NYU Queer Union

Queer Union is NYU’s oldest and largest student organization providing social, cultural, and political opportunities for members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, pos, and all other oppressed communities and their allies. Advocating with a focus on all students, we aim to increase awareness, build alliances, and actualize positive change. We're also fucking fabulous.

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Why yes, that is Rick Santorum’s face made out of gay porn.

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Remove Chick-Fil-A from NYU

NYU student Hillary Dworkoski has created a petition on change.org to remove Chick-fil-A from campus, and in doing so she has created a discussion about our university, its values and how it can and should be promoting those values through its selection of corporate partnerships.

For me, that discussion leads to the following two questions: How can a university with one of the leading departments of psychology and a fantastic school of social work direct its dollars and its students’ dollars towards an organization that directly counters the aims of both of these departments? How can a university committed to tolerance and diversity direct its dollars and its students’ dollars towards an organization that directly counters that philosophy?

Media coverage:

http://nyuwsn.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/chic-fil-a-out-of-nyu/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/chick-fil-a-anti-gay-donation-nyu-protest_n_1277364.html

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2012/02/chik-fil-a_prot.php

Sign the petition and contact Hilary if you want to get involved today. The QU facebook page will have frequent updates regarding activism around this issue.

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Queer Self Defense

I want to thank everyone who came out to the Queer Self Defense event on Monday! We had some great moments, picked up some new knowledge, and there are ridiculous polaroids of Tovah attacking like a spider-mokey forthcoming. Here is a recap of important self-defense tips. 

Before a Fight Happens:

Always try to de-escalate the situation, even if it hurts your pride. Losing your wallet or taking an insult is preferable to getting seriously injured or killed. 

Be sensible. Your response to a slightly inebriated average sized person should be different than your response to 3 sober men. Use your common sense as to whether something like pulling out mace will increase your chance of escaping, or increase your chances of getting sprayed in the face with your own mace. 

Pulling out a weapon escalates the situation. If you are not trained in knife fighting, you've now introduced a knife into the fight and greatly increased your chances of getting stabbed. If your opponent has a knife... seriously make every effort to run the fuck away. 

Once your in a fight:

Always protect yourself. Your neck, solar plexus, and other squishy bits are vulnerable. Don't leave yourself exposed. 

The parts of your body you should hit the other person with are the hardest, boniest parts. Think: knuckles on your hands, elbows, shins, heel. 

The places you should hit the other person: nose, neck, solar plexus, kneecaps. 

Your primary goal should be to get yourself out of the dangerous situation as quickly as possible, not beat the shit out of your opponent. Put him/her on the ground and run. 

If you're going to kick (which is a great move and stronger than a punch), aim low, towards knees/groin, to keep your leg from getting caught and grabbed. 

Punch in straight lines, don't swing wildly. 

Turning your purse into a weapon: 

Slipping your keys between your fingers = instant brass knuckles

Pens/pencils= makeshift stabbing weapons

Heavy bags= pseudo-club. Swing hard towards knees or stomachs.

If you're wearing stilettos, take 'em off. Now you can run faster and you have a stabbing weapon. 

More information: http://www.ehow.com/about_4571255_new-york-selfdefense-laws.html

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FINAL EDITION. THE EVENT IS FINALLY HAPPENNING THIS WEEKEND!

GET READYYYYY

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Ali Forney Rally Poster, made by the always lovely Alisha Bhaumik !

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Thank you to everybody who came out to Diva Rage and the fabulous afterparty last Saturday!

Speaking of the afterparty, JJ Bishop Boros and Lisa Smith found a few things left in their apartment in the aftermath. 

If you're missing (1) a bag of Drumm tobacco or (2) a black cell phone charger, please contact one of us via email, the tumblr ask box, or facebook to get your stuff back!

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BANNED BLOOD is a protest against the FDA's regulations that ban MSM (men who have sex with men) and WSMSM (women who sleep with men who sleep with men) from donating blood.  In the US, more than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day. An estimated 7 million Americans are not permitted to donate due to this ban. This ban is informed by a heterosexist discourse from the HIV/AIDS crisis that designated the queer body as the diseased, the contaminated, the unwanted body. The FDA implemented this ban in 1983,and it continues to this day-despite the fact that most folks view this ban as an anachronism in modern LGBTQ social contexts. Both the New York City Council and Washington, D.C. City Councils have passed resolutions to the FDA to change this policy in 2010, but we’ve yet to see any proactive response from the FDA. If you are a member of the community effected by this ban, we will symbolically "draw your blood" next to the NYC Blood Drive Bus outside Kimmel (60 Washington Sq. South) in order to display the WASTE of human resources based on bigotry. (And if you can give blood, please do so and sign our petition to end the ban.)  There will be fabulous costumes, vampiric imagery, petition signing, and symbolic blood drawing!  For more/updated information, check out http://www.bannedblood.tum blr.com/ for information on the last event, press coverage, and promotional material and follow @bannedblood (http://www.twitter.com/bannedblood) on twitter for important updates and invite your friends to RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=281088531914917!

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PRIDE MONTH OPENING DANCE PARTY: DIVA RAGE

Join us for the opening night event of Pride Month 2011!! This year we are taking the traditional Diva Ball to a N E W L E V E L. This two-part inter-borough party will feature bands, djs, vendors, prizes, and much more! PART 1: DIVA BALL 8pm: CONCERT @ NYU Featuring Performances by: TENDER FOREVER PEOPLE WITH TEETH Rock out to the sounds of TENDER FOREVER and PEOPLE WITH TEETH, Two queer-friendly bands guaranteed to own the crowd, only to be followed by a set by Dj Dziga, whose only purpose in life is to make you dance. Refreshments will be provided and special after-party give-aways will happen.

 11:30pm: AFTER PARTY ft. special guests....

The party doesn't stop at NYU! Hop on the L and head over to Brooklyn to keep the dance going all night long on the rooftop of a 6 story building with an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline! The view will be much classier than the drinks guaranteed! Bring snacks, drinks, and anything else you would like to consume. There will be snacks and some mixers but the goal is for everyone to bring what they need to get them where they want to be ;) The building has an elevator but there is one short flight of stairs to get from the 6th floor to the roof. And bring a coat and/or attractive friend to stay warm, it's going to get cold at night :)  We are off of the Morgan Stop on the L. Head down Morgan to Flushing and turn left. Our building is the only tall one in the area on the right hand side about a block down flushing. ALL EVENTS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

About the bands:

People with Teeth:

People With Teeth is a hip-hop/punk outfit based out of Brooklyn, NY. Signature songs like "Glenn Beck is Dead" have earned the group a reputation as an aggressive, satirically political trio combining hip-hop music with punk attitude and spoken word elements. Comprised of accomplished spoken word artists, emcees and performers, People With Teeth has made a splash in certain NYC hip-hop, spoken word and comedy circles as a daring, eclectic and wildly fun collective.

http://peoplewithteeth.bandcamp.com/

Tender Forever

Melanie Valera is an autodidact performing artist and a pop music maker residing in Portland, OR – USA. She was born in 1977 in South West France where she spent her formative years. She left her native ground for an incredible transatlantic adventure from where she will never return. A laptop, a long mic cord and almost too much enthusiasm was all it took. 3 successful opuses (K RECORDS) and 800 international shows later, she has worked on multimedia projects, including collaborations with film maker Ted Passon, Multimedia artist Nick Lally and producer Christopher Doulgeris. She has shared the stage with Cocorosie, Men, Deerhoof, The Blow, Calvin Johnson, Mirah and Electrelane. Most recently, she performed at the TBA FESTIVAL 2010 in Portland-OR, the Whitney Museum in New York City and La Cité Internationale in Paris. She has composed scores for multiple shorts, video games and advertisement. Melanie Valera’s multimedia pop projects explore and challenge spaces, overlap realities, tell you stories, span nationalities and leaps forward towards a world where we can close the gaps between countries, ideologies and ultimately hearts. She is currently recording a 4th album and has just received the RAAC Grant to complete a collaborative project called “MAZED” with Peter Burr. www.tenderforever.com

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jj's favorite moment of the gathering: turning the often hostile subway ride into a fabulous rent-esq (but sluttier) space

it's not the subway anymore... it's the subgay. (subqueer?)

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Tovah's not at all hipster polariod scans show fabulous QU queers gathering off campus for the first classy soiree of the year!

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The official Queering out Your Closet poster, made my the fabulous Zev Alexander! 

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Spread the list around! NYU's Pride Month has tons of fantastic, intersectional events to check out!

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artoftransliness:

From the Article:

The law banning people from serving in the military based on sexual orientation (included in various forms since the Revolutionary War) was the only thing amended by DADT and then again by its repeal. The U.S. military considers transgender people medically unfit to serve based on diagnosis of “Gender Identity Disorder” and/or genital surgery, labeled by the military as “major abnormalities and defects of the genitalia.”

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Also, NYUers will be meeting at West 4th St and University Place today from 3:30 to 4:30 to speak out against the slaying of Troy Davis, and will go together to the Day of Outrage Rally in Union Square after. Please attend if you can.

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TONIGHT: Queer Out Your Closet Planning Meeting!

Come out to help plan our first event of the year, Queer Out Your Closet: a genderfucked clothing swap! Dinner provided! :-O

6:30 p.m. on the 7th Floor Lounge in Kimmel

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As Jesse said, joy is a powerful form of activism! Here's some of your QU leaders... being very happy.

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Previous QU events include things like joining national rallies! In October 2009 Queer Union members joined hundreds of thousands of other LGBTQ and ally activists for a march on Washington.