“A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down” became the focus of the night after JAC Stringer unveiled the theme of his keynote speech last night as part of TransWorld Awareness Week.
Stringer presented his informational session titled “Trans and Genderqueer 101 in 1,000 Calories or More” to an audience of more than 100 people. The candy-themed presentation covered ideas such as intersexuality, pronoun use and gender identity. An emphasis was placed on people’s choosing their own labels because of the different connotations people place on words.
“All the definitions we talk about in this presentation are working definitions,” Stringer said.
A large portion of the presentation was dedicated to discussion.
Stringer was asked to speak at TransWorld Awareness Week because of his ability to cover different topics, make those topics fun, and connect
with an audience.
The aim of the event and the week was to bring to light lesser-known issues such as transgender
and genderqueering.
“I’m sure some people were hearing things they have never heard before,” said Mickey Hart, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center. “I also know that some people in the audience are hearing things that affirm who they are, and they are more able to connect and feel more at home.”
Andrew Kulinski, a sixth-year student studying audio production, came to the presentation after a recommendation from his resident director, who had seen Stringer speak before.
“(It was) very informative (with) lots of things I didn’t know, even though I do have trans friends,” Kulinski said. “It was very helpful, and it was a lot of fun.”
Those who had background in LGBT issues were also interested in the education aspect of the presentation.
“I think that, unfortunately, the community doesn’t know about the topic but especially transgender or genderqueer,” said Hannah Dunn, a junior studying history and education who also works at the LGBT Center.
eb104010@ohiou.edu
