Hi, X Æ A-Xii! Well call me the 2003 live-action/animated financial failure film, Looney Tunes, because I am Back in Action! Thanksgiving? Oh honey, Thanksliving!! Anyway, oSTEM National Conference 2023 Recap, addressing going home as queer people, and a slay Mexican queer highlight below.
Last Week
During our last GMM, we went over our chapter’s first time attending the oSTEM National Conference in Anaheim, CA. A total of 9 members slayed the conference and represented UR oSTEM amazingly! While most of our meeting was storytelling through the presentation pictures, I’ve updated the lil captions to tie the main plot of the conference. Feel free to look through the slides to see if met PinkPantheress or the Pink Panther and to be proud of a successful conference at just 1 year of age!
Coming Up
oSTEM
- Going Home As Queer People: SUNY Tips
Holiday breaks can be especially difficult for queer students where going back means confining parts of you for survival. Linked above is a short SUNY article with self-care tips adapted from a Trevor Project blog, while they list some crisis hotlines, we have a page that offers details about possible non-consensual active rescue policies for each (per the TFP).
Know you are loved and cared for by UR peers and by our lil oSTEM community. <3
- 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
- Bingo Night w/ Food Recovery Network
Our besties at the Food Recovery Network are hosting a Bingo Night next Wednesday, November 29, at 6:30 pm. Stop by for a night of bingo and support their hunger-fighting mission by bringing non-perishable food donations and enjoying a night of bingo (winner gets a slay bag of free groceries)!
In The News
TW: The first In the News entry includes mentions of transphobic violence.
• Transgender Day of Remembrance (adapted from the Trans Formations Project’s letter)
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) is a day to honor the lives of those within the transgender community who have been lost, especially due to violence. Violent rhetoric leads to violent actions, and those caught at the intersections of multiple forms of bigotry are most vulnerable.
While there are many counts of how many we know we have lost, we must also hold space for those who we cannot honor by name. We must recognize that every one, profoundly, beautifully, and deservedly *matters*. That each of them was a world unto themself.
On TDoR (November 20), we grieve, for those named and unnamed, who have been lost.
Grief holds us accountable to our better selves. Grief, in its truest form, is a call to action. It is a pain that reminds us not only of what we’ve lost, but of what we stand to lose. We must allow our grief, our love for the dead, to flow and mingle seamlessly with our love for the living.
For trans people: your very survival in a hostile world is an act of rebellion. It is an act of self love. Hold your grief, hold yourself, and hold each other.
For cis people: Today is a day of grief. But that does not mean it is a day of inaction. • Updated Vatican Stance On Trans Baptisms (adapted from the TFP’s newsletter)
The Vatican announced via a statement in Portuguese that transgender people may be baptized and they can also serve as godparents. This statement included trans children, stating they may also be baptized.
Yet, the language indicated it was up to "pastoral prudence," which seems to leave the decision up to the local churches and their officials. This conditional support for trans people by the church, while not completely for trans rights within the Church, may influence the 1.3 Billion Catholics worldwide. That this also came in a month when the Pope fired an anti-LGBTQ+ Bishop–despite Pope Francis himself previously calling “gender ideology” one of “the most dangerous ideological colonizations” and “terrible”--suggests that there may be a limit to just how virulently transphobic Catholic leadership in the United States is allowed to be. That said, it should not be forgotten that Catholic organizations such as the Catholic Medical Organization and the National Catholic Bioethics Center have been instrumental in championing anti-trans legislation and policies.
Queering Culture (Part I): Wendy Guevara
She’s also thought a lot about being described as a “representation for the LGBTQ community.” She refuses to see herself as such. “While I appreciate that so much,” Guevara says, pausing mid-sentence to pose for a selfie from squealing fans. “I don’t want to be seen as a representation. I’d rather be seen as a reflection of what trans women face.”
Realizing these highlights do not have to be breakdowns of dense theory readings, I’m going international with this week’s highlight and going into contemporary Mexican TV media. The Mexican adaptation of the reality TV series Celebrity Big Brother, La Casa De Los Famosos MX (LCDLF) premiered earlier this year. In a cast full of actors, singers, and models, Wendy Guevara came as a surprise to many and was either seen as the wild card contestant being an (admittedly semi-niche) influencer or as the diversity cast being a trans woman from an abusive, low-income household.
Wendy’s rise to fame happened after a viral moment with her friend Paola “La Patas” Suárez where they shouted “¡Estamos perdidas!” (We’re lost!) after being left on a forested hill by their two ‘temporary’ romantic interests. I was thrilled to see her cast in such a mainstream show but also worried about how she’d be portrayed by opportunistic producers and received by the masses. Wendy’s charisma enthralled us all and cemented a fiercely loyal fanbase across millions of Mexican households, culminating in her being the first trans person to win a Mexican reality show. On the night of her win, the joy was felt across the country epitomized by thousands (possibly 150k+ but I couldn’t find enough sources) of people celebrating the historic moment at the Angel of Independence in Mexico City.
I wanted to highlight her journey because it echoes the effect that queering mainstream culture has on public discourse. Ignorant people in power realize their regressive violent rhetoric is contradicted by authentic representation. They’ve politicized our existence so even conversations in our private spheres avoid discussing it. As expressed by GLAAD, her win shouldn’t be mistaken for a post-transphobic society or one that positions her as the trans spokesperson burdened with unrealistic expectations. Not to end on a sad caveat, but it would be a disservice to these pioneers to follow the pattern of dehumanizing them by mythologizing their existence. Anyway, starting next week, the highlights will be brought to you by other E-Board members so yk get hyped!
