NIU Today

Over the past academic year, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center and the Women’s Resource Center underwent a merger process, culminating with a new name and mission to reflect a unified center, inclusive of the diverse NIU campus. The center will now be known as the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center. The merger transition...

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, non-heterosexual and gender non-conforming identifying graduates completing their NIU education in December 2013, May 2014 or August 2014 will be honored Thursday, May 8, at the fifth annual Lavender Graduation. The ceremony is free to students and guests. Semi-formal dress is requested. The ceremony’s goal is to celebrate the graduates...

NIU’s LGBT and Women’s Resource Center will host athlete and activist Kye Allums at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, as a featured presenter for LGBTQ Awareness Month. He will speak in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center. Allums attended George Washington University with an athletic scholarship to play basketball. In his sophomore year,...

Maybe it was a roommate who stood up for a member of the LGBT community. Maybe it was a faculty member who incorporated LGBT topics in his or her class. The NIU LGBT & Women’s Resource Center is gearing up for the 10th annual Ally Awards ceremony, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, in...

“Who’s the Fool? Gay and Lesbian Representation in ‘Will & Grace’ and ‘Rosanne’ ” will kick off this spring’s Third Thursday Speaker Series, sponsored by the LGBT Studies Program. Each academic year, the LGBT Studies Program sponsors a series of brown-bag lunch presentations featuring LGBT research or scholarship by NIU faculty members or graduate students. All...

The NIU LGBT & Women’s Resource Center is now accepting Ally Award nominations for its annual Ally Awards recognition ceremony, scheduled Wednesday, April 9. Ally Awards are a way to recognize individuals, departments, and groups who have done something positive for the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) community. The event is co-sponsored by the...

NIU’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center has a new address. Staff spent Thursday moving to the center’s new digs at 105 Normal Road – the building known at the Women’s Resource Center – and will officially open the doors Monday. Throughout the spring semester, the department will operate under the working name of “LGBT...

NIU’s 2014 MLK Service Week will take place the week of Jan. 21. The week will promote civic reflection, community service, equality and diversity awareness throughout campus and in the community. Members of NIU’s MLK Week of Service planning committee were awarded the MLK Day of Service Collegiate Challenge grant for $1,200 from Illinois Campus...

Eight undergraduate students participated in the ninth annual Out for Work career conference for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and ally (LGBTQA) community. Over the two-day event held Sept. 28 and 29 at the University of Illinois-Chicago, students experienced workshops led by leaders from LGBTQA-affirming companies such as Lockheed-Martin, Google, Boeing and Clorox. Students...

Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from the first Day of Unity observed in October of 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect battered women’s advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children. The Day of Unity soon became a special week when...

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center announces its Fall 2013 Ally Program training, encouraging faculty, staff and students to register. The Ally Program is a campus-wide program designed to foster a welcoming and supportive campus environment for LGBTQ individuals by creating a visible network of allies. The program supports the Division of Student...

In the spring of 2003, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center opened its doors. Since then, the center has offered a safe space for all NIU students to find a sense of community. The staff members continue to make an impact on educating the NIU campus on LGBT topics and provide a variety of...