From: Out in STEM Date: January 29 Subject: Rock Your Next Conference + Iphis and Ianthe
Queers Read This!
Hi, lesbian lackeys! I’m writing to you as I rot in bed on a Monday despite having 8 million things to do as an engineer in the last semester of my undergrad career. Silly, I know, but I’m just reminded of Audre Lorde’s notion of radical self-care as an act of political warfare where she differentiates it as self-preservation, not self-indulgence (fueled by guilt placed from neoliberal expectations for an optimal working population). Dense rationalization aside, below is a slay GIM recap, several upcoming oSTEM-related events, and Katie’s long-anticipated queer highlight.
Last Week
Last week, we held our General Interest Meeting where we reviewed oSTEM (global, regional, and at UR), outlined spring events (like our upcoming speed friending social), and devoured pizza.
If you couldn’t attend the GIM, here are the slides we presented which include most of what we discussed, including an E-Board trivia game at the end that is pure Kevin slander. For our more professional/academic slides, we discussed past events (our diverse first National oSTEM conference, panel talks, etc.), formalized norms and policies, and a secret spring event.
Coming Up
oSTEM
- Rock Your Next Conference: This Wednesday @ 5 pm
The Greene Center’s Rock Your Next Conference event takes place this Wednesday (January 31) in the Feldman Ballroom at 5 pm. It’s a great way to prepare if you’re planning on attending a professional or academic conference (ie. oSTEM’s national conference, one of O4U’s life-changing conferences, etc.), and the panelists are certified conference icons.
Alongside oSTEM president/baddie, Ellie, our besties from SHPE, WiC-MiC, and GDC will be sharing their experiences and advice to help you slay your next/first conference! There will be free pizza and all majors, class years, and degree levels are welcome. The event is co-sponsored by oSTEM, NSBE, GDC, and WiC-MiC. Register through Handshake. - Website
Browse through our CCC website to take advantage of our compiled Resources & Opportunities (scholarships, conferences, etc.), read more about our iconic E-Board, and find other general oSTEM links. The website is regularly updated, if you spot any issues or know of an R&O we haven’t included, our Feedback Form is always open!
University
- LGBTQ+ Resource Fair: Next Monday @ 3 pm
The Health Promotion Office’s annual LGBTQ+ Resource Fair brings on- and off-campus resources specifically for queer students in one place to ensure you are supported and included beyond just academia (ie. Trillium Health, Planned Parenthood, oSTEM). The Fair is on Monday (February 5) from 3 - 4:30 pm in the Feldman Ballroom. - Free STI Testing Clinic: Next Monday @ 3 pm
The HPO is also holding several free STI testing clinics throughout the semester. They are open to all UR undergrads and grads, read more details and register here.
If you are worried about insurance billing information (even beyond these clinics or UHS services) feel free to contact Zoe Black or the HPO.
In the News
• 1 Month Into 2024, 300+ Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills: Them Article
Anti-LGBT+ bills in the US have been on the rise exponentially, 2015 saw a record-breaking 15 bills passed, then in 2022 that number rose to 29. Last year, 75 anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed. The states proposing the most bills so far are Oklahoma (36 bills), Missouri (28 bills), and South Carolina (26 bills), per LGBTQ Nation. The ACLU has been mapping them, similar to the Trans Formations Project’s work monitoring transphobic legislation.
While these brute force legislation tactics have proven somewhat effective, their performative nature makes their rationale clear. Their hope is to wear people down and scare queer people with big numbers, but like we discussed in the oSTEM conference with mathematician and drag queen, Kyne, queer nerds are actually good with numbers. *nerd emoji* We’ve been here a long time with fewer resources/allies, and oSTEM UR will easily outlive them (given we continue organizing for communal liberation).
The Myth of Iphis and Ianthe
Hello everyone. This is Katie, your Business Manager and, only somewhat reluctantly, this week's author of the Queer Highlight. Today I will be discussing some ancient queer representation, inspired by my three mandatory years of Latin class where I first heard of this story. You're probably aware of this, but there is a lot of LGBTQ representation in ancient Greek and Roman literature. From Megilla (from Lucian’s ‘Dialogue of the Courtesans’) and Harmodius and Aristogeiton (from Aristotle’s ‘The Athenian Constitution’) to Philaenis (from Martial’s ‘Epigrams’) and Sophia (from the Supplementum Magicum tablet) (3). For this highlight I will be discussing a story within the 9th book of Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’: The Myth of Iphis and Ianthe.
The story takes place in Crete where a couple named Telethusa and Ligdus live. When Telethusa becomes pregnant, Ligdus tells her that she must have a male child and if the child is female he will kill the infant (1). As Telethusa is in labour, a group of gods and goddesses visit her and tell her that even if the child is born female she should disguise it as male so that her husband does not kill it. Soon after the child is born female. Telethusa chooses the gender neutral name Iphis and adopts the gods and goddesses plan. When Iphis grows up to be a teenager, Ligdus arranges a marriage between Iphis and their childhood friend Ianthe. Much angst ensues as Iphis, believing that love between two women was immoral, “love[s] one whom she despair[s] of being able to have, and this itself increased her passion, a girl on fire for a girl” (1). Telethusa, also very anxious, is a little bit more proactive and takes Iphis to the temple, asking the goddess Isis to intervene. As they leave the temple, Isis declares “Iphis: rejoice, with confidence, not fear! You, who were lately a girl, are now a boy!” and so Iphis leaves physically transformed into a boy (1).
Interpreting this story is a complex task since it is difficult to put modern labels onto literature from over two thousand years ago. Different versions and translations of this myth refer to Iphis with different pronouns and the writers cast their own views into their own versions. Modern opinions of the story vary, one writer describes it as “mocking words dipped in poison” and holds “subversive and obvious [power],” others have included the text in lists of ancient queer icons (2, 3). Some translations of the work that may indicate Iphis wished to be a boy “Though all the subtleties of all the world should be collected here;—if Daedalus himself should fly back here upon his waxen wings, what could he do? What skillful art of his could change my sex, a girl into a boy—or could he change Ianthe?”. Yet it's difficult to say if Iphis could be transgender because their identity is complicated by the intense homophobia and sexism that is the basis of the story. They grow up androgynous the story describes their features as “beautiful whether they were given to a girl or a boy” and their basis for wanting to be a boy was simply so that they could marry a girl (1). It's also important to note that this entire story takes place when both Iphis and Ianthe are only thirteen. Certainly it’s a very homophobic and problematic tale, but it's also one of few ancient references to female queerness. If you are interested in forming your own opinions of this work I have included a few links below which I used to write this highlight.
Attention STEM students! Are you planning to attend a professional or academic conference this spring, summer, or even next fall? Whether you're new to the experience and unsure of what to expect, or an old pro just looking to step up your game, this annual mock mini-conference has something for everyone!
This event will feature a panel of current students from 5:10-5:40pm who have participated in multiple conferences and will share their insights. Our panelists are:
Ellie Vetack (Out in STEM “oSTEM”) - participated in SWE, oSTEM, o4stem, and more Diana Centeno (Society of Hispanic Engineers “SHPE”) - SHPE conference Rhea Bharadwaj (Women and Minorities in Computing “WiCMiC”) - Grace Hopper Krish Jain (Google Developers Club “GDC”) - Google Cloud Next
After the panel, there will be time to enjoy some pizza, win a prize, and practice networking with the panelists and your peers :-)
From 6-6:30pm, we will host concurrent workshops on Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch and Telling Your Story about your research and projects.
All majors, class years, and degree levels are welcome. Please register and spread the word through your connections and organizations, and get ready to ROCK your next conference!
