WOMYN Wednesday!

[WOMYN magazine is excited to announce that we will be featuring polls from our community in the magazine! The general goal of WOMYN magazine is to increase the visibility of LGBTQ women on this campus.]

BIG NEWS: The submission deadline for WOMYN magazine is in 7 DAYS, or NEXT WEDNESDAY!!! Don't miss out on a chance to publish your thoughts in this semester's publication! Email us your piece at womynatduke@gmail.com within the next week!

This week's WOMYN poll is:

"Would you speak up in class if you heard the following comment?" (see below)

Click here to vote! (We've also left a comment box for additional ideas or past experiences.)

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The following situtation happened in a Duke classroom last week:

In an 8:30am class, within the first 20 minutes of discussion, the conversation turns towards gender. One student in the classroom says, "My friend likes reading Glamour, Cosmo and watching Gossip Girl...but I mean, he's totally normal-he likes girls....".

No one in the class stopped the discussion to remind this student that her comment excluded roughly 10% of the population at large. Do you think you would have spoken up?

(You can view the results of the poll in WOMYN magazine when it hits campus late fall semester!)

[Photo credit: Upper Right, Matt Lyons: pimc2cm@gmail.com]

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Want to submit to WOMYN magazine? Click here to look at some ideas of what to submit. All are highly encouraged to submit - LGBTQ and straight-allied. Anyone with a Duke affiliation is eligible to write for WOMYN, including alumni, staff, faculty, undergraduate and graduate students alike.

Check out our website for more information on how to submit, and feel free to email us with any questions you might have: womynatduke@gmail.com.

Duke is so Gay. As It Should Be.

I was in London for six weeks this summer, doing the Duke in London – Drama program, and I had a thrilling and wonderful time. I recommend it to everyone, regardless of your major or experience with theater. I learned so much about England, the US and myself. I’m inspired to be more proactive about my Theater Studies major and theatrical career. I made new, fabulous friends. I had the time of my life. Big plus: so many out LGBTQ individuals and couples around London. Like whoa. My people were everywhere – at the grocery store, at the theater, on the bus, on the Underground. It was amazing. Still, I was ready to return to a life of routine and belonging at Homes 1 and 2. It’s great to be back at Home 2, Duke.

As I’ve adjusted to West Campus and reunited with my friends, I’ve fallen even further in love with this place. The magic is back, with some added flavor thrown in. I began serving as a First-Year Advisory Counselor (FAC), so between that and the [far too many] organizations I am involved in I’ve met a good number of people in this big and bright new class. Welcome, 2014!

Something particularly relevant to this blog, and you readers, is the growth of the LGBT community. The Center for LGBT Life and its constituent groups have had record-breaking interest, which I think is a result of the greater number of out upperclassmen and impressive number of out first-years. There have also been SO many straight allies excited to get involved. Every single day since I arrived on West two-and-a-half weeks ago, I’ve been approached by an ally with “How do I get involved with BDU?” “When can I get a Love=Love t-shirt?” “I love the posters you guys have up!” Duke is so gay. And I love it.