2nd Annual Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference scheduled for October

On Oct. 6 and 7, Metropolitan State University will host hundreds of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allied students, staff, and faculty from college campuses all over Minnesota. A branch of the MN Campus Alliance, the 2nd annual Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference (MOCC) will feature workshops, a community resource fair, two keynote performers / presenters, and a dance. In keeping with the conference theme, "Forging our Future", the events will focus on educating and empowering college students and employees on the issues that face GLBTA people in Minnesota and nationwide. MOCC will provide an opportunity for these individuals to network, build community, and have fun together. The conference cost is $30, and participants can register online at http://www.mncampusalliance.org/mocc.

The conference will represent the Minnesota debut of nationally-known out poet and activist Staceyann Chin. Ms. Chin's work has been published in the New York Times and featured on 60 Minutes. She was also a co-writer and performer in the Tony-nominated Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. Her dynamic performances have been enjoyed all over the country. Also keynoting will be Debra Davis, Executive Director of the Gender Education Center. In 1998, Ms. Davis came out as a transgender person while working as a Media Specialist at Southwest High School in Minneapolis. Her highly publicized transition represented one of the first in the nation of a transgender person working with secondary students.

The Minnesota Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Ally Campus Alliance strives to build a statewide network of individuals and organizations working for equality and justice on issues of gender and sexual diversity, to empower the voices of groups that are underserved and underrepresented in our campus communities, and to create welcoming, affirming, and safe environments on college and university campuses throughout the state of Minnesota.