Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is Wednesday, Nov. 20, will be marked with a student-led discussion at University of Wisconsin-Stout.
The Trans and Nonbinary Student Panel will be from 11:15 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. in room 208 in Heritage Hall. It is free and open to the public.
The discussion, led by Coltan Schoenike, a graduate student in the marriage and family therapy program, will include:
- Ezra Brey, studio art
- Lex Redfern, human development and family studies
- Kimberia Sherya, marriage and family therapy
- Lauren Sollman, video production
Professor Markie Twist, director of the sex therapy certificate, teaches the Lifespan Sexuality course, which previously has held a similar discussion.
“We feel like the information in the class is invaluable to all, especially information about the experiences of people who are transgender and/or gender diverse identifying. In relation to this we are opening up the panel and the class to everyone,” Twist said.
UW-Stout has an LGBTQ student resource center, the Qube, in Merle M. Price Commons. The university offers a women and gender studies minor and certificate, along with the human development and family studies major and minor.
Sex Speak Session Dec. 4
The sex therapy program also is sponsoring a Sex Speak Session from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, on the first floor of the Memorial Student Center.
The session, free and open to the public, is a one-on-one confidential, frank and nonjudgmental conversion with trained educators, including Twist and graduate students.
“No one should be without a safe space to honestly discuss sex and relationships. The purpose of Sex Speak Sessions are to offer a place to discuss these important topics,” Twist said.
Participants must be 18 years old, or if a minor be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Twist is a Certified Sexuality Educator and supervisor for the American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. Twist has a doctorate in human development and family studies from Iowa State University.
The sex therapy certificate program is part of the university’s master’s program in marriage and family therapy, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2016.
###
Photo
The Qube in Merle M. Price Commons is UW-Stout’s LGBTQ student resource center.
