Locating Queer Culture

Items

• 
  Beth Watkins

  Beth Watkins, manager of exhibition, interpretation, and visitor experience at the Spurlock Museum, discusses several exhibits relating to the Champaign-Urbana LGBTQ+ community. The first exhibit, In Her Closet, focused on drag costuming and highlighted local drag queens. One national queen who provided her outfits was Sasha Velour, a CU local and previous winner of RuPaul's Drag Race. The next exhibit discussed was Sewn in Memory, which displayed AIDS quilt panels from Central Illinois.
• 
  Christopher Jones

  Christopher Jones, a graduate of the studio art MFA program and research professor in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, discusses the intersection of queer and disabled communities. He cofounded the Cripistemology and the Arts creative research lab, which serves as a gathering place for disabled students.
• 
  Ezra

  Ezra discusses the logistics, struggles, and successes of running a queer soup night in Champaign-Urbana. Ezra created this event after noticing a lack of spaces for queer people of all ages to relax and be in community. The event is meant for people of all ages, including teenagers, college students, and adults. Also discussed are accessibility and other local queer events and organizations.
• 
  Robin Deterding

  Robyn Deterding, former director of campus recreation and current adjunct instructor, discusses her work in creating an inclusive campus environment through gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms and inclusion statements. She also discusses her child's transition.
• 
  Sreelakshmi Suresh

  Sreelakshmi Suresh, a graduate of the entomology Master's degree program, discusses their time at the University as a student and community builder. Suresh founded and served as president of F.U.S.E., which stands for Foraging Unity, Solidarity, and Equity for QTPOC (queer and transgender people of color). Suresh mentions that they feel they have two separate identities on campus: one as a graduate student and the other as a queer person. They wanted to create a community for queer people of color, which they felt was previously lacking, to help others who may feel isolated on campus.