MEADVILLE, PA – Feb. 28, 2006 – A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies Colloquium will take place at Allegheny College on Saturday, March 11 from 1 to 5 p.m. in Campus Center rooms 301-302. This inaugural event provides an opportunity for members of the community to share research, pedagogy and strategies for campus activism on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. The colloquium is free and open to the public.

The event will begin with a keynote address at 1 p.m. by the Reverend John Colatch, former Allegheny College chaplain and current chaplain and director of religious life at Lafayette College. Sessions for the colloquium include a short presentation by each panelist followed by a brief question and answer period. The sessions have been organized around common themes.

The panel program schedule is as follows:

Panel 1: Challenging the Institution—1:45 p.m.

· “Constitutional Law and LGBT Rights”—Robert Seddig, Department of Political Science, Allegheny College
· “The Impact of County Economic Base, Demographics and Geographical Location on the Proportion of Lesbian and Gay Households to Total Households in 2000”—John Golden, Department of Economics, Allegheny College
· “Current Trends in Bisexual Research”—Arthur Wenzel, sophomore psychology major at Allegheny College
· “Queering Democracy”—William Bywater, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Allegheny College

Panel 2: Pedagogy & Student Activism—3 p.m.

· “Internal/External Challenges for LGBT Student Activism”—students of Allegheny Gay Pride
· “Debating Same-sex Marriage at Allegheny College”—David Burkey, Department of Chemistry, Allegheny College
· “Addressing LGBT Issues in the Philosophy Classroom”—Stephen J. Sullivan, Department of Philosophy, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Panel 3: Theatre & Communication Arts—4 p.m.

· “The Challenge of Ambiguous Bodies: Questioning the Male/Female Divide”—Vesta Silva, Department of Communication Arts & Theatre, Allegheny College
· “Performing Bisexuality on the 19th-Century Stage”—Maura Jortner, Department of English, Allegheny College
· “Tagged ‘Out': Homosexuality in Richard Greenberg's Take Me Out”—David Jortner, Department of Communication Arts & Theatre, Allegheny College
· “New Girls on the Block: A New Heroine for the Broadway Musical and Queer Theory”—Mark Cosdon, Department of Communication Arts & Theatre, Allegheny College

The colloquium is sponsored by the Allegheny Pride Alliance and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies minor.