By Rachel Chu
Staff Writer
From April 13 through 16, members of the Sewanee community will be celebrating Breaking the Silence week, sponsored by the GSD House, Spectrum, School of Theology, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and the Women’s Center. The theme is Private Struggle and Public Justice, which highlights the difficulties LGBTQI+ individuals suffer when addressing coming out, including policies that currently affect this community. This week will kick off with a Convergence panel discussing “how different identities affect coming out” at 7 PM on Monday, April 13, in the Social Lodge. This event will be composed of students from both Seminary and the University from a variety of ethnic and social backgrounds focusing on intersectionality and the effects of those backgrounds on coming out. Light snacks will be provided.
On Tuesday April 14 at 5 PM in the EQB building, there will be an Aux Talk including fun and engaging conversation about how it is to be queer and Greek at Sewanee. After this talk, there will be screening of A Mississippi Love Story, a film dealing with the current situation of gay marriage and civil union in Alabama, at 6:30 PM. The film’s producer and Sewanee alum, Robbie Fisher, will be attending. On Wednesday, the 15, there will be an Interfaith Healing Service for the Effects of Homophobia with Dr. Mote in Spencer Quad at 5 PM and a screening of Pride in the SUT at 7:30 PM On Thursday, the 16, speakers from Chattanooga Care and Tennessee Equality Project will present Paths to Equality: Activism in our Time at 5 PM in Mary Sue Cushman Room. This will include a talk promoting justice in Tennessee for gay rights and relevant political policies.
Friday, April 17, is the National Day of Silence. Students and community members can participate by taking a vow of silence to make a social statement about the silencing effect of homophobic discrimination and bullying.