Events Review: NY6 Spectrum LGBTQ Conference

            On the weekend of February 22^nd, 2020, students from six colleges in the New York area convened at Hamilton College for the NY6 Spectrum Conference. Though many of the students in attendance fell within the LGBTQ spectrum, there were indeed students of all sexualities and genders, which created an extremely inclusive and thought provoking amalgam of identities.

            The goals of the conference were many. It began with creative icebreakers, which allowed students to find other people who identified in very similar ways to themselves. This was an excellent way to begin the conference, as it fostered a sense of unity that set the stage for examination of identity, privilege, and intersectionality.  

            The next activity seemed very simple, but ended up being extremely powerful. It asked students to put colored dots on different posters, meant to depict sources of both oppression and privilege in their lives. The result was a very visual representation of who exactly was in the room, and how they viewed different parts of their identities. Examples of sources of privilege/oppression included race, gender, language, and religion.

            Next, students broke off into small groups, and were asked to discuss the different institutions in place at their schools that either protect or exclude LGBTQ students. They left this activity with new ideas to bring back to their own schools, as well as a better understanding of what their schools had to offer.

            Following this, Laverne Cox, from the hit TV show Orange is the New Black, gave a very eloquent keynote speech on transgenderism, as well as intersectionality. She explained the oppression she faced throughout her life, and continues to face today, stemming from both her gender identity and her race.

            After a short break, students convened for a dance, which fostered an extremely inclusive and fun environment. Following this, students returned to their hotels for the night.

            The next day, there was a panel of students that talked about different LGBTQ perspectives, such as the perspective of an international LGBTQ student, and what it was like to be a member of the LGBTQ community both in his home country and in a foreign one. This was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic weekend, and all students in attendance would be more than happy for this conference to become an annual event.  

That's right, I stood next to her, be jealous