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The 27th Annual  LGBTQ+ and Ally Pancake Breakfast hosted more than 200 people in the MUB Granite State Room. Emcees, Connect Director Andres Mejia and Trans��ʤ������ president Jack LaPierre, welcomed guests to this longstanding event to gather in solidarity to celebrate victories – and recognize the work ahead. Interim Associate VP for Community, Equity, and Diversity Monica Chiu opened the program by praising the LGBTQ+ community for their work in running programs to educate. She said, “This LGBTQ+ community has shown us ways to cut through the frames of old ideas that keep us from having strong, if tough, conversations. As a result, we’ve challenged our old investments in sexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, racism, and ableism – (to name a few) – investments that many of us have grown up in.

Dr. Jonathan Higgins of Campus Pride delivered the keynote address. He asked the audience, “What do privileged folks intend to do to change the way they affect those with complex identities? Being aware today means trying to heal what has happened to the oppressed.” Attendees were asked to reflect on what to do in this community, to use our individual privileges to build a better future for all.

Kidder Fund awards for work to build awareness of issues, improving programs & policies, and serving as role models were presented to:

Holly Cashman (faculty Award), Associate Prof., Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Lu Ferrell (Staff Award), Assistant Director, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and LGBTQ+ Coordinator
Hayden McDermott, Michael Newell, Josh Velez (Undergraduate student awards)

The 2019 Pink Triangle Award was presented to: Tom Carlson, Holly Cashman and faculty from Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and Italian Studies.

Seacoast Outright was celebrated for its 25th year serving LGBTQ+ youth in our community.

Congratulations to all!

We survive when we are authors of meaning, not victims of circumstances. ~Pierre Berastaín, Keynote speaker

President Mark Huddleston and incoming President James W. Dean, Jr. addressed a crowd of over 200 community members to celebrate progress and pride at the 26th Annual LGBTQ+ and Ally Pancake Breakfast. Michael Newell, a sophomore nursing major, who is involved with Alliance said, “I wanted to come to the breakfast this year because everyone’s so passionate and amazing, and I wanted to be with the community.”

Cari Moorhead, Assoc. Dean of the Graduate School and Paul Tosi, class of 1974, a former student body president who fought alongside the Gay Student Organization when it fought for its right to become a recognized student org, was honored with the Founders Award upon return to his alma mater on April 10.   His story was recently told in the PBS special We’ll Meet Again, where ��ʤ������ was featured as a focus on U.S. history of LGBTQ+ human and civil rights in the 1970s.

Keynote Speaker Pierre Berastaín told the audience at ��ʤ������ Durham about his experience with issues of the LGBTQ+ community. He delivered a speech titled “Breaking the Fast: How to Preserve the Self”, followed by the annual Kidder lecture later in the day. “I couldn’t pinpoint one issue that affects the LGBTQ+ community,” Berastaín said as he opened his speech. “My own prevailing LGBTQ issue was being safe and going to school.” Throughout his speeches at the breakfast and the Kidder lecture, Berastaín stressed that LGBTQ+ issues are intersectional ones. His experience is not shaped by his sexual identity alone, but the combination of being a gay, undocumented, Catholic, Latino immigrant.

He recommended to the community that when faced with comments targeting identities, we may choose to respond in the moment, or we may want to wait until we have found our center along with a specific writing or brief quotation that addresses the bias expressed. “Sometimes,” said Berastaín, “I just respond to ignorance or fear-based comments by changing the conversation. I might say, “Great weather we’re having!” That’s the same day I send the same person the email with the strategic excerpt as the voice of reason. It gives that person a moment to consider what they’ve said.”

2018 Kidder and Pink Triangle Group Award Recipients:

Seniors Rory Wilson and Jacob Riehl received student Kidder Awards for their service in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

Mason Dunn, J.D. of ��ʤ������ Manchester earned the Kidder Fund Faculty Award for his course design and community talks.

Gender Identity Awareness Week Planning Committee (Pink Triangle Award)
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (Pink Triangle Award)        

Special thanks to our event sponsors:  Affirmative Action and Equity Office, Community, Equity, and Diversity Office, Health & Wellness,  Kidder Fund, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Residential Life, and SHARPP.