Speak Up, Speak Out to address gender, sexual identity issues Tuesday

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Students looking for an interactive and open environment to discuss current issues about sexual orientation and gender identity will find one Tuesday.

Speak Up, Speak Out will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Bovee University Center Auditorium. The forum will ask a variety of questions dealing with the way the Central Michigan University community treats homosexuals or transgendered persons.

“We always get requests for dealing with sexism and homophobia,” said Merlyn Mowrey, associate professor of philosophy and religion and forum facilitator. “The question is whether we have a hostile or welcoming climate.”

The forum will begin with a brief presentation of new research by Professor Mary Senter, director of the Center for Applied Research and Rural Studies, but Mowrey said the presentations are a maximum of 30 minutes, and the goal is to have the audience talking within an hour of the start time.

“We aren’t there to present, but we want to have some body of information that everyone knows and can draw from,” Mowrey said. “We want to get the audience focused on current events, model critical thinking skills and to show civility in disagreement.”

Mowrey said the forum will consist of five panelists and the average attendance is about 150.

“It’s higher on presidential campaign years. This is our 12th year running these forums, and they’ve been surprisingly successful,” Mowrey said. “The goal is to have something of an old-fashioned town hall meeting. Not the angry ones you’ve been seeing on the news these past years, but the ones where the leaders talk and listen to the community.”

Shawn McKeever, a panelist, Mid Michigan Community College student and founder of Transcend, a transgender organization for support and advocacy of gender issues, said anyone who is willing to learn should come to the forum.

“The panelists guide the discussion and (provide) information,” McKeever said. “People can ask us questions, but we’ll be there to guide the discussion and the audience will be the ones with the most participation. I think it will be a really great experience and really educational for everybody that comes.”

Panelist Heather Kozar, a Caro senior, worked on Senter’s study, which will be presented at the forum.

“There was a survey done last year regarding gender and sexuality issues on campus that surveyed 400 students,” Kozar said. “Come and bring great questions and an open mind. Try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It’s important to think outside the box and try to consider how other people feel, and that’s pivotal to the success of the forum.”