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

On this page:

Spring 2024 Events

LGBTQ+ Graduate Student Happy Hour (4/22/2024)

Date & Time: Monday, April 22, 2024, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Location: 240 Student Union, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Join the Graduate School and the IDC for light refreshments, discover new resources, and enjoy the company of other LGBTQ+ students like you who are continuing or finishing up their UB graduate academic careers. Co-hosted by UBQ Grad Club.

For more information, please visit the Event Registration Page. For questions, please contact the IDC at 716-645-2434.

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC), the Graduate School, and UBQ Grad Club.

Queer Indigenous Poetics w/ IDS Post-Doc Cj Jackson (4/30/2024)

Date & Time: Tuesday, April 30, 2024, 4:00pm - 5:30pm

Location: 146 Park Hall, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Please join the Department of Indigenous Studies for a public lecture by post-doc Cj Jackson during UB's Pride Month. Their talk is entitled "Queer Indigenous Poetics: Diné 'tradition,' 'relationality,' and inhuman desire." The ongoing 2005 Diné Marriage Act established on and by the Navajo Nation continues to consider same-sex and same-gender marriages “void and prohibited” on the basis of cultural significance, often citing the Diné creation story to argue marriage as between one man and one woman despite the obvious queerness of that first union: rather than one ‘man’, Changing Woman marries Jóhonaaʼéí, the sun. This presentation addresses how gendered notions of ‘tradition’ impact tribal relations on the Navajo Nation through Jake Skeet’s poetry collection Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers (2019). Drawing Melissa K. Nelson’s term eco-eroticism and from what Dana Luciano and Mel Y. Chen refers to as the ‘transmaterial affections’ between nonhuman entities, this talk illustrates how Skeets invokes a reframing of the notion k’e (kinship) which insists that Diné histories are founded on a queer past and a queer longing that stresses the potentiality of another world outside the ‘here and now.’

Cj Jackson is a Diné writer and scholar from the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Their work primarily focuses on queer Indigenous poetics and the cultural and political formulation of relational ethics in the wake of historical dispossession and environmental catastrophe. Jackson is a current postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Indigenous Studies at the University at Buffalo.

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar link. For questions, please contact Jennifer Loft at 716-645-7923 or via email at jcloft@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the Department of Indigenous Studies.

Lavender Ceremony and Reception (5/10/2024)

Date & Time: Friday, May 10, 2024, 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: Landmark Room, 210 Student Union, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

The Lavender Ceremony and Reception welcomes all graduating members of the UB LGBTQ Community. These students are from all majors and levels of education in various programs and backgrounds. Recognizing the challenges many LGBTQ students face on their journey to graduation, it is essential to provide the opportunity for graduating students, family, friends, faculty, administrators, peers, allies, and supporters to embrace each student at the end of their time at UB.

For more information or to register, please visit the Event Registration Page or the UB Calendar Link. For questions, please contact the IDC at 716-645-2434.

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC).

UB Pride Week (4/8/2024 - 4/12/2024)

Date & Time: Monday, April 8, 2024 - Friday, April 12, 2024

Location: Multiple locations, see Heritage Months

Intended Audience: Open Event

Join the UB in celebrating Pride Week! See the Heritage Months page for various events happening throughout the week.

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center.

Rainbow Hour (Spring 2024)

Date & Time: Multiple dates and times, see more details below

Location: 240 Student Union, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Join Counseling Services and the IDC on the third Thursday of the month to meet other members of UB's LGBTQ+ community, have some conversation, and enjoy fun activities. This is a drop-in meeting. No registration is required. There will be three Rainbow Hours this semester at the following times.

  • Thursday, February 15, 2024, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
  • Thursday, March 14, 2024, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
  • Thursday, April 11, 2024, 3:00pm - 4:00pm

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar link. For questions, contact Counseling Services at 716-645-2720.

Sponsored by UB Counseling Services and the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC).

Indigenous@UB Coffee Conversations: Sexuality, Inclusion and Tradition (4/1/2024)

Date & Time: Monday, April 1, 2024, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Location: 508 Clemens Hall, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Join us this Spring semester as the Indigenous@UB Hub hosts a conversation series covering a range of cultural topics and contemporary issues. Our purpose is to provide a forum for conversation and community building through thoughtful, respectful, and interactive discussion on matters that are meaningful to our people and communities. These events are geared towards UB students but UB faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar Link. For questions, please contact Aaron VanEvery at 716-645-7917 or via email at alv8@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the Department of Indigenous Studies.

Fall 2023 Events

LGBTQ+ Discussion Group Meeting (Fall 2023)

Date & Time: Multiple dates and times, see more details below

Location: 430 Kimball Tower, South Campus (Zoom link available on request)

Intended Audience: Open Event

The goal of this group is to provide support, resources, and community to LGBTQ+ faculty, staff, and students and their allies at UB. This discussion group is located on the South Campus as it gives folks that are primarily on this campus a safe space here. This group is open to anyone who wishes to join from all programs and campuses. There will be five LGBTQ+ Discussion Group Meetings this semester at the following times.

  • Monday, September 11, 2023, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
  • Monday, October 2, 2023, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
  • Monday, November 13, 2023, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
  • Monday, December 4, 2023, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
  • Monday, January 8, 2024, 1:00pm - 2:30pm

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar link. For questions, please contact Ebehitale Imobhio at 716-829-3529 or via email at ebehital@buffalo.edu.

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

LGBTQ+ Student Support Group (Fall 2023)

Date & Time: Wednesdays, 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Location: Virtual

Intended Audience: Open Event

The LGBTQ+ Support Group is a safe space for students of all LGBTQ+ identities to build a sense of community. The group serves as a place to discuss and explore topics related to these identities, which may include coming out / not coming out, relationships with family and friends, dating and intimate relationships, transitioning, and other life experiences related to being an LGBTQ+ person. Topics may also include non-identity related life stressors that students want to discuss.

For more information or for questions, please contact Counseling Services at 716-645-2720.

Sponsored by UB Counseling Services.

Tough Topics: Trans Rights, Resistance, and Remembrance (11/21/2023)

Date & Time: Tuesday, November 21, 2023, 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Location: Hybrid (In-person at 240 Student Union, North Campus)

Intended Audience: Open Event

Despite the progression of the Trans movement, folks of the Trans community constantly face discriminatory barriers, violence, and unequal access to health care. Join the IDC as they debrief Trans Day of Remembrance and its significance to the Trans community. The following Zoom link can be used to join virtually: https://buffalo.zoom.us/s/96394252129

For more information, please visit the Event Webpage or the UB Calendar Link. For questions, please contact the IDC at 716-645-2434.

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC).

Rainbow Hour (Fall 2023)

Date & Time: Multiple dates and times, see more details below

Location: 240 Student Union, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Join Counseling Services and the IDC on the third Thursday of the month to meet other members of UB's LGBTQ+ community, have some conversation, and enjoy fun activities. This is a drop-in meeting. No registration is required. There will be three Rainbow Hours this semester at the following times.

  • Thursday, September 21, 2023, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
  • Thursday, October 19, 2023, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
  • Thursday, November 16, 2023, 3:00pm - 4:00pm

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar link. For questions, contact Counseling Services at 716-645-2720.

Sponsored by UB Counseling Services and the Intercultural and Diversity Center.

Afro-Indigeneity Guest Speaker Series: Andrew Jolivette - Louisiana Creole Peoplehood (11/6/2023)

Date & Time: Monday, November 6, 2023, 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Hybrid (In-person at 209 O’Brian Hall, North Campus)

Intended Audience: Open Event

Dr. Robert Caldwell is offering an Afro-Indigeneity Guest Speaker Series on select Mondays throughout the Fall 2023 semester. This session will feature Andrew Jolivette, an accomplished internationally recognized researcher, educator, writer/poet, speaker, socio-cultural critic, and an aspiring chef. Jolivette currently serves as the Board President of the American Indian Community Center in San Francisco, California where he was also Interim Executive Director from 2016-October 2018. He is the author or editor of eight books in print or forthcoming including “Louisiana Creole Peoplehood: Tracing Post-Contact Afro-Indigeneity and Community” (University of Washington Press Contracted, October, 2018) and “A Report on the Health and Wellness of Multiracial Youth in the San Francisco Bay Area” (2008). He is a founding editor of the Journal of Louisiana Creole Studies. Active in both scholarship and community organizing he has served as the board president for the Institute for Democratic Education and Culture (Speak Out), iPride for Multiracial Youth and Families, and the GLBT Historical Society and Museum. He is the founder of the group, Black Men’s Space and currently serves on the board of the Black Community Collaborative. He has been a member of the National Association for Ethnic Studies (NAES) serving twice as conference co-chair, the Pacific Sociological Association, the Critical Mixed Race Studies Association, the National LGBTQ Scholars of Color Network (2029 Conference Co-chair) and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association among other academic associations. Born and raised in San Francisco, Jolivette is a Creole of Opelousa, Atakapa-Ishak, French, African, Irish, Italian, and Spanish descent. Professor Jolivette is the former tribal historian for the Atakapa-Ishak Nation located between southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas. Jolivette received his Ph.D in Sociology from the University of California Santa Cruz with specializations in the sociology of race and ethnicity, the sociology of education, the sociology of Latin America, and the sociology of family. He also holds an MA in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz, an MA in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State, and a BA in Sociology from the University of San Francisco.

For more information, please visit the Event Registration page or the UB Calendar link. For questions, please contact Jennifer Loft at 716-645-7923 or via email at jcloft@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the Department of Indigenous Studies.

LGBTQ+ Faculty, Staff and Alumni Happy Hour (10/24/2023)

Date & Time: Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

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

Intended Audience: LGBTQ+ Faculty, staff, and alumni

LGBTQ+ faculty, staff and alumni from the University at Buffalo are invited to attend an evening of networking and opportunity to support and organize for current students and the queer alumni community. The event is located at Big Ditch Brewing Company at 55 E Huron Street in downtown Buffalo. Friends and partners are welcome. One free drink ticket with registration. Cash bar. Light refreshments will be provided.

For more information or to register, please visit the Event Webpage or the UB Calendar Link. For questions, please contact the LGBTQ FSA at lgbtqfsa@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association (FSA), the Office of Alumni Engagement, and the Office of Inclusive Excellence.

"Loving For the Next Generation"— A dramatic reading and exploration of Cherríe Moraga’s influential poetry and prose from Loving in the War Years and Other Writings 1978-1999 (10/19/2023)

Date & Time: Thursday, October 19, 2023, 4:00pm - 5:30pm

Location: Hybrid (In-person in 509 O’Brian Hall, North Campus)

Intended Audience: Open Event

Join the UB Gender Institute for their Signature Lecture Series. In the newly revised, annotated, and reconfigured collection of her deeply intimate and fiercely impassioned queer Chicana writings, Cherríe Moraga anticipates the liberatory struggles and critical inquires of the twenty-first century, from genderqueer identities to indigenous feminisms. Q and A and book signing to follow. Cherríe Moraga is an internationally recognized poet, essayist and playwright whose professional life began in 1981 with her co-editorship of the groundbreaking feminist anthology, This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. The author of several collections of her own writings, including:  A Xicana Codex of Changing Consciousness, Loving in The War Years, and Waiting in the Wings: Portrait of a Queer Motherhood, Moraga is the recipient of the United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship for Literature and the American Studies Association Lifetime Achievement Award, among numerous other honors. As a dramatist, her awards include an NEA, two Fund for New American Plays Awards, and the PEN West Award. Moraga’s most recent play, The Mathematics of Love, premiered at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco. In 2017, she began her tenure as a Professor in the Department of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where with her artistic partner, Celia Herrera Rodriguez, she has instituted Las Maestras Center: Xicana[x] Indigenous Thought, Art, and Social Praxis. Her most recent memoir, Native Country of the Heart, was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. In 2023, Haymarket Books published new, updated anniversary editions of Waiting in the Wings and Loving in the War Years.

For more information or to register, please visit the Event Registration Page or the UB Calendar link. For questions, please contact Megan Vaughan at 716-645-5200 or via email at ub-irewg@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the UB Gender Institute.

Leslie Feinberg, Firebrand Books, and the “Place of Place” in LGBTQ History (10/12/2023)

Date & Time: Thursday, October 12, 2023, 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Location: Hybrid (In-person at the Center for the Arts, Screening Room 112, North Campus)

Intended Audience: Open Event

Join the UB Gender Institute for their Signature Lecture Series. Dr. Jeff Iovannone will discuss his award-winning, GIS-based exhibit Leslie Feinberg’s Buffalo: Historic Sites in Stone Butch Blues in the context of what he refers to as the “place of place,” or the role and importance of place and place-making, in U.S. LGBTQ history. The talk will highlight sites represented in transgender lesbian writer and activist Leslie Feinberg’s multiple award-winning novel Stone Butch Blues connected to the University at Buffalo, as well as the Firebrand Books Building in Ithaca, New York, as representative examples. Iovannone argues that preservationists have an imperative to conserve both LGBTQ places and spaces and will offer strategies that move from theory to practice, including when place and space are contested.

For more information or to register, please visit the Event Registration Page or the UB Calendar link. For questions, please contact Megan Vaughan at 716-645-5200 or via email at ub-irewg@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the UB Gender Institute and the University Archives.

The Tea: National Coming Out Day (10/11/2023)

Date & Time: Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Location: 240 Student Union, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Tea, finger foods, and community. “The Tea: National Coming Out Day” is an opportunity for UB’s LGBTQ+ students to connect with each other, with the chance to hear and share “coming out” stories.

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar Link. For questions, please contact the IDC at 716-645-2434.

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC).

LGBTQ FSA Member Orientation (10/4/2023)

Date & Time: Wednesday, October 4, 2023, 4:00pm - 5:30pm

Location: GRoW Clean Energy Center, North Campus

Intended Audience: New and returning members of LGBTQ FSA

Join members of the LGBTQ FSA Executive Board for a welcome and orientation. New members are encouraged to attend and returning members are welcome. The event will be a brief introduction to the LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association and an opportunity to meet members of the leadership team.

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar Link. For questions or to RSVP, please contact the LGBTQ FSA at lgbtqfsa@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association (FSA).

Creativity in the Time of Covid-19 (8/25/2023 - 9/30/2023)

Date & Time: Friday, August 25, 2023 - Saturday, September 30, 2023, various times

Location: Buffalo Arts Studio, 2495 Main Street, Suite 500, Buffalo, NY

Intended Audience: Open Event

Creativity in the Time of Covid-19 is an in-person exhibition showcased at Buffalo Arts Studio, Buffalo Game Space, and Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Center in Buffalo, NY (all located in the Tri-Main Building), curated by the Amatryx Gaming Lab & Studios based out of the Dept. of Media Study (College of Arts & Sciences) at UB. The exhibit features creative expressions by BIPOC, queer, and Buffalo-based artists made during the pandemic, including both professional artists and first-time creators. Although each work was produced during a time of unprecedented isolation, this exhibition offers a way to see how art was used to cope, to understand, to forge new connections or hold onto existing ones, and to care for ourselves and our communities. Together, these pieces speak to themes of self-recognition and transformation, to new modes of community building and forging new connections, to shifting experiences of temporality, to ways of advocating for mental health and our communities. These works help account for the specific local histories and conditions that contributed to lockdown isolation, as well as celebrate the creative practices marginalized communities used to survive the pandemic and care for each other.

There will be a series of short talks starting at 6:00 PM in the Buffalo Arts Studio gallery space, featuring speakers Natalie Phillips (Michigan State University), Lawrence Carter-Long (DisArt), and members of the Amatryx lab. A Closing reception will take place on September 22, 2023, at 3:00 PM in the Buffalo Arts Studio gallery space, and feature a talk by speaker Tina Rivers-Ryan (Buffalo AKG Art Museum).

For more information, please visit the Event Webpage or the UB Calendar link. For questions, contact Sydney O’Shei at 716-833-4450.

Sponsored by the Department of Media Study and the Arthur W. Mellon Foundation.

Advancing or Hindering Equality: The Impact of Recent Supreme Court Decisions on Identity, Free Speech, and College Admissions (9/27/2023)

Date & Time: Wednesday, September 27, 2023, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: Hybrid (In-person in 509 O’Brian Hall)

Intended Audience: Open Event

Join the Law School for a panel discussion that explores the significance and consequences of the recent Supreme Court cases on race-conscious college admissions (Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard) and on the intersection of free speech and LGBTQ+ rights (303 Creative v Elenis).

For more information, please visit the Event Registration page or the UB Calendar link. For questions, please contact Kristin Kelly via email at kkelly11@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the UB School of Law.

Tough Topics: Navigating Queerness in the Latinx Community (9/26/2023)

Date & Time: Tuesday, September 26, 2023, 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Location: Hybrid (In-person in 240 Student Union, North Campus)

Intended Audience: Open Event

Navigating a queer identity while upholding contradictory cultural values can be difficult. You’re invited to join the conversation this week as the IDC discusses queerness within the Latinx community. Conversation will take place in 240 Student Union or on zoom: bit.ly/IDCProgram

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar Link. For questions, please contact the IDC at 716-645-2434.

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC).

A Space for Pride: Imagining an LGBTQIA+ Resource Center for UB (9/20/2023)

Date & Time: Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 1:00pm - 3:30pm

Location: Landmark Room 210, Student Union, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Whether you're a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or an ally, the UB LGBTQ FSA would like your help in designing a resource center for our queer community. 

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar Link. For questions, please contact Blackstone LaunchPad at 716-645-8111.

Sponsored by Blackstone LaunchPad and the UB LGBTQ FSA.

Alberti Center Colloquium | Victimization Experiences Among Transgender and Gender Expansive Adolescents: An Examination of Prevalence, Impact and Protective Factors (9/14/2023)

Date & Time: Thursday, September 14, 2023, 11:30am - 12:45pm

Location: 479 Baldy Hall, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Join the Alberti Center in welcoming Dr. Rachel C. Garthe, associate professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as part of their colloquium series. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth, plus youth who identify with other sexual or gender minority identities (LGBTQ+ youth), are at a disproportionate risk for experiencing interpersonal violence and mental health concerns. However, only a small proportion of this research has focused specifically on youth who identify as a gender minority, including transgender (i.e., individuals whose gender identity or expression is not congruent with traits culturally associated with the sex assigned at birth) and gender expansive adolescents (i.e., individuals whose gender identity or expression is beyond the purported male-female gender binary).

This presentation will highlight findings from four research studies that aimed to address this gap in the literature. Utilizing a statewide survey with large samples of transgender and gender-expansive adolescents, we examined the prevalence of bullying and dating violence victimization by gender identity, examined the impact of victimization on mental health outcomes, explored disparities across grade levels, and explored the protective role of school climate among adolescents who experienced victimization. This presentation will highlight key implications of this research and provide future research, violence prevention programming and policy directions.

For more information or to register, please visit the Event Registration Page or the UB Calendar Link. For questions, please contact Brie Kishel at 716-645-1532 or via email at briekish@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention.

Tiffany Skidmore, composer presents The William Blake Cycle: Unseen, Unbodied, Unknown. (9/8/2023)

Date & Time: Friday, September 8, 2023, 7:30pm - 9:00pm

Location: Slee Hall - Lippes Concert Hall, North Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Come see Skidmore’s multimedia saxophone opera with chamber ensemble and spatial audio, video, and theatrical direction considers text and characters created by William Blake, exploring relationships between mythological characters in the Blake universe, non-binary gender identity, gender stereotypes, and sexual politics.

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar link or contact Tiffany Skidmore via email at tskidmor@buffalo.edu.

Sponsored by the UB Department of Music.

LGBTQ+ Ice Cream Social (8/28/2023)

Date & Time: Monday, August 28, 2023, 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Location: Student Union 235 & 240, North Campus

Intended Audience: LGBTQ+ UB Students

Join the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC) for an LGBTQ+ Ice Cream social! This will be a chance to connect with students, staff, and faculty who are committed to providing an inclusive and safe space for students on campus. 

For more information, please visit the UB Calendar link or contact the IDC at 716-645-2434.

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC).

Summer 2023 Events

The Hometown Advantage, and Other Lessons from Local LGBTQ History (6/28/2023)

Date & Time: Wednesday, June 28, 2023, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Location: Virtual

Intended Audience: UB alumni and community

Join the UB Alumni Association for a webinar challenging the popular misconception that LGBTQ history only happened in NYC or the Bay Area. As Pride celebrations happen around the United States, Ana Grujić and Adrienne Hill, founders of the Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project, discuss the importance of local LGBTQ stories and the need to chronicle them; show that LGBTQ people of all racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds have always been part of Western New York’s history; and encourage you to celebrate Pride with a local perspective.

For more information and to register, please visit the Event Webpage or the UB Calendar link. For any questions, please contact the UB Alumni Association at 716-645-3312 or via email at alumnilifelonglearning@buffalo.edu.   

Sponsored by the UB Alumni Association.

Spring 2023 Events

LGBTQIA+ Education and Inclusivity in Healthcare (5/23/2023)

Date & Time: Tuesday, May 23, 4:30pm-7:45pm

Location: Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (Room 2220, Dozoretz Auditorium), City Campus (955 Main Street, Buffalo) 

Intended Audience: Open Event

The inaugural LGBTQIA+ Education and Inclusivity in Healthcare conference is a half-day event hosted by OUTPatient Student Medical group and sponsored by the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement and the Office of the Dean at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. We are kicking off Pride Month with this important conversation, providing space to our community to be educated and informed of best practices and current affairs for LGBTQIA+ matters. For more information or to register, please visit this link.

Sponsored by the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement and the Office of the Dean at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

LGBTQ FSA Listening Session (5/17/2023)

Date & Time: Wednesday, May 17, 2023, 3:00pm-4:30pm

Location: Student Union (210), North Campus

Intended Audience: UB Faculty and Staff 

We know and understand how difficult the last few weeks have been. The intense rise in transphobic and homophobic legislation and rhetoric across the country, coupled with recent campus visitors with hateful messages, has prompted many members of our community to ask questions. What kind of community is UB for LGBTQ+ people? How have we built a culture or diversity, social justice and inclusion? How have we delivered care, support and belonging to LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff? On May 17, 2023 at 3:00pm, in 210 Student Union, the LGBTQ FSA will host a listening session for faculty and staff. Attendees will have the option to speak to the association’s executive board and the Interim Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence.

The event is open only to UB faculty and staff and registration is required. To create space conducive to sharing, the event format will be in-person only. Those who wish to contribute, but are unable to attend may submit a statement to be read in their absence; those interested may use the registration to submit.

Learn more and register at: buffalo.edu/lgbtqfsa/events

Sponsored by the LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association

2023 Lavender Reception (5/12/2023)

Hosted by Intercultural and Diversity Center, The Lavender Reception, held May 2023 in the Student Union Landmark Room, celebrates the achievements of graduating students who identify with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community at UB. The ceremony welcomed graduating members of the LGBTQ community, as well as their families, friends, faculty, staff and supporters.

Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC).

The LGBTQ+ Discussion Group (Spring 2023)

Date & Time: Select Mondays and Wednesdays, February - May (see details 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 1:00pm on the following Mondays in Kimball Hall (430), South Campus:

  • March 6th
  • April 3rd
  • May 1st

And virtual meetings are also at 6:00pm 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.

Trans Wellbeing: Perspectives through a Public Health Lens (4/28/2023)

Date & Time: Friday, April 28, 1:00pm-3:00pm

Location: Farber Hall (Room G26), South Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

Over the past few years, in the face of increased trans activism and visibility, hundreds of anti-transgender bills have been proposed across the United States, with 15 bills passing into law. These attacks have exacerbated existing health and social disparities, emboldened violent anti-trans forces, and further marginalized trans and non-gender conforming people. The current social moment requires serious reflection on the state of trans rights, wellbeing, and responses that address the various disparities facing trans and non-gender conforming people. This panel will discuss the political climate and ways public health as a discipline can respond to trans health disparities and the conditions underlying them. 

For more information please visit the Eventbrite Registration Page or the UB Calendar Link and for questions please contact Ebehitale Imobhio via email at ebehital@buffalo.edu.   

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

Indigenous Studies Hosts Kit Thomas, LGBTQ and Mental Health Advocate (4/19/2023)

Date & Time: Wednesday, April 19, 1:00pm-2:00pm

Location: Student Union - Theater Room 201

Intended Audience: Open Event

Kit is an LGBTQ and Mental Health advocate. Kit will be speaking about the meaning of 2Spirit and its significance to Indigenous communities. This two-spriit/Indigiqueer is wolf clan from the St.Regis Mohawk territory of Akwesasne. Using They/Them pronouns, Kit is an LGBTQ and Mental Health Advocate. They have been honing their painting skills for the last decade and now has a recognizable splatter paint style infused with Native American symbolism.

For more information please visit the UB Calendar Link and for questions please contact Aaron VanEvery at 716-645-7917 or via email at alv8@buffalo.edu.   

Sponsored by the UB Department of Indigenous Studies

SPHHP LGBTQ+ Discussion Group Meeting (4/3/2023)

Date & Time: Monday, April 3 at 1:00pm 

Location: Kimball Hall (430), South Campus

Intended Audience: Open Event

The LGBTQ+ Discussion Group is a series of meetings created by the School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP). There is an additional Monday session this April 3rd where the group will be talking about aspects of Coming Out: 

  • What has been your experience with it?
  • When do you know when/if to “come out” in the professional world? And do you have to?

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.

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

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

LGBTQ FSA Lunch and Learn with Dr. Barbara Wejnert (11/29/2022)

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 (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

Spring 2022 Events

2022 Lavender Reception (5/13/2022)

The Lavender Reception, hosted by Intercultural and Diversity Center, in the Student Union in May 2022. According to the IDC, the ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer students and their allies.

Photographer: Douglas Levere

Sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center (IDC).

Safe Zone Training (1/12/2022)

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 (1/6/2022)

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

Fall 2021 Events

Sex, Solicitation, and the Supreme Court: Remembering People v. Uplinger (10/22/2021)

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 Brown Bag Conversation with Black Love Resists in the Rust and Buffalo’s Chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (10/20/2021)

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.

LGBTQ FSA Meet Up at Out for Business (10/20/2021)

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

Safe Zone Training (9/28/2021)

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 (9/8/2021)

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

Summer 2021 Events

SUNY SPECTRUM Conference (Summer 2021)

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 (6/24/2021)

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 (6/22/2021)

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 (6/17/2021)

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 

Spring 2021 Events

Fashion Show (4/23/2021)

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 (4/22/2021)

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 (4/21/2021)

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

Tough Topics: LGBTQ+ Identities Within Society (4/20/2021)

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

Virtual Voguing Tutorial (4/20/2021)

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

Grab n’ Go Rainbow DIY Kits (4/19/2021)

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 (4/16/2021)

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 (4/9/2021)

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 (3/23/2021)

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 

Inclusion and Acceptance: Supporting LGBTQIA+ Communities (3/3/2021)

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 

Queer/Feminist New Media Tools (3/3/2021)

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

Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Non-Conforming Students: Through and Beyond the Gender Binary (3/2/2021)

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 (3/1/2021)

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

Spring 2020 Events

Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America (Film Screening) (2/25/2020)

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 

Fall 2019 Events

Crosswalk Celebration

Painting the Crosswalk

Spring 2019 Events

UB's First Pride Parade (4/24/2019)

Fall 2018 Events

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.