2012 SAVMA Symposium RECAP!

Last week, the inaugural board members of Broad Spectrum--William Gilles (Outreach Co-Chair), Sonia Fang (Outreach Co-Chair), and Nikki Wright (LGVMA Liaison)-- finally convened at Purdue University for the 2012 SAVMA Symposium.  Though we had been working hard and had been in near-constant communication (the wonders of email, Skype, GChat, and Facebook), it was the first time we were physically in the same space at the same time...IN A  YEAR.  Excitement levels were at all-time highs! 

Friday
Friday morning and early afternoon were spent tending to the LGVMA and Broad Spectrum VSA booth.

Professional Business Occurring.  Photo: W Gilles.

We were very excited for the turn-out.  We informed people about our organization, happy hour at the Egyptian Cafe Bar, and LGVMA’s Student Scholarship.  Free skittles probably didn’t hurt either!

Spiffy Flyer!

After clocking in a day of hard work, we were able to switch into more casual attire and head to the Egyptian Cafe Bar for some LGVMA-sponsored fun!  We had an amazing time talking to students from all over the US.  

Dr. Ken Gorczyka and Nikki.  Photo: N Wright.

Amazing people.  Photo N. Wright

We stuffed ourselves on hummus and pita, fried mushrooms, and nachos.  We were even able to enjoy some hookah.   

Hoorah!  Photo: C. Parsley

Liam, looking very pensive.  Photo: C. Parsley

Making new friends!  Photo: C. Parsley

Liam and Sonia celebrating a good year.  Photo: C. Parsley

Sonia and Nikki, in awe of everyone's awesomeness.  Photo: C. Parsley

Smizing.  Smiling with the eyes.  An extraordinary talent.   Photo: C. Parsley

BFF!  Photo: C. Parsley

Broad Spectrum Leadership 2011-2012!  Sonia is in pain.  Photo: C. Parsley

What a great event!  Photo: C. Parsley

Saturday
LGVMA Leadership Breakfast
On Saturday we attended the Leadership Breakfast bright and early at 8 AM.  Dr. Ken Gorczyka, the Executive Secretary of the LGVMA, gave a very powerful and moving welcome, explaining the origin of the LGVMA and how far we’ve come.  So many people showed up.

Ken discussing the origins of the LGVMA.  Photo: N. Wright

Great Turn Out!  Photo: N. Wright

Giving Ken our Thank You Card!  Photo: N. Wright

Broad Spectrum Meeting
Then at 9 AM, the time had come...for Broad Spectrum’s first national meeting since its founding!

 Our First Birthday...http://www.our-everyday-art.com/2011/01/brainstorm-1st-birthday-party-themes.html

We reviewed our organization’s history, the impetus for our formation, and everything we’ve done this year.

HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS
In the last year, we really developed our infrastructure, web presence, and social media:

• Liam built our fantastic website: broadspectrumvsa.org
• I (SF) worked on this blog you are currently reading: broadspectrumvsa.blogspot.com
• We started a facebook:  facebook.com/BroadSpectrumVSA
• We even started a twitter @BroadSpectrumVS

We established many resources, many of which had never been attempted prior to Broad Spectrum:

• Different club organizations at each school
•  Analysis of the different non-discrimination policies of each school
• Launching an interview series with veterinarians and students
• Covering events going on at different schools, including World AIDS Day, and National Coming Out Day
• Writing a manual on how to start a club

At the meeting, we established that students would love to have access to a list of speakers and a way to share event ideas across schools.  We established a need to work with Lisa Greenhill, the Associate Executive Director for Institutional Research and Diversity at the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, to better formulate our organization’s mission and long-term strategy.

Congratulations to our new leadership!

Broad Spectrum VSA 2012-2013

Arturo Otamendi (LSU)

Amanda Lynnea Fischer (Cornell)

Charlie Alex (VMRCVM)

Stephen Cole (Penn)
Caitlin Parsley (Auburn)

The 2011-2012 Leadership would like to thank

The LGVMA for being a tireless advocate of our organization, allowing Broad Spectrum to be visible, showcasing our writing in Good News, sponsoring so many of our events and sharing space at the booth, amongst an ever-growing list of things!

Dr. Ken Gorczyka for being such a great contact, consistently informing us of new events, potential interviewees, and leadership/scholarship opportunities.

Dr. Sandra Amass (Professor, Veterinary Clinical Sciences &
Associate Dean for Engagement Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine) for making Broad Spectrum visible at Purdue University, for being so supportive of our organization and our students. 

Tony Wynn (Operations Manager of AAVMC/VMCAS) for being so supportive and offering to help with our website.

Maggie Placer '14 for helping coordinate our events at Symposium

Purdue University for hosting an amazing and unforgettable Symposium
Lisa Greenhill for offering her expertise to make us a sustainable organization.

This has been such an amazing experience.  Thank you. 

Sonia Fang (Broad Spectrum Outreach Co-Chair 2011-2012)

William Gilles (Broad Spectrum Outreach Co-Chair 2011-2012)

Nikki Wright (Broad Spectrum LGVMA Liaison 2011-2012)

SAVMA SYMPOSIUM!

Despite our interweb silence, Broad Spectrum has been up to many things!  If you're traveling to the Student American Veterinary Medical Association Symposium (SAVMA Symposium) at Purdue this year, you should definitely come find us.  Here are the events we'll be co-hosting and/or checking out!

http://savmasymposium2012.com/

Friday March 16, 2012

LGVMA and Broad Spectrum Happy Hour

5:30pm-7:30pm - Egyptian Cafe Hookah bar (may switch 5-7)

http://www.theegyptianindy.com/

Join the LGVMA (Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association) and Broad Spectrum (the LGBTQ Veterinary Student Network) for drinks and appetizers before you head out for the Bar Crawl. Everyone and anyone is welcome!

Saturday March 17, 2012

Room 214A in the Stewart Center of the Purdue

8:00am-9:00am Broad Spectrum Leadership Breakfast sponsored by LGVMA

Join us for a chance to meet LGVMA (Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association) members and the veterinary students of Broad Spectrum (LGBTQ student network) and enjoy coffee and breakfast thanks to the generosity of the LGVMA. Please RSVP to nikki.wright121@gmail.com so we have an idea of our numbers!

9am-10am Broad Spectrum Annual Meeting

Does your school have an LGBTQ group? Are you interested in starting one? Just curious about what Broad Spectrum is about and up to? Join us for our meeting and help us celebrate our first year anniversary as an organization!

10am-11am "Poverty of Knowledge" Lecture by Dr. Malcolm Kram, DVM sponsored by Pfizer

A lecture on the value of LGBT clients to a veterinary practice, how to create an inclusive environment, why it is important and ways to identify a friendly and inclusive LGBT practice. 

11am-12pm Initial Findings from the AAVMC/AVMA Student Climate and Curriculum Survey

A Lecture and Discussion by Lisa Greenhill and Dr. Paige Charmichel, DVM

In 2011, the AAVMC and AVMA conducted a landmark study of campus climate at each of the 28 US schools and colleges of veterinary medicine. The AAVMC-AVMA DiVersity Matters Climate Survey provided individual institutions with fundamental data on veterinary student comfort and tolerance levels with respect to difference and student perceptions on institutional support and bullying behavior. This session will provide a national overview of key findings from the survey and insights on lessons learned and new programmatic directions based on the data.

12pm - 2pm Diversity Forum (Location TBA)

3pm - 4:30pm VOICE National Open Meeting and Elections with Lunch

Does your school have a VOICE chapter? Curious about possible event ideas? Are you interested in starting a chapter at your school? Join the Veterinary Students as One in Culture and Ethnicity for our annual meeting and elections over lunch and learn more about how to get involved!"

What else we've been up to:

• Steadily interviewing more amazing veterinarians.  We'll be posting more interviews soon!  If you are interested in being interviewed, let us know!
• Brainstorming for an article on the changing meaning of "queer."  Do you identify as queer?  Do you have strong feelings about the word?  Email us, we'd love to hear your perspective!  

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day, an event conceived of in 1987 by Thomas Netter and James Bunn, officers working at the World Health Organization on the Global AIDS Program.  Since 1988, it has been held every year on December 1 to raise global awareness about HIV and AIDS (which affects 33.3 million people world-wide), show support for those living with HIV, and commemorate those who have passed away.  The event provides an opportunity to address topics such as global inequities in access to health care and anti-viral drugs, the stigma and discrimination targeting those with HIV, and the need for continued research funding and education. 

via http://www.aidsandhiv.org/news/why-is-december-1-world-aids-day.html

For veterinarians and veterinary students, being pro-active in learning about HIV and AIDS  is of utmost importance, especially in an era of One Health, One Medicine.  In his excellent must-read article, "HIV/AIDS Education: Still an Important Issue for Veterinarians," Dr. Radford G. Davis, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, summarizes it best:

Veterinarians need to better understand HIV/AIDS for many reasons: to dispel unfounded beliefs; to address discrimination and liability issues; to educate and protect the health of clients and employees; to help those with HIV/AIDS keep their pets; and to meet legal and professional requirements. To do this, veterinarians must become proactive in learning about HIV/AIDS and in reaching out to pet owners living with HIV/AIDS, as well as the physicians of those individuals.

At Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine, the Student LGVMA chapter, the first LGBT group to ever be established at Tuskegee, was able to host a very successful World AIDS Day Event for the second year in a row.   The LGVMA recently awarded their group with the 2011 LGVMA Leadership Award for outstanding leadership and community activism within the veterinary profession.

TUSVM-LGVMA World AIDS Day Poster, Courtesy of Audrey Weaver

I was able to briefly interview Audrey Weaver, a third-year student and Secretary of Broad Spectrum, about their event today.

Sonia Fang: So this was your second year hosting a World AIDS Day event, correct?

Audrey Weaver: Yes ma'am

SF: How did it go?  Did you bring in speakers this year?

AW: It was great. We had an awesome turn out with our HIV testing. We did have a speaker from the Alabama State Department of Public Health. There was food. There were cupcakes!! We raised some money that will be given to AIDS Alabama in Birmingham.

SF: Cool! Who was the speaker and what was their topic of discussion?

AW: The speaker was Lani Thompson and she talked about HIV statistics and practicing healthy sexual relationships.  She's the HIV coordinator for the Department of Public Health.

SF: Awesome! So do you have any tips for other school groups trying to pull off a World AIDS Day event?

AW: Well...hmm...persistence is key. This year was a little frustrating because there were some road blocks, but I think even if there is only one person dedicated to the project, the rest of the school will follow. Incentives seem to work well (food,raffles,etc).  I have to admit that it was frustrating when there wasn't a lot of people at the lunch and learn that we had. But I'm glad that even the small crowd that came received the message and enjoyed the speaker.  I still see it as a success. We had more people this year get tested which is awesome to me.

SF: That's great! WesternU was able to secure free HIV testing two years back, but we've run into problems in recent years. Do you have any tips on approaching people to donate time/resources to HIV testing or did your club fund it?

AW: We contacted Unity Wellness Center which is a part of East Alabama Medical Center in Auburn, AL. They do a lot of HIV awareness programs and work closely with HIV/AIDS patients. They are a nonprofit organization that works closely with the community. This is our second year working with them and it's always at no charge. There are lots of organizations that have trained professionals that will come to a location and administer free testing.  Usually local health departments will help. I don't think that can do large numbers but it probably depends on the area.

SF: Great! Do you have anything else you want to say?

AW: I love cupcakes!! 

SF: Hahah, well congratulations on another successful event! Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed on such short notice

AW: Yay!! Thanks Dr. Fang*!

SF: Thank you for all you do, Dr. Weaver!

Raising awareness at Tuskegee.

Did your school commemorate World AIDS Day?  Send us your stories and photos!

Here are some from WesternU from last year:  Lambda and Friends encouraged everyone to wear red,  distributed free red ribbons, provided pizza, and took a fancy photo at lunch. 

Free pizza.  Always an incentive.

Lambda and Friends, World AIDS Day 2010

More Articles on Veterinarians, HIV/AIDS or World AIDS Day
Leading HIV researcher, veterinarian delivers keynote at CVC Baltimore, DVM 360
World AIDS Day: Look to the Future, Educate Yourself and Watch a Documentary, Autostraddle
'Gay disease' or not, HIV is our responsibility, qnotes
Some Dentists Refuse to Serve People With HIV, The Advocate
Pause Today to Remember Lost Loved Ones..., The Root


*Note: We are not actually doctors.  Yet. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, an internationally observed event (and the culmination of Transgender Awareness Week) which commemorates the victims of transphobic and anti-transgender violence and hate crimes.  The day was founded in 1998 by San Franciscan trans activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith following the murder of Rita Hester, a trans woman of color.  Trangender Day memorials often encompass reading of the names of those lost in the previous year.

Even in 2011, trans* people are routinely attacked, bullied, harassed, and ridiculed, and discriminated against in schools and at work. According a report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, transgender women accounted for nearly half of all anti-LGBT murders last year. Trans women of color, in particular those who are attracted to men, are especially at risk.  --Annika from her article on Autostraddle: OPEN THREAD: Transgender Day of Remembrance

Transgender Pride Flag via Kiquemoran on Photobucket

The Human Rights Campaign's video on TDoR


For more information:
http://www.transgenderdor.org/
http://www.noh8campaign.com/article/transgender-day-of-remembrance
http://www.amsa.org/AMSA/Homepage/About/Committees/GenderandSexuality/TransgenderHealthCare.aspx

Interview with Dr. Larry Carbone, D.V.M., Ph.D., Dipl. ACLAM

We are very excited to present to you our interview with Dr. Larry Carbone!  Hopefully this will be the first of many interviews!

Dr. Carbone, left, with his partner David in Morocco

Dr. Carbone is a laboratory animal veterinarian and self-styled veterinary ethicist in San Francisco.

Hi Dr Carbone!  Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed.  Please introduce yourself.  Where did you grow up?  Where did you go to school?
I grew up in Boston, and fell in love with Cornell on a visit there --- at Cornell, I got my BA in evolutionary biology, then worked as a lab animal technician (while my BF at the time was starting vet school), then became a vet student, then stayed on as a staff lab animal vet, and moonlighted as a grad student (History & Philosophy of Science & Technology - the closest I could get to grad work in veterinary ethics).  4 Cornell degrees and 20 years in Ithaca, I finally relocated to California.


Tell us about your job.  Did you always know you wanted to be a laboratory animal veterinarian, or what made you decide to pursue this career?
I was a teenage zookeeper in Boston, but worried that pursuing zoo work would mean having to move wherever the jobs were, a compromise that never felt good to me, especially in more homophobic times.  In retrospect, decisions made from fear never seem like the decisions we should make.

I fell into lab animal care simply because it was available in Ithaca when my BF was starting vet school, and it got under my skin.  It's intellectually challenging, gives a chance for species-diversity (especially in my Cornell days, with vampire bats, and goats, and reptiles and all sorts of things complementing the dog-mouse-monkey repertoire of common lab animal practice).  Beyond that, I have this missionary streak - I felt, in the late 80s, that lab animals needed committed welfare-focused vets, like my first mentor Fred Quimby, and I hope, me.  It's a great job for someone who needs to feel he's doing good in the world.


How do you identify in terms of the LGBTQ/Ally community?  How (if any) do you feel that your identity has affected your school, job, and living location choices/opportunities?
Gay as can be, but got a rocky start in high school/college accepting that.  That may be part of why I've made life decisions more on whom I want to be with, and where we want to be, and then found work that fit, than on going where the job of my dreams might lead me.  I'd rather be doing the job I do now (which I love; a solid A-minus) in San Francisco, than the job of my dreams, which would be at some vet campus somewhere.

I've been as out as possible since my technician days --- I got that job because my BF had previously worked for my boss and introduced us, and it was pretty obvious to everyone that we weren't just roommates.  When I stayed on as a staff vet, with so few out faculty (none, at the time, which was 1987), I definitely knew I had an obligation to be out, for students and for co-workers.

Successful Events: Schools Celebrating National Coming Out Day!

Tuskegee University

"Tuskegee School of Vet med LGVMA chapter sold cupcakes as a yummy fundraiser for our chapter and gave out nifty rainbow ribbons to our classmates that wanted to show their support as well as talking to the various classes about what the day actually meant. Some of the ribbons had tags attached with quotes like "love is love", "No H8", and some had a space where u could sport the number of months/years "out and proud". We always have tremendous support from our TUSVM family. We're very proud!!!!"

Audrey Weaver, Class of 2013

Photo from Baking Bites Blog
http://bakingbites.com/2009/05/rainbow-cupcakes

From http://onekissworldwide.com/community/?tag=noh8

Purdue University 

"Rain moved Purdue’s National Coming Out Day Celebration indoors but didn’t dampen the spirit. The afternoon was celebrated with booths representing academic units, Purdue organizations, and community organizations. University and community leaders, including the Mayor of West Lafayette, spoke. The keynote speaker for the evening, Katherine Miller, spoke about her experiences as a cadet at West Point under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and her subsequent resignation."

Dr. Sandra Amass, Associate Dean for Engagement

 

 "Purdue Veterinary Medicine Booth at Purdue's National Coming Out Day Celebration!" Dr. Amass

"It was a great day with outstanding speakers!" Dr. Amass

Purdue's NCOD Poster

Western University of Health Sciences

Lambda and Friends distributed these new amazing shirts designed by Cynthia Ting.  We took our annual photo at noon on the lawn.  We also celebrated by going out for food and drinks!  Fun was had.

New shirts! Front.  Photo: S. Fang

Back Photo: S. Fang

Six of us representing four different colleges.  Photo: S.P

Penn 
Penn's LGBTQ Center hosted the "You Are Loved Project," an event for suicide prevention.  A suicide prevention presentation was followed by food and and hot cocoa.  All were invited to mingle.   Participants were encouraged to write positive messages in chalk across campus. The event raised awareness of the hurtful rhetoric used against those of the LGBTQ community, promoted tolerance, as well as an opportunity for students to get to know one another.

From https://www.facebook.com/PennLGBTC

http://chalkmessages.org/

Did your school celebrate National Coming Out Day?  Send us an email about it with photos if you have any, and we'll update this post!  broadspectrumoutreach [at] gmail [dot] com.

Interviews!

Broad Spectrum is very excited to start a recurring feature on our blog:  Interviews!

We are looking for veterinarians who are interested in being interviewed.  The interview would be conducted via email or phone, whichever is more convenient, and would focus on questions that pre-veterinary and veterinary students may have, especially with regards to being out in academia, the job interview process, and the workplace.  We believe this project will be important, not only as a resource to students, but as a means to strengthen a sense of visibility and community within the veterinary field.
If you are interested in participating or if you have questions you’d like to see answered, please email us at broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com

To kick start this project, our current co-chairs decided to interview each other.  Please note that this will NOT be representative of the interviews we will conduct with veterinarians and other professionals!

And with that, we present:
A Long and Extraordinarily (Perhaps Regrettably) Candid Interview with:

Nikki (Ashley Nicole) Wright, University of Pennsylvania, class of 2014. (Broad Spectrum Intern/Resident Chair) 

Sonia Fang, Western University of Health Sciences, class of 2013 (Broad Spectrum Outreach Co-Chair)

Audrey Weaver, Tuskegee University, class of 2013 (Broad Spectrum Secretary)

William (Liam) Gilles, University of Wisconsin, class of 2013 (Broad Spectrum Outreach Co-Chair)


How it began:

Liam:  did we want to interview ONE OF US?

Sonia: oh shoot we are GREAT RESOURCES- i forgot!! LET US INTERVIEW EACH OTHER!

Liam: [we could] "interview" all of us via a chat and then edit it down to the BEST PARTS

Sonia: hahah you mean it'll be me typing LOL the entire time. SURE.

Nikki: sounds great - 'welcome to broad spectrum .. this is who we are.. we're just like you'

Liam: well, we'll edit out the "lols.” part of this whole thing is to be really inclusive, so we need to show people we're friendly/funny/and cooler than we really are

Audrey: good idea.

Liam: Who are we? Ready GO

Nikki: Nikki (Ashley Nicole) Wright, University of Pennsylvania, class of 2014, Wellesley College BA in Biology 2008, from Houston, TX; New Orleans, LA; Miami, FL; Boston, MA

Sonia: Sonia Fang.  Pomona College 2008.  Western University of Health Sciences, Class of 2013.   From: San Marino, CA. Interests.  HOLD ON.

Liam: Undergrad was a BA in Linguistics [at UW-Milwaukee, 2007], with a minor in Portuguese and an Asian Studies certificate; I've been known to break out the Portuguese and Mandarin if the mood strikes me.

Audrey: Audrey Weaver class of 2013 graduated from Virginia State University with a BS in animal science/pre-vet med.

Sonia: LIAM, YOU SPEAK MANDARIN AND YOU DIDN"T TELL ME THIS? The things you learn. *NBC shooting star*  Ok my interests: Identity, Race, Intersectionality (of multiple identities), Representation, The personal being political, Feminism, Music.  So.  that takes care of  the BUSINESS-y side of it. Do we want to have a goofy [interview] too? HOGWARTS HOUSE. I think I'd be in Hufflepuff. If we don't want to do that I DO NOT CARE I AM STILL IN HUFFLEPUFF.

Liam: I also am a legit gay cowboy and play ice hockey.

Sonia: maybe we can edit it and pretend I said Ravenclaw

Audrey: I like cupcakes

Nikki: hell yes! Cupcakes. I'd also like to include: running, yoga, cooking/baking, poetry, music, gardening, and good beer :)

Liam: GOOD BEER! And can I throw in “watching clothing hang on Idris Elba"?


Back to business.  So, what do you want to do, career-wise, after vet school?


Nikki: global public health, mixed animal practice, sustainable food production

Sonia: small animal medicine, maybe lab animal medicine

Liam: equine practice with a focus on sport horse medicine and eventually wind up … teaching, or working on the policy/government side of vet med

Audrey: Hoping to get into small animal emergency medicine, also into holistic/homeopathic medicine. Not sure how I'll work that but I'll work it!

Happy National Coming Out Day!

Today's the day!  Wear your pro-gay apparel if you can.

From the Founders (Dr. Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary) themselves:

Successful Events: WesternU National Coming Out Day

Happy October/LGBT History Month!

Photo from http://bungalow-love.blogspot.com/2011/08/fall-decorating.html

As some of you might know, October 11 (next Tuesday) is National Coming Out Day, an internationally-observed holiday that was co-founded in the United States in 1988 by Dr. Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary.

National Coming Out Day Logo, Keith Haring

Before we talk about what Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) has been doing to celebrate National Coming Out Day, it's important we share a little about the history behind the event and its founders because it is all too easy to be uneducated about LGBT history.  It isn't hard to understand why:  LGBT history is not discussed in schools (yet!) and many people (especially newer generations) are unaware of the pioneering efforts that have brought us to where we are today.

 smpl.org

Dr. Eichberg was a psychologist and author of Coming Out: an Act of Love.  An ardent leader in the gay rights movement, he raised money for AIDS patients and founded two important organizations.  The first was a community project/workshop started in 1978 called the Experience to help LGBT people come out.  The second was the Municipal Elections Committee of Los Angeles (MECLA), the first political action committee of its kind with a dedicated focus to gays and lesbians.  Before he passed away, he worked to promote an organization that could address the needs of elderly LGBT people, a project which unfortunately did not come to fruition. 

Co-Founder Jean O'Leary 

via http://direland.typepad.com/direland/2005/06/jean_oleary_194.html

Ms. O'Leary was a lesbian and feminist activist who was very involved in Democratic political scene.  She served as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee's Gay and Lesbian Caucus and organized the first White House meeting of gay and lesbian leaders in 1977.  She also served as co-executive director of the organization that would become the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.  She is credited with providing women with a voice in the initially male-dominated movement for equal rights, with feminist Gloria Steinem stating that Ms. O'Leary "helped the women's movement to recognize the universal cost of homophobia, and the gay movement to see that marginalizing the voices of lesbians would only diminish its power."

 From http://sitemaker.umich.edu/lesbian.history/the_role_of_lesbians_in_the_1979_and_1987_marches_

Dr. Eichberg and Ms. O'Leary chose October 11th as homage to the anniversary of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights which had happened the year before in 1987.  The march, in which 200,000 members of the LGBT and allied communities participated, called on the Reagan administration for an end to discrimination against LGBT Americans and to provide federal funding for AIDS research. 

From http://www.theseattlelesbian.com/politics/2010/10/10/national-coming-out-day-october-11-2010.html

Dr. Eichberg and Ms. O'Leary envisioned National Coming Out Day to encourage gay men and women to live openly as a means to dispel the many malicious stereotypes used against members of the queer community, as well as put a face and story to the gay rights movement.  In his 1993 interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Eichberg stated: 

"Most people think they don't know anyone gay or lesbian, and in fact everybody does. It is imperative that we come out and let people know who we are and disabuse them of their fears and stereotypes."

-------

At WesternU, our group Lambda and Friends serves as the LGBT and Allied group for students, faculty, and staff of all our health science colleges (including veterinary medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, dentistry, physical therapy, physician assistant, amongst others).

Lambda's Central Logo Designed by Graphic Artist Clement Ng, Banner Logo Designed by Noah Dietterich

For the last six years, our organization has celebrated National Coming Out Day by providing free t-shirts (funded by generous individual donations, our club funds, and the Student Government Association) that have an LGBT-friendly message.  In the past, we distributed "Gay?  Fine By Me" shirts, though in recent years we've moved towards having a commissioned unique design by queer-friendly artists such as Deanna Moore (2009 Design) and Cynthia Ting (2010 and 2011 Design.  Pictures from this year will be posted soon!).

Flier Photo, Sonia Fang; Top Left: Design by Cynthia Ting, Right: Design by Deanna Moore

We coordinate the event so that people can wear the shirts on National Coming Out Day (or the closest weekday), and encourage people to participate in a group photo.  We have a fierce commitment to making the shirts free because we want everyone, but particularly the LGBT community at our school, to know that the LGBT community is supported and accepted by many of their peers, faculty, staff, and higher administration, and to know that this support is given, not something they have to pay for (though of course donations are welcome).  

Photo from 2009 Event, Jennifer Reed Swingle

Photo from Last Year's Event, Sonia Fang

If your group is looking for something to do in the beginning of the school year, this is definitely something worth looking into because it can bring the community together early in the year, and hey-free shirts and tolerance!  What's not to love?  And while it doesn't address the veterinary community specifically, veterinary students can contribute to school-wide efforts to foster dialogue and support of the LGBT community through an event such as this one.  

Does your veterinary/school group participate in National Coming Out Day?  Send us your stories and photos so we can highlight it!  Email: broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com.

Successful Events: Penn Vet LGBTQ&Allies Update

 Hello Broad Spectrum folks! Hope everyone is settling back into classes and the excitement of a new semester. Here at Penn we just finished week 1 of our semester after a successful Orientation for our incoming class V'15.

As a fundraiser for the club we bought RAINBOW colored pencils and sold them to 2nd year students to give as gifts for their 1st year mentees (all of 1st year students use colored pencils for anatomy lab 'chalk talks' among other things). We had also made tons of RAINBOW "PENN VET" and "PENN VET Ally" buttons to give away to students, faculty and staff and have encouraged them to wear them on their backpacks, messenger bags, totes, and briefcases or to proudly display them on their office door. These have been a huge hit and we already have a few first year students that are eager to get involved with the club.  

We also co-hosted a Welcome Back Potluck Dinner with the Class of 2014 and were able to provide free beer to the event. It was a huge success, with a big turnout and a ton of deliciously prepared goodies from buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips, tofu salads, pasta salads, yummy cheeses with baguette, finger licking pulled pork, tons of sweets including homemade pies and cookies... whew! DELICIOUS!

Welcome Back to School!

We hope those of you returning to school had a decent summer and wish all the best for the pre-veterinary students currently applying into schools.  We, in turn, wanted to let you know what we've been up to these past few months! 

In July, Broad Spectrum VSA attended its first American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, where we held our first national meeting.  Our Broad Spectrum representatives discussed our mission with many prominent members of the veterinary community, including Dr. Wayne Hollingshead, LGVMA President; Dr. Ken Gorzyca, Executive Secretary of LGVMA; Dr. Mike Chaddock, Deputy Director of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC); and Lisa Greenhill, Associate Executive Director for Institutional Research and Diversity of the AAVMC.

Some highlights of the meeting included the creation of Starter Kits for LGVMA or LGBT-affiliated student groups, so that any group of students that wants to start a chapter will not be left to reinvent the wheel.  The starter kit would include

• A constitution and bylaws
• A contact person for help
• An LGVMA contact
• Event and fundraising ideas

We will be working on this throughout the year, so we'll let you know of any updates as they happen.  In the meantime, do direct any questions about student groups to broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com

We also discussed our website which is currently in beta form.  Here is a sneak peak!

We'll be going live with it VERY SOON and will keep you posted.  The website will include

• Resources with links to school clubs-so if your club is not represented in our spreadsheet (see the previous blog post) let us know!
• Guide for New LGBT Groups
• Calendar of Upcoming Events
• Potentially a Members-Only section!

Finally, our representatives discussed next year's Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) Symposium at Purdue in March of 2012.  We will be holding a meeting for students who are interested in joining, as well as helping/attending numerous LGVMA functions, panels, and workshops.  We'll be distributing buttons, so keep your eyes out!

In the mean time, do let us know if your school is hosting any events, and we will share the information through our blog!

Direct any questions, comments, and concerns to broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com
Follow our blog (Followers Panel to the right)--->
Subscribe to our Twitter!  twitter.com/#!/BroadSpectrumVS
Like us on Facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Broad-Spectrum-Veterinary-Student-Association/214877861871259