming Out Narratives: 7-8:30 PM this Thursday in Ticknor Lounge. Afterwards, reception at the BGLTQ office of student life. There will be food! Awesome speakers are confirmed. If anyone knows other people who would like to speak, please email Philip at pcdses@gmail.com.
A board member from IWRC: One of the board members of IWRC (iWork). Putting on events around ending rape culture at Harvard. Poster and banner-making is happening tonight at PBHA at 7:30 for the March to End Rape Culture and Gender Inequality, which itself is on October 13th at 12 PM at the Boston Commons. A group from Harvard will be leaving from the Harvard Sq T Stop at 11 AM. There will also likely be a Panel on Rape Culture and Inequality Wednesday evening, October 10th, at 7 PM in Boylston Hall 103. Check Facebook for updates on all of these events!
*Vote taken on co-sponsorship of the march and panel. Co-sponsorship on both the march and the panel passes.*
Roland: Voter registration in Annenburg this Wednesday from 9-11 PM. Co-sponsorship with AAA? We will be sending out an email to members to sign up for tabling if they want.
*Vote taken on co-sponsorship of voter registration drive. Co-sponsorship passes.*
Political committee, Ben: FDA has banned gay men who have had sex with other men since 1977 from giving blood. We’re going to do a letter-writing campaign to try to change this. Students will write their own individual letters, and one cover letter will be sent too. Trying to get agencies like the Boston globe and the Harvard Crimson to cover this when we deliver the letters. Need lots of help gathering facts and statistics, and getting the administration and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Communications Chair, Philip: Panel discussion on LGBTQ online dating. Speakers are confirmed. We need to find a venue for the event (Sever? Holworthy? PBHA?)
Social committee, Josh: This Friday is our first QSA outing to Diesel Café in Davis Square. QSA is teaming up with SHEATH to run an event on kink: having a kink-themed party! Also trying to organize a social event for Harvard-Yale. Finally, we are continuing the Diva theme with another Diva-themed party.
Gender diversity, Ariel: Bringing Kate Bornstein to campus. Still have details to hash out like format, venue, and money. We are very interested in hearing what general membership would like to see the gender diversity committee do this semester! Suggestion: Trans 101 and 102!
*Split into committees for discussion*
