A discussion on the history of the worldwide commemoration takes place Friday, April 4, at 5:30 p.m. in the Sacred Space of the Numen Lumen Pavilion.
Two Elon University students with a shared commitment to observing the International Transgender Day of Visibility worked together this spring for a campus discussion on the history and influence of the worldwide commemoration.
Kate Campbell G’26 (they/them/theirs), a student from Sweet Briar, Virginia, enrolled in the Master of Arts in Higher Education program, joined with Maverick Powell ’27 (she/they), a double major in cinema and television arts and theatrical design & technology from Charlotte, N.C., to help organize a program in the Numen Lumen Pavilion hosted by the Elon University’s Gender & LGBTQIA Center.
Assistant Professor of English Archie Crowley will lead the discussion on April 4 at 5:30 p.m. A button-making project afterward will allow attendees to further express themselves.
Though the program falls four days after the formal commemoration of International Transgender Day of Visibility, both Campbell and Powell were dedicated to organizing a campus event on behalf of a campus center that has affirmed and embraced their identities.
“Planning initiatives to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility has reminded me that there is a lot of beauty in being someone who identifies as gender non-conforming,” said Campbell, whose involvement with the Gender and LGBTQIA Center includes a graduate apprenticeship as part of their studies in the higher education master’s program. “The GLC has helped me in a variety of ways to develop as a professional, a student, and an individual.”
Powell recalls their student work as an events coordinator during their first year at Elon when they got hired through the PACE program.
The Gender & LGBTQIA Center partners across campus and community to support, advocate and educate around gender and LGBTQIA identities to create an inclusive campus community of equity, justice and academic excellence for students, employees and alumni.
“I enjoy the opportunity to do events because it’s creating a space where people have a place to be recognized, celebrated and comfortable,” Powell said. “We want people to know that there are spaces at Elon where you are safe, appreciated and respected.”
Anyone interested in getting involved with the GLC is encouraged to email glc@elon.edu and/or follow the center on Instagram.