Free shirts, free food, slam poetry and a greater appreciation for diversity at UT.
The fourth annual OUTstanding conference, titled “OUTstanding: LGBTQ+ Mind, Body, and Soul,” is a free event that will take place Saturday in the Carolyn P. Brown University Center and will focus on sexuality and gender expression as part of a more holistic perspective on health.
The conference, which is sponsored by both OUTreach and volOUT, will include two keynote speakers and a series of workshops focusing on gender-related topics.
Junior Alina Clay, the co-director for the Student Government Association’s diversity affairs committee and an active supporter of volOUT, said she believes the two organizations’ collaboration on the conference emphasizes the tenacity of UT’s LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s great seeing a resource center like OUTreach and a more personal support-network group like volOUT collaborate on so many events throughout the year,” Clay said. “It reflects the unity and strength of the LGBTQ+ community here on campus.”
At the conference, keynote speaker Cameron Mack will share his own experiences with depression, mental health and seeking help. Sonya Renee, a distinguished slam poet and activist who founded the “The Body is Not an Apology” movement, will also present during the conference.
Workshops will also be offered throughout the course of the day and will feature topics like depression, sexual violence, religion and creative writing as they pertain to the LGBTQ+ community.
While these topics may be considered controversial, Clay said the conference will provide the ideal place to address some of these issues sensitively.
“To engage with other students and discuss serious, perhaps distressing or ‘taboo’ topics has to be done in a safe, welcoming setting,” Clay said. “Fortunately, I firmly believe that this conference will provide this exact type of setting for open-minded and inclusive dialogue to occur.”
For freshman in global studies, Ben Young, a leader in volOUT, this dialogue will give attendees an appreciation for the diversity within the LGBTQ+ community.
“This conference is relevant because our population is invisible,” Young said. “You never know who around you identifies as a sexual and gender minority.”
Senior Madison Lawson, vice chair for the National LGBT Caucus for College Democrats of America, said she hopes students and guests gain a greater understanding for the many hurtles which plague the LGBTQ+ community.
“I hope attendees take away from the conference is just how large and diverse the LGBTQ+ community is, both on campus and in wider society,” she said. “Each member of the LGBTQ+ community faces issues and challenges that are unique to their own identity, and this conference offers a safe space to educate and explore these issues.”
Through open dialogues about important topics relevant to the community, Abel Howard, the publicity and advertising chair for the conference, said he hopes attendees come away with a new perspective on LGBTQ+ individuals and the community as a whole.
“Going to events such as OUTstanding give an element of humanity to the community — an element some people may not see if they don’t have LGBTQ+ friends,” Howard said. “I hope people who attend the conference gain a new perspective about the community they may not have considered before attending.”
