Two or three times a year there are meetings for the Allies and anyone interested in the work of countering homophobia and heterosexism. There is typically a meeting in the fall term and another in the winter term.
An invitation is extended to all members of the Dalhousie community to attend these meetings. You may register for an e-mail notice of these meetings by sending an e-mail request to DalAlly@dal.ca.
Previous Meetings
November 2003
An initial meeting consisted of introducing the work of the Youth Project, a summation of the evolution of Allies at Dalhousie, talks by lgbt students on their expectations as lgbt students at Dalhousie, and a discussion of how Allies might be helpful to lgbt students. Notes from this meeting may be downloaded by clicking here.
March 2004
How do we deal with lgbt Issues in classrooms? Panelists were Liz Delaney (intern in Health Education), Richard Devlin (faculty member in law), Charlotte Loppie (faculty member in Health and Human Performance), David Morine (student and columnist with The Gazette), Brenda Richard (faculty member in Social Work), and Shirley Tillotson (faculty member in history and women's studies). Notes from this meeting may be downloaded by clicking here.
September 2004
The September meeting brought together representatives of five groups on campus that work on matters of gender justice. Representatives of DalOut, OutLaw, the NSPIRG Rainbow Project, the Dalhousie Women's Centre, and the Student Advisor at the Dalhousie Medical School spoke on their work. A time for interaction and general conversation followed. Notes from this meeting may be downloaded by clicking here.
February 2005
At this meeting a presentation was given by Dr. James McNinch of the University of Regina, a visiting scholar at Dalhousie. He spoke on "Queer(y)ing the Curriculum and the Classroom." A summary of his presentation, the discussion that followed, and a handout ("But What Can One Teacher Do in the University Classroom? Some Suggestions") will be e-mailed or mailed to you at your request or downloaded by clicking here.
November 2005
The November meeting consisted of a conversation on "Where We Have Come From" in lgbt work on the Dalhousie Campus and "Where We Go From Here." A productive brainstorm of future work resulted, with some work for the Steering Committee and other work being undertaken by several other Allies. A copy of the details of this meeting is available by clicking here.
January 2006
This meeting consisted of a presentation by Bob Coffey on the subject of "Best Practices in Safe Space Initiatives." Coffey currently is the Education, Training, and Outreach Coordinator at the University of Michigan. He brought his extensive experience in lgbt student services, residential life, and student activities, especially at the University of New Hampshire, in a presentation to the General Meeting (download details of that meeting here) and to a meeting of more than one hundred residence assistants the following morning (download details of that workshop here).
November 2006
Candy Palmater, comedian and "reformed lawyer", spoke on Aboriginal and queer issues. Candy is now a "recovered lawyer", a political activist, a facilitator and an intelligent and edgy comic. She has been providing training in diversity issues for more than a decade. Her website is www.thecandyshow.com.
March 2007
The consultant and trainer Jen McMillen, the Human Rights and Equity Officer at Brock University, spoke on "The Silent Legacy: lgbtq Issues." Using popular media, humour, and real-life stories, she explored language, hate, suicide, power, privilege, and how to make a difference in the lives of Rainbow students. A summation of her presentation is available by clicking here.
September 2007
The meeting featured a panel on transgender issues with Jim Oulton, Staci Montgomery, and Patrick McAtamney. Jim is a counsellor and therapist with the Capital District Mental Health Program, Staci is an openly transgender woman, and Patrick McAtamney is a twenty-year old trans guy. A summation of the presentation is available by clicking here.
June 2008
The research team of a Campus Climate Survey presented a preliminary report on the findings. The team members were Marion Brown of the Maritime School of Social Work; Derrick Enslow, Peer Health Educator; and Charlotte Loppie of the School of Health and Human Performance. Reaction of the Allies to the report is available by clicking here.
November 2008
A short film from the Youth Project in Nova Scotia, "Homophobia Affects Everyone," was screened before the documentary film produced in Alberta, But Words Do Hurt. The lgbtt youth spoke about identity issues, the media, coming out, their family, support systems, their experiences in school, and their hopes for the future. One of the troubling facts was that lgbtt youth hear about twenty-five words a day that hurt. Professionals who work with lgbtt youth also spoke about some of the issues faced by these youth. After the docs a discussion was facilitated by Lyndsay Anderson, a residence life manager. The conversation dealt with the lessened verbal harassment of lgbtt youth, resources needed by Allies, the differing levels of need among the Allies, and a range of other issues.
April 2009
Four panelists spoke, followed by a twenty-minute discussion period, on the theme of Sex Trends Among the Young. Participants were Anita Keeping, Education Coordinator for Pride Health, Judy Hines, researcher into bar culture and lgbtq issues; Angie Prest, public health nurse and Youth Centre Coordinator; and Lyndsay Anderson, residence life manager at Gerard Hall. In an article by Savage Love columnist Dan Savage he mentioned two studies. The first claims that heterosexual teens are engaging in increasing rates of anal sex, and the second claims that homosexual teens have higher rates of pregnancy than their straight peers. And although Dan Savage claims that "this is where abstinence education and homophobia have gotten us," the Allies met to learn more about the trends in sexual activity among both hetero and homosexual youth in order to explore if this is indeed a result of homophobia and poor sexual education practices. Are straight kids now engaging in anal sex to preserve their virginity or are they just more liberal with their sexuality? Are gay kids getting pregnant to avoid the harassment and discrimination they are likely to face at the hands of their parents and peers? A report on the panel presentation will be posted here soon.
November 2009
Dr. Blye Frank spoke on the topic "What Does It Mean to Be a Man?: The Range of Masculinities." Dr. Frank is the Director of Medical Education at Dalhousie University. A brief outline of his talk is available here. A video of his presentation (.MOV 256MB - right click, Save Target As) is also available for viewing.
March 2010
Catherine Meade and Curtis Cartmill spoke on "lgbt Athletes: Challenges and Successes." They have been involved in sport at the local, national, and international levels, and both had just returned from the Olympic Games in Vancouver where they were speactators, They discussed homophobia in sport and the impact it has had on lgbtq individuals competing in sport and the impact it has had on lgbtq individuals competing at recreational and elite levels. A video of their presentation is available for viewing. A journalistic review of the meeting is also available.
November 2010
Lyndsay Anderson, a residence llife manager and member of the Steering Committee of the Allies at Dalhousie, presented a workshop titled SPEAK UP!: Responding to Everyday Bigotry. The presentation was designed to have participants understand the impact of everyday bigotry and develop ways to respond to such incidents. A resource for the presentation is downloadable by clicking here. The Six Steps to Speaking Up Against Everyday Bigotry are to be found on pp. 77 to 79 and the Pledge to be signed is on page 81 of the document.
April 2011
Guest speaker Brenda Richard, a professor at the Maritime School of Social Work and an Ally, lead the presentation and discussion on "Queering Up the Media: An Historical View of lgbtq Depictions in Media." Portions of the film The Celluloid Closet were shown to invite discussion of queer depictions in the media and how this has shaped identities and communities.