On Thursday, May 1st 2025, the School of Social Transformation held an event celebrating seven students in their completion of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies Certificate. These students gave a public presentation about their capstone projects for friends, family and faculty.
The celebration started with a beautiful reception, complete with rainbow tulip centerpieces, pride flags and glass rainbow hearts scattered across high-top tables. Charcuterie in the shape of the letters LGBTQ was served for the guests, alongside other treats and refreshments. The event was hosted by SST faculty members Mellissa Linton and Sa Whitley. Here is a recap of the capstone presentations:
- Val West presented “I’m not actually - either - but thank you” - an exploration of why immortal characters in movies and television are often queer. Val explained immortal characters transcend the gender binary and have been alive long enough to explore all aspects of identity beyond human labels and heteronormativity. They explained the importance of this trend in media as queer people leverage representation as an empowering entity.
- Gicelle Quitangon presented “Anti-Transgender Rhetoric in Political Discourse and Media” - a breakdown of the design choices of anti-trans sentiment. Gicelle started by showing an anti-trans spam message received by individuals even within the trans community, which made him question the promotional choices made by anti-trans groups. Gicelle’s project turned into a display inspired by a newspaper, reverse-engineered to reflect the design choices behind it. He also interviewed members of the trans community in an effort to directly counter the anti-trans promotional materials.
- Em, presented “TNB Joy in Creativity and Embodiment” - a demonstration of how the concept and praxis of embodiment is important within trans and nonbinary communities. Em started their presentation by leading the audience through a breathing exercise as a demonstration of what embodiment feels like. Em shared photos and findings from an event they put on where students creatively designed wearable art such as pins and stickers that people could put on their bodies to practice embodiment. Em also elaborated on the importance of joy within trans and nonbinary communities.
- Grace Powell presented “Trans & Autistic: life in an intersection” - an exploration of the overlap between autistic and trans identity. Grace created a ‘Zine to connect with research on the intersection between autism and transgender identity. Grace shared illustrations from the ‘Zine (created in an accessible format) and takeaways learned through research and interviews. Grace expressed how there is a concerning focus on taking away autonomy from trans and autistic individuals, and how community is a key solution to fostering empathy and understanding.
- Brenna Garcia presented “Assessing 2SLGBTQ+ Resources and Student Support in Higher Education: A Qualitative Analysis” - an evaluation of LGBTQ+ resources available for ASU students. Brenna conducted focus groups to learn about what the average ASU student is aware of regarding LGBTQ+ support at ASU. Brenna shared in their presentation that students expressed a contradiction between the ASU Charter and ASU’s actions, and that students are either unaware of resources available to them or there aren’t enough, putting pressure on LGBTQ+ faculty to provide extra support. Thankfully, Brenna compiled a list of LGBTQ+ resources currently available.
- Michael Bowman presented “Internship Experience at Boys & Girls Club” - a reflection on fostering safe spaces for queer children. Michael wanted to provide support for children to explore their true selves, and that support was found at Boys & Girls Club. Michael worked directly with children and observed ways to build inclusivity starting at a young age.
- Jennifer Baca presented “Coming to Terms with the “Coming Out” Narrative: Queer Identity in the United States and Southeast Asia” - an overview of the differences of coming out between the United States, Brunei and Thailand. Jennifer actually graduated a year ago, but was invited back to present to a robust public audience. Jennifer presented research on how coming out can be a U.S. experience because it is not always safe to come out in other regional contexts.
After the presentations, the floor was open for Q&A, where audience members asked the presenters insightful questions. Then each student received a certificate of completion for the LGBT certificate, a rainbow tassel for their graduation caps and a pride flag. SST is so proud of the LGBT studies certificate recipients, and we can’t wait to see what these brilliant students accomplish next!