Note: The 2023 conference schedule is in development. Check back for updates!
2023 LGBT+ College Conference Schedule
Conference Theme – All Identities–Pulling Together
The conference is free to attend for everyone. Please register to help in planning. All posted times are for the central time zone.
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Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3
All posted times are for the central time zone.
8:45am – 9:15am Conference Registration and Check-In
Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom Lobby
Ray A. White, Ed.S., is licensed by the State of Tennessee as a Licensed Professional
Counselor with both Mental Health Service Provider, and Approved Supervisor status.
White works as a Clinical Counselor for Walters State Community College and teaches
both undergraduate and graduate courses in higher education. Additionally, he maintains
a professional private practice (Whitewood Counseling & Consultation) where he sees
clients and supervises graduate students working towards licensure.
9:15am – 9:35am Welcoming Remarks
Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
Sponsored by
9:45am – 10:45am Education Spotlight - Transgender Life in Tennessee
Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
Transgender people, especially trans youth, continue to be attacked across the state from multiple angles, from the removal of HIV prevention funding to bills in the state legislature that would criminalize gender-affirming treatment for trans youth. This presentation is a discussion around issues facing the trans community, trans visibility, myths vs. facts, and how to support trans people. As the current target of many attacks, we need more allies and accomplices to help bring our messages that we are just trying to live our lives just like everyone else.
Ray Holloman is a Black, queer, transgender man that lives in the south. His unique
identity allows him to see multiple sides of marginalized communities. He currently
is Chair of the Tennessee Transgender Task Force, and a member of Vanderbilt University
Medical Center LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, IN|TN Embrace Governance committee. Ray enjoys
sharing his story to educate the public about transgender and queer people. He is
married, with 4 ish dogs, 20 ish chickens and 5 ish quail. He enjoys farming, quilting,
and cooking in his limited spare time.
Sponsored by
11:00am – 12:00pm Voices from Africa - LGBTQ People's Freedom and Rights in East Africa
Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
After an overview of the situation for LGBTQ people in East Africa (covering the countries Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda), panelists will share stories of their experiences with activism and living as LGBTQ people in Africa. The presenters will also discuss ways that the audience can assist people facing violent oppression in East Africa.
Sponsored by
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch Break
1:00pm - 2:15pm Keynote - Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust
Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
Learn the dynamic and inspiring history of the LGBTQ+ community's original pride symbol by tracing the transformation of the pink triangle from a Nazi concentration camp badge into a widespread emblem of queer liberation, pride, and community. Drawing from unexplored archival sources and original interviews, Dr. Jake Newsome showcases the voices of LGBTQ+ Holocaust victims and a rich tapestry of queer lives who found meaning in the pink triangle in a post-Holocaust world.
Dr. Jake Newsome is a scholar of American and German LGBTQ+ history whose work as
a public historian reaches global audiences. He currently works as a museum professional
in Washington, DC. You can find him online at wjakenewsome.com and on social media
at @wjnewsome.
Sponsored by MTSU Holocaust Studies Program
2:30pm - 4:30pm Business Etiquette and Resume Review
Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
Please join us for a highly interactive session designed to build your business etiquette competence! This session will include an overview of the
Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3
All posted times are for the central time zone.
6:00pm LGBT+ College Conference Film Festival and Reception (Program begins at 6:30)
Thursday, April 7, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
The festival will feature films related to LGBT+ issues submitted from around the globe.
Allie Sultan is an award-winning independent filmmaker whose work spans narrative,
documentary and experimental modes. A graduate of the MFA-Cinema program at San Francisco
State University, she has worked as a picture and sound editor with some of the San
Francisco Bay area’s finest film companies and organizations – including American
Zoetrope, ZAP Zoetrope-Aubry Productions, Berkeley Sound Artists, the Bay Area Video
Coalition, and Tippett Studio. Her latest film project, Incognita’s Infamous Adventures, won Best Web Series at the 2021 Orlando Film Festival. She is currently in post-production
on a feature documentary about LGBTQ Christians.
Allie is an Associate Professor of Video and Film Production at Middle Tennessee State University, where she teaches film and video production to the next generation of independent filmmakers.
Sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University College of Media and Entertainment
Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3
All posted times are for the central time zone.
8:30am – 9:00am Conference Registration and Check-In
Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom Lobby
Dr. William Langston (he/him) is a psychology professor at Middle Tennessee State
University. Dr. Langston is the faculty advisor for MT Lambda (MTSU’s all-inclusive
LGBTQ+ student organization). Dr. Langston also serves on MTSU’s Community Engagement
Advisory Group. Dr. Langston organizes the LGBT+ College Conference and is a founding
board member of Murfreesboro’s BoroPride celebration. Dr. Langston was recently selected
as one of Focus Middle Tennessee’s 40 Over 40 in Middle Tennessee. Dr. Langston received
his BA in psychology from the University of Houston in 1989 and his Ph.D. in Experimental
Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994. Dr. Langston has been
a professor at MTSU since 1997 and specializes in teaching research methodology and
cognition. Dr. Langston’s research explores the psychology of belief. As part of his
research program, Dr. Langston is a ghost investigator and has visited some of the
most haunted places in the country. In his spare time, Dr. Langston enjoys stand-up
comedy and can routinely be seen bombing at local open mics.
9:00am – 9:20am Conference Opening Address
Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
Sponsored by
9:30am – 10:45am Opening Plenary Discussion - Fundraising Sucks! But, Ya' Gotta Do
It.
Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
This workshop will explore the process of securing funding.
The Rev. Mary K. “Kaki” Friskics-Warren (she/her)
Kaki is the Executive Director of the Maddox Fund in Nashville Tennessee. Prior to joining Maddox, Kaki was the Director of GivingMatters.com at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Kaki served as the founding Executive Director of Renewal House, a residential recovery community for women and their children and Reconciliation, a nonprofit serving families of inmates. Kaki has also served as the association pastor of a large Nashville congregation and as a chaplain for Alive Hospice. Kaki’s volunteer work focuses on issues of immigration reform and affordable housing. She volunteered to visit Tennessee death row inmates for 32 years. Kaki received her bachelor’s degree from TCU and her master’s degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Kaki is the recipient of the 2013 “Amiga We Love” award from Conexión Américas, the 2015 Human Relations Award from Community Nashville, the 2017 Academy of Women of Achievement from the YW and the 2018 Hall of Fame from Tennessee Justice Center.
Sponsored by Nissan North America
11:00am – 12:45pm Documentary Keynote Presentation and Luncheon
Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
Sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University Distinguished Lectures Fund
1:00pm – 2:15pm Plenary Panel Discussion - Bringing Your Whole Self to Work
Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
A foundational element of the conference’s initial conception, this panel explores the “bottom line value” that organizations place on their capacity to create a culture in which differences are respected and inclusion is strategically leveraged as an organizational strength. Students preparing to enter the employment pipeline will have an opportunity to gain insights on how potential employers' policies and practices address various dimensions of diversity, including gender identity or expression and sexual orientation. D & I professionals and other leaders in attendance will benefit from open and honest dialog in building their knowledge and exploring new thought leadership for the benefit of the work unit and organization.
Dr. Patrick McCarthy (he/him; moderator)
Dr. Patrick McCarthy, J.D., received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Mason University and his J.D. from the Nashville School of Law. He is a licensed attorney and a member of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Division. Dr. McCarthy is a co-founding Senior Consultant of MTSU’s Center for Organizational and Human Resource Effectiveness (COHRE), and has worked with over 80 clients ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to community nonprofits. Dr. McCarthy is also a past recipient of the LGBT Plus College Conference’s Ally in Diversity Award, and MTSU’s LGBT+ Faculty Advocate of the Year Award.
Sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University Department of Psychology
2:30pm – 4:00pm Workplace Spotlight -
Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
TBD
Sponsored by
Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3
All posted times are for the central time zone.
8:30am – 9:00am Conference Registration and Check-In
Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom Lobby
9:00am – 9:20am Welcoming Address
Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
Sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University Vice President for Student Affairs
9:30am – 10:30am Plenary Discussion - Personal Reflections on Pulling Together
Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
Sponsored by Connect10:45am – 11:45am LGBTQ+ Community Keynote
Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC
A co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Curtis Chin
served as the non-profits’ first Executive Director. He went on to write for television
before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films
at over 600 venues in sixteen countries. His essays have appeared in Bon Appetit and
the Emancipator/Boston Globe. A graduate of the University of Michigan and former
Visiting Scholar at New York University, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney
Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and
more. He can be found at CurtisfromDetroit.com
12:00pm – 1:30pm Lunch Break / Networking / Community and Religious Organizations Fair
Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom DE
1:45pm – 3:15pm Strategy Session -
Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom DE
Join
3:30pm – 4:30pm Issues Summit -
Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom DE
Panelists and participants will discuss
4:45pm – 5:00pm Conference Closing
Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom DE
Conference Contacts
Program Presentation and Participation
Sponsorships and Support
Corporate and Community Engagement
Advisory Board Chair ()
Lambda hosts weekly meetings and membership is open to all currently enrolled MTSU students who act in good faith of Lambda's Constitution and Community Standards. Membership dues are announced at the beginning of each academic year and can be paid at any time.
