LGBTQ+ Events

An aerial phot of Progress Pride Paths, a rainbow design including the colors of the Progress Pride flag that is located in Knox Quad outside of the Student Union on UB's North Campus.

Progress Pride Paths located in Knox Quad outside of the Student Union on UB's North Campus

Spring 2023 Events

LGBTQ FSA Lunch and Learn: Gen Z on March 16 (3/16/2023)

Date & Time: Thursday, March 16, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Location: Student Union (210), North Campus

Intended Audience: Faculty and Staff

Gather with members of the LGBTQ FSA for a conversation with Tom Vane, Assistant Director with Student Governance and Organizations in Student Engagement. Generation Z as new students crave authenticity, live pragmatically, and are self-reliant. However, other generational cohorts sometimes struggle to work effectively with these young people. This Lunch and Learn will discuss the questions of how Gen Z see and interact with the world and what Gen Z students expect from their learning experiences both in and out of the classroom.  Light refreshments will be provided and lunchboxes are welcome!

For more information please visit the LGBTQ FSA Events Link and for questions and to RSVP please contact LGBTQ FSA at lgbtqfsa@buffalo.edu.   

Sponsored by the UB LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association

The LGBTQ Discussion Group

Date & Time: Select Wednesdays, February - May at 6:00pm (see dates below)

Location: Kimball Hall (430), South Campus and online

Intended Audience: Open Event

The LGBTQ+ Discussion Group is a series of meetings created by the School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP) with the aim to provide support, resources, and community to LGBTQ+ faculty, staff, and students and their allies. This discussion group will be located on the South Campus giving students that are primarily on this campus a safe space in-person while also providing an online Zoom option. While this is housed in the SPHHP, this group will be open to any who wish to join from all programs and campuses.

In person meetings are at 6pm on the following Wednesdays in Kimball Hall (430), South Campus:

  • February 8th
  • March 8th
  • April 12th
  • May 10th

And virtual meetings are also at 6pm on the following Wednesdays on Zoom (Meeting ID: 922 5402 5312, for direct access with the password follow the Zoom Link):

  • February 22nd
  • March 22nd
  • April 26th

For any questions and concerns, please reach out to Ebehitale Imobhio at ebehital@buffalo.edu

Sponsored by the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions and the UB Office of Inclusive Excellence.

Past Events

LGBTQ FSA Lunch and Learn with Dr. Barbara Wejnert

Date & Time: Tuesday, November 29, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Location: Online (Register via this Zoom link)

Intended Audience: Open Event 

Gather with members of the LGBTQ FSA for a conversation about gender and environmental justice with Dr. Barbara Wejnert, professor with the Department of Environment and Sustainability and the Department of Global Gender Studies.

Cultural and traditional norms place women directly in climate change’s destructive path. Women and children are fourteen times more likely to suffer injuries or die during a disaster than men, keeping in mind that 68 percent of all disasters are climate-change-related. In Global North countries, it’s been shown that women are more likely to recycle, buy organic food and practice more sustainable living. Women and girls are also responsible for water collection in two-thirds of households in developing countries.

Climate change has become a gendered issue and a correlation has been shown between environment and gender. Deforestation, air pollution, overpopulation, and other causes of environmental degradation are higher when gender inequality is higher. Recognizing, understanding, and solving gender inequality is vital to help combat climate change. Women need to be elected and put into positions of power so that stringent climate change policies capable of making a positive and lasting change can be put into place.

For more information, please visit: https://www.buffalo.edu/lgbtqfsa.html

Sponsored by the UB's LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association.

Rainbow Hour (Fall 2022)

Date & Time: Select Thursdays, September - December, 3:00-3:50pm (see dates below)

Intended Audience: Open Event 

Rainbow Hour is a monthly virtual meeting which aims to bring together LGBTQ+ individuals from the UB community to meet and interact through conversation and games. Click here for more information and details on how to join the meetings. 

Meetings will take place on the following Thursdays. 

  • September 15
  • October 20
  • November 17
  • December 15 

Sponsored by: Counseling Services

Rainbow Hour (Spring 2022)

Date & Time: Select Thursdays, January - June, 5:00pm-5:50pm (see dates below)

Intended Audience: Open Event 

Rainbow Hour is a monthly virtual meeting which aims to bring together LGBTQ+ individuals from the UB community to meet and interact through conversation and games. Click here for more information and details on how to join the meetings. 

Meetings will take place on the following Thursdays. 

  • January 27
  • February 24
  • March 31
  • April 28
  • May 26
  • June 30

Sponsored by: Counseling Services

Safe Zone Training

Date & Time: Wednesday, January 12, 10:00am-12:00pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty, Staff, and Students  

A Safe Zone is an intentional space, climate and/or person that is affirming of all students, staff and faculty regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Creating inclusive and supportive spaces for LGBTQ+ students, staff and faculty decreases stigma and increases social interactions, participation in campus activities and feelings of safety. In this interactive session, you will be introduced to what a Safe Zone is and how creating one and being a part of the Safe Zone Network, has a positive impact at the individual, group and institutional level. For more information and to register, click here

Sponsored by Human Resources

Niagara Pride Diversity and Inclusion Training

Date & Time: Thursday, January 6, 12:00-1:30pm via Microsoft Teams (click here to register

Intended Audience: Open Event   

Presented by Niagara Pride, Inc. Come learn more about a local organization dedicated to LGBTQ + Inclusion. This training explores the use of pronouns, the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity, and things organizations can do to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community. Topics Covered Include: Gender, Orientation, & Identity; What is an Ally & Why is it Important?; What is Diversity & Inclusion?; Ways to be an Ally. Click here to register.

Niagara Pride Presenters: Susan Frawley – Board Member; Justin Decleene – Secretary; Ronald Piaseczny – President.

Sponsored by the PSS Inclusion and Diversity Committee

Sex, Solicitation, and the Supreme Court: Remembering People v. Uplinger

Date & Time: Friday, October 22, 12:00-1:30pm (Online)  

Intended Audience: Open Event 

UB School of Law and The Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission of the New York State Courts invite you to join the panel discussion of People v. Uplinger (1983), a successful, Buffalo-based challenge to New York's sodomy law.

Registration is required. For more information and to register visit here.  

Sponsored by the Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission of the New York State Courts and the University at Buffalo School of Law 

LGBTQ FSA Meet Up at Out for Business

Date & Time: Wednesday, October 20, 5:00-7:00pm

Location: Big Ditch Brewing Company, 55 E Huron Street, Buffalo, NY 14203

Intended Audience: Open Event 

Meet up with UB friends and colleagues at the Pride Center of WNY's Out for Business! Out for Business is Buffalo's premiere LGBTQ professionals networking event organized by the Pride Center of WNY. The mission is to continually provide a social environment where guests are encouraged to network. Big Ditch Brewing Company is located in downtown Buffalo at 55 E Huron Street. For more information, visit the UB Events Calendar

Sponsored by the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Human Resources

LGBTQ FSA Brown Bag Conversation with Black Love Resists in the Rust and Buffalo’s Chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice

Date & Time: Wednesday, October 20, 1:00-2:30pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: Open Event 

Gather with members of the LGBTQ FSA on Zoom for a panel conversation with guests from two local organizations about accountability partnership towards abolition and the movement for multiracial justice. The Brown Bag Conversation series are casual opportunities to learn and engage, open to members of the UB community. This specific event is also open to the public. Click here for more information and to register.

This event is in collaboration with the Professional Staff Senate Inclusion and Diversity Committee, Office of Inclusive Excellence, and Minority Faculty and Staff Association.

Safe Zone Training

Date & Time: Tuesday, September, 28, 10:00am-12:00pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty, Staff, and Students  

A Safe Zone is an intentional space, climate and/or person that is affirming of all students, staff and faculty regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Creating inclusive and supportive spaces for LGBTQ+ students, staff and faculty decreases stigma and increases social interactions, participation in campus activities and feelings of safety. In this interactive session, you will be introduced to what a Safe Zone is and how creating one and being a part of the Safe Zone Network, has a positive impact at the individual, group and institutional level. For more information and to register, click here

Sponsored by Human Resources

Progress Pride Paths Ribbon Cutting

Date & Time: Wednesday, September 8, 12:00-1:30pm  (Knox Quad, Outside the Student Union)

Intended Audience: UB community

All members of the UB community are invited to gather at the Progress Pride Paths on the North Campus. A ribbon cutting will be preceded by brief remarks from campus leaders and followed by a celebration with music, food, and representatives from queer student, faculty, staff, and community groups. Progress Pride Paths is the inaugural site from the Office of the Provost’s Contemplative Site series. The installation is bold art that elevates identity intersectionality and challenges us to recognize privilege and equity at the same time we celebrate all that is beautiful about queerness.

Sponsored by LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, and the Intercultural and Diversity Center

SUNY SPECTRUM Conference

Date & Time:  Monday, June 28 - Friday, July 2, 2021 (Online) 

Intended Audience: SUNY Community   

SPECTRUM is the nation's largest education conference devoted to preventing and responding to sexual and interpersonal violence against members of the LGBTQI+ community. For more information and to register, click here

Sponsored by SUNY  

SUNY Pride Networking Night- Affinity Groups

Date & Time: Thursday, June 24, 5:00-6:30pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: SUNY Community  

Please join us for an evening of Affinity Groups where we will come together around a shared identity and build community. This is a supportive and affirmative space to make new, lasting connections based on shared interests and experiences. Click here to register. For more information on SUNY Pride virtual programing and events check out: https://www.suny.edu/pride/

Sponsored by SUNY 

Safe Zone Training

Date & Time: Tuesday, June 22, 10:00am-12:00pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty, Staff, and Students  

A Safe Zone is an intentional space, climate and/or person that is affirming of all students, staff and faculty regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Creating inclusive and supportive spaces for LGBTQ+ students, staff and faculty decreases stigma and increases social interactions, participation in campus activities and feelings of safety. In this interactive session, you will be introduced to what a Safe Zone is and how creating one and being a part of the Safe Zone Network, has a positive impact at the individual, group and institutional level. For more information and to register, click here

Sponsored by Human Resources 

Freedom Day: Celebrating Juneteenth and Pride Together

Date & Time: Thursday, June 17, 3:00-4:30pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: SUNY Community  

New York State and SUNY now recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. Please join us as we discuss and explore themes related to the celebration of Juneteenth during Pride. Click here to register. For more information on SUNY Pride virtual programing and events check out: https://www.suny.edu/pride/

Sponsored by SUNY 

Fashion Show

Date & Time: Friday, April 23, 7:00-8:00pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Students   

Show off your own meaning of Pride at our Virtual Fashion Show! Wear your best outfits and win prizes! 

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center

Raise Our Pride

Date & Time: Thursday, April 22, 11:00am-3:00pm (Student Union Lobby) 

Intended Audience: UB Students   

Let's raise our pride together! Stop by the table to receive your very own pride flag to celebrate and raise your own pride. 

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center

Lunch and Learn: LGBTQ+ Identities and Experiences

Date & Time: Wednesday, April 21, 12:00-1:00pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Students   

The Intercultural and Diversity center invites you to a forum to explore issues around LGBTQ+ in schools and the work place. This event will feature a diverse group of individuals sharing their experiences navigating the world as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center

Virtual Voguing Tutorial

Date & Time: Tuesday, April 20, 6:00-7:30pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Students   

Come learn not only how to vogue in this engaging virtual tutorial, but also to learn about it’s historical significance and relation to the LGBTQ+ community. 

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center

Tough Topics: LGBTQ+ Identities Within Society

Date & Time: Tuesday, April 20, 3:00-4:00pm (240 Student Union and Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Students   

This program will be a discussion surrounding the many identities that exist within the LBGTQIA2B+ community, and how those titles are perceived individually and within society.

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center

Grab n’ Go Rainbow DIY Kits

Date & Time: Monday, April 19, 1:00-4:00pm (Student Union Lobby) 

Intended Audience: UB Students   

Celebrate and show pride for your own identity by making your very own pride bracelet! Supplies and instructions will be provided. 

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center

The Shapes of Fancy: Reading for Queer Desire in Early Modern Literature

Date & Time: Friday, April 16, 12:00-1:30pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty and Staff 

The Early Modern Research Workshop is inaugurating a “New Books in Dialogue” series, which brings together UB faculty and colleagues at other institutions who have newly published or soon-to-be-published books to discuss their works. Please join for a conversation with Joseph Gamble (University of Toledo) and Christine Varnado (Department of Global Gender and Sexuality Studies) about Varnado’s book, The Shapes of Fancy: Reading for Queer Desire in Early Modern Literature (Minnesota, 2020). Click here for more information. 

Sponsored by the Humanities Institute

Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Non-Conforming Students: Through and Beyond the Gender Binary

Date & Time: Friday April 9, 12:00-1:30pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty and Staff 

How do we serve transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students better? Join trans activist, writer, and UB Distinguished Visiting Scholar Eli Clare to answer this question. Issues around language, pronouns, names, restrooms, harassment, housing, and more, focusing on both policy and practice will be explored. 

Sponsored by Department of Global Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Center for Diversity Innovation

Safe Zone Training

Date & Time: Tuesday, March 23, 10:00am-12:00pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty and Staff 

A Safe Zone is an intentional space, climate and/or person that is affirming of all students, staff and faculty regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Creating inclusive and supportive spaces for LGBTQ+ students, staff and faculty decreases stigma and increases social interactions, participation in campus activities and feelings of safety. In this interactive session, you will be introduced to what a Safe Zone is and how creating one and being a part of the Safe Zone Network, has a positive impact at the individual, group and institutional level.

Participants will elevate their understanding, empathy and capacity to engage with colleagues and students who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community in a welcoming and inclusive way. This session will help participants support a safe workplace community for everyone as part of their everyday work interactions in a variety of ways. Click here to learn more and to register. 

Sponsored by Human Resources 

Queer/Feminist New Media Tools

Date & Time: Wednesday, March 3, 12:00-1:00pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty, Staff, and Students 

Queer/feminist DH scholars and new media artists use (and critique!) technologies in order to challenge dominant narratives, biases, and cultures in digital spaces and to advocate for more socially just societies and futures. UB’s Palah Light Lab seeks to further this work through creative new media art projects that foster community and cultural critique while centering marginalized peoples. This workshop explores queer/feminist design principles through the lab’s ongoing projects in poetry and gaming (such as Trans Folks Walking, a 3D narrative video game about trans peoples and their experiences) and will introduce accessible digital tools such as Twine and Ren’Py that participants can use to create their own new media art. 

Co-sponsored by Media Study and Global Gender Studies

Inclusion and Acceptance: Supporting LGBTQIA+ Communities

Dates: Wednesday, March 3, 10:00am (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty, Staff, and Students 

This workshop will provide participants an open conversation on LGBTQIA+ history, such as the Stonewall Riot and Marsha P. Johnson, as well as opportunities for participants to engage within the LGBTQIA+ community, including podcasts and musical artists. Topics surrounding exclusion, bullying, safety, as well as persistence and resilience will be discussed. Creating spaces and opportunities for LGBTQIA+ folks to be seen, heard, and feel a sense of belonging in school, family, and social systems are emphasized. Finally, this workshop will provide resources for participants to find both mental and physical health support. 

Sponsored by Counseling Services 

Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Non-Conforming Students: Through and Beyond the Gender Binary

Date & Time: Tuesday, March 2, 9:30-10:30am (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty, Staff, and Students 

How do we serve transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students better? Join trans activist and writer Eli Clare to answer this question. Issues around language, pronouns, names, restrooms, harassment, housing, and more, focusing on both policy and practice will be explored. 

Sponsored by UB Student Engagement, PSS Inclusion & Diversity Committee, and the Center for Diversity Innovation

Transgender Sensitive Health Care

Date & Time: Monday, March 1, 5:00-6:00pm (Online) 

Intended Audience: UB Faculty, Staff, and Students 

Please join Jeff Day, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, CNEcl, to learn about the delivery of transgender sensitive care in the clinical setting. Click here to learn more and to register. 

Sponsored by the School of Nursing, Committee on Diversity & Inclusion

2/5/20- Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America (Film Screening)

Film Poster for Forbidden. Image of a man with the statue of liberty in the background.

Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America is a feature length documentary about an inspiring young man whose story is exceptional, although not unique. When Moises Serrano was just a baby, his parents risked everything to flee Mexico in search of the American dream. Forbidden to live and love as an undocumented gay man in the country he calls home, Serrano saw only one option—to fight for justice. 

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Tiffany Rhynard, and the subject of the film, Moises Serrano.  For more information, click here.

Sponsored by the Office of Inclusive Excellence in partnership with the Department of Theater and Dance 

Crosswalk Celebration

Painting the Crosswalk

4/24/19 UB's First Pride Parade

On October 18 2018, the Office of Inclusive Excellence collaborated with the LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association, the Intercultural and Diversity Center, and LGBTQ student organizations to recognize Spirit Day through a public art display on campus.  UB students expressed different forms of freedom important to them using lawn signs designed by the For Freedoms project.