100506_LGBTtrue1334586686108acckfpUniversit Relations - Press ReleaseUniversity, Relations, press, release, LGBT, gayDefinitions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities both from within those diverse communities and from society at large will be examined at a daylong Hofstra symposium, "What Does Gay Mean Today?" The program also kicks off Hofstra's new LGBT Studies program, which will offer its first courses in the spring 2007 semester./Hofstra_Main_Site/Home/News/PressReleases/Archive/100506_LGBTprpsdv1187288999140sdwork11207940985530Press Release Sub TitleHofstra symposium looks at labels, meaning and self-identification in the new MillenniumPress Release TitleWHAT DOES GAY MEAN TODAY?Press Release Date2006/10/05Stu VincentUniversity RelationsHofstra hall516-463-6493516-463-5146stuart.vincent@hofstra.edu//Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY - Definitions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities both from within those diverse communities and from society at large will be examined at a daylong Hofstra symposium, "What Does Gay Mean Today?" The program also kicks off Hofstra's new LGBT Studies program, which will offer its first courses in the spring 2007 semester.

The symposium will be held on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 from 9:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The workshops will take place in the Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, 10th floor, south campus, and continuing at 4:15 p.m. in room 145 of the Student Center, north campus.

"This symposium, apart from celebrating the inauguration of the new LGBT Studies Program at Hofstra University, will provide the opportunity for scholars and media professionals to put the use of the term 'gay' into perspective, while at the same time redefining issues surrounding LGBT identity in 2006," said Prof. David Powell, who heads the new LGBT program.

Workshops topics will include "What Can the Gay Press and Queer Studies Learn from Each Other?" "From Liberation to Coercion? Reflections on Gay Culture;" "Same Sex Marriage and the Argumentative Trajectory of Gay Rights: Normalizing and Regulating Gender Formation;" and "When Black Meets Queer."

"Part of a well-rounded, liberal arts education is to contemplate the world around us and to determine with some degree of precision the various components that make up society and how they interact," Powell said. "The LGBT Studies Program offers students at Hofstra the opportunity to examine just one more segment of society, alongside Women's Studies, Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Jewish Studies, etc. At the same time, for LGBT students this may be one of the few instances in their formal education they can see their lives represented and validated."

For more information contact Prof. David Powell at 516-463-5485 or at david.powell@hofstra.edu, or visit he Web site at www.hofstra.edu/lgbt.
###