ࡱ> 7965@ !bjbj22 "6XX8L<D"$RLa a a !!!a !a !&!GG n G0DG> X>G>G| !T p "pRainbow Graduation Speech - Murray 2009 I want to begin by welcoming everyone to the Inaugural Rainbow Graduation! This is the first graduation ceremony at San Jose State University for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender variant, queer, questioning and intersex students. I want to welcome our graduating seniors, their family and friends, and all the supporting faculty and staff in attendance today. Before launching into my very long speech, I want you to join me in acknowledging two dedicated and extraordinary San Jose State staff members who have worked diligently to support our LGBTQQI students this year: Im referring to Bonnie Sugiyama, the asst. Director of the LGBT Resource Center and Angela Krumm, counselor and licensed psychologist. Will you two please stand and be recognized. This is an amazing day for queer people on this campus. In fact, this has been an amazing year for queer people on our campus. In addition to this graduation, we have had some other FIRSTS this year. This past fall marked the opening of our LGBT Resource center; Angela and Bonnie launched our new Peers in Pride Mentor program and now have our first group of trained Queer peer mentors ready for next fall, Dr. Jennifer Rycenger initiated the development of a new Minor in LGBT Studies, and finally, though we have many courses on campus that address issues of the LGBT communities we finally came out and renamed Wiggsy Sivertsons pioneering Alternative Lifestyles course (that she has been teaching 21 years): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies. In other words, It has been a great year. We have come far and there is more work to do! Now I want to talk a little bit about why we are having a separate graduation ceremony to honor our LGBTQQI students because it is a little bit controversial to have so-called separate graduation ceremonies. But let me be clear, this commencement is not about being separate. The LGBTQQIA community is anything but separate we are a rainbow - we cross lines of race, nationality, ethnicity, gender, ability, and socioeconomic class we are members of every community. We belong to every community. This ceremony is about making VISIBLE that which has been INVISIBLE for far too long. Before the opening of the Center this year, LGBT students on our campus only had one resource to turn to for support and community: and that was a student run club: QTIP Queers Thoughtfully Interrupting Prejudice. Now, QTIP has provided lots of important support on this campus, they have engaged in political work and community building and provided a social network for our queer students. But the fact that the biggest resource for students comes from students themselves and not from the University shows how invisible this population has been to the larger University Administration and Community. We aim to change that. Starting Today. This ceremony is about making visible the accomplishments, the dedication, and the scholarship of our LGBT graduating seniors. It is also about making visible the EXISTANCE of our LGBT students. BEING Out and Proud is not just some dramatic statement we make to shock our friends and family. Being OUT about being gay, lesbian or bisexual means being able to be a part of our communities. Dont Ask, Dont tell does not work for the military and it does not work for the rest of peoples lives either (And I think Obama agrees with me on this). When being gay means who you live with, who you had dinner with last night, who you share a computer with, who you are planning on going to graduate school with, and who forgot to charge your nano being gay is about living your life. Not being OUT about your life, means not being a part of your community. Being OUT about being transgender especially for our brave young students who are likely to be transitioning while in college -- means being able to be a part of our communities. When being transgender means getting the support you need to become the person that you are then being transgender is about being able to ask OPENLY for the medical, financial, personal, and social support that you need. Supporting our transgender students is more that just getting the pronouns right, and it is not about them educating the university about their needs, it is about the University knowing and being responsible to provide an equal educational experience for all our students. This ceremony is about making visible that which has been invisible and in so doing we set ourselves on a new and more inclusive path. And now a few words for our graduating seniors: I want you to listen carefully: By your participation in this commencement you have put yourselves and your lives into an important moment in 91s history. Your courage in this matter will not be forgotten. You honor the university with your trust. By stepping out in the way that you are, you are paving the way for future LGBT graduates And while this is your day while this is the culmination of your years of dedicated scholarship and while you are the ones that poured your hearts, your minds, and your money into your college education this graduation is also about the work of all those that have come before you and all those that will follow. So take your place in history because you deserve it. And know that with this step, there is also responsibility. The State of California, San Jose State University, your professors, and each staff member that assisted you through this bureaucracy: have invested in you. Make no mistake about it: We expect great things from you. We want a return on our investment. To commence is to begin. Now is the time. You are the next Mentors and leaders in our communities. You now have local, national, and global responsibilities as we all do. We look to you for help with the complex issues facing us today. We look to you as financially contributing alumni - like Larry Arzie and David Stonesifer - who recently made a $1 million gift commitment for our new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center. We look to you to claim your education and claim you futures. In closing, I would like to say as someone who waited until she was 32 to come out to her parents I admire you and am so proud of you. Thank you and congratulations! PAGE  PAGE 5 $)*Y[9 E O   6 m 9 @ A R d r նննtfU hyh$CJ OJQJ^JaJ hRZCJ OJQJ^JaJ #hRZhRZ6CJ OJQJ^JaJ h 'VCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhXGCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhUCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh CJ OJQJ^JaJ hrCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh}&CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyho5CJ aJ hyhy5CJ aJ )*   6 7 =z{bdhgdy$a$gdy!! & / <=  7ᱠ~l[ЏJ~J hyh$CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhK|CJ OJQJ^JaJ #hyh'x6CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh**CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh'xCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh 'VCJ OJQJ^JaJ hXGCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh}&CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhXGCJ OJQJ^JaJ h 'VCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhCJ OJQJ^JaJ BvwzhqyzﺩﺗxggVEV hyh-~CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhnnNCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh'CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh'xCJ OJQJ^JaJ h 'VCJ OJQJ^JaJ #h 'Vh**6CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhK|CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh**CJ OJQJ^JaJ #h 'Vh$5CJ OJQJ^JaJ #h 'Vh$6CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh$CJ OJQJ^JaJ #AN$<FKfb(,ab˺ܬˬˬˬˬ˛ˬˊ|jˊ|\h fCJ OJQJ^JaJ #hhC6CJ OJQJ^JaJ hCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhCCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh'CJ OJQJ^JaJ h 'VCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhK|CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyh-~CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhnnNCJ OJQJ^JaJ #h 'VhnnN5CJ OJQJ^JaJ "Am (45?EO®šŒxdddS hyhCCJ OJQJ^JaJ &h fhS56CJ OJQJ^JaJ &hShS56CJ OJQJ^JaJ hSCJ OJQJ^JaJ &hSh56CJ OJQJ^JaJ &hh56CJ OJQJ^JaJ hCJ OJQJ^JaJ hCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhK|CJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhkCJ OJQJ^JaJ &342Wqr  LOZ[򱠏~jQ1hyhkB*CJ OJQJ^JaJ mH phsH &h fhk56CJ OJQJ^JaJ h fh fCJ OJQJ^JaJ h f56CJ OJQJ^JaJ hk56CJ OJQJ^JaJ &h fh f56CJ OJQJ^JaJ h9 TCJ OJQJ^JaJ hSCJ OJQJ^JaJ hyhkCJ OJQJ^JaJ h fCJ OJQJ^JaJ 2Wr L S !! ! ! !!!!!!h]hgdy &`#$gdgdhgdy  R S !!!! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!кze[U[UQ[U[F[UQBehh0JmHnHuho ho0Jjho0JU(h fhkCJ OJQJ^JaJ mH sH 1hyh fB*CJ OJQJ^JaJ mH phsH +hB*CJ OJQJ^JaJ mH phsH h fh fCJ OJQJ^JaJ +hkB*CJ OJQJ^JaJ mH phsH 1hyhkB*CJ OJQJ^JaJ mH phsH +h fB*CJ OJQJ^JaJ mH phsH  1h/ =!"#$%@@@ NormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH DA@D Default Paragraph FontRiR  Table Normal4 l4a (k(No List4 @4 yFooter  !.)@. y Page Number6)*67=z { b2Wr LS   00p00p00p00p00p000p00p0 0 0000p00p0000000000000000 @0@0My0@0@0My0hh \Ü2rO90hFO90O90N~&w  !!! !!m4 !m4 m4 m41 m4O m4\ m4|  m4l!m4lm"m4̒#m4)$m4#%m4$#&m4T'm4(m4L!aammv|       &&kku{     9*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsState=*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags PlaceType=*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags PlaceNameV*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsplacehttp://www.5iantlavalamp.com/  ae$%9;?DERSMOh w G J  RS3333333*P { rQ?Dsusan b murrayo'}&CnnN9 T 'VRZK|k$**rXGgy-~ US f'x@BB\BB@@UnknownGz Times New Roman5Symbol3& z Arial"qhBjfe&jfF -F -#24d3H)?}&HI want to begin by welcoming everyone to the Ingaural Rainbow Graduationsusan b murraysusan b murrayOh+'0$0D \h    II want to begin by welcoming everyone to the Ingaural Rainbow Graduationt wasusan b murray usausa Normal.dotrsusan b murray 15aMicrosoft Word 10.0@zH6@v@L%@F՜.+,0H hp  )San Jose State Universityy- A II want to begin by welcoming everyone to the Ingaural Rainbow Graduation Title  !"#$%'()*+,-/0123458Root Entry F /:1Table>WordDocument"6SummaryInformation(&DocumentSummaryInformation8.CompObjj  FMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89q