Gender & Sexuality Month Brings Full Calendar of Virtual Events

Headshot of Dominique Jackson, the keynote speaker for Gender & Sexuality Month

ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 9, 2021) – A full month of virtual events will celebrate the University’s annual Gender and Sexuality Month, including a keynote presentation from a well-known actress as well as Zumba, educational talks and trivia.

Dominique Jackson, star of the show "POSE," author and model who began her career at Fashion Week Brooklyn, will present the keynote talk on Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. Jackson fled prosecution as a transgender woman in her native Trinidad and Tobago after experiencing homelessness and rejection from her family. In addition to her successful entertainment career, she has used her success to shed light on the challenges transgender women often face. During the event, five guests will be randomly selected to participate in an invite-only meet-and-greet opportunity following the keynote. Registration is required for Jackson’s talk.

Formerly called Sexuality Month before being renamed Gender and Sexuality Month, this year marks the 39th year that UAlbany has hosted a series of events designed to support students facing concerns in the areas of gender and sexuality, HIV/AIDS, relationships, identity and reproductive health.

The month’s observance, running Feb. 15 – March 15, is coordinated by the University’s Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program of the Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research, with generous support from the Student Association.

“Though the observance was renamed this year to better reflect its programming, UAlbany established Gender and Sexuality Month nearly 40 years ago to recognize the importance of a number of key themes related to gender and sexuality, broadly defined,” said M. Dolores Cimini, director of the Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research, program director of the Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program, and Sexuality Month planning committee co-chair. “It’s important that we aim to meet the needs of our students as well as provide a retrospective and prospective look at the issues and challenges they are facing. Such access to education is especially important during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Delivering our educational programs in the virtual space is reaching our students all over the globe in new and exciting ways.”

Numerous virtual events will be offered in addition to the keynote, including:

  • Let’s Begin to Heal, Tues. Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m. Zoom ID: 971 3468 6706 (Password: 479254)
  • Love Yourself Zumba, Weds. Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. Zoom ID: 971 3468 6706 (Password: 479254)
  • Sexuality Education Around the Globe, Tues. March 2, 7:30 p.m. Zoom ID: 971 3468 6706 (Password: 479254)
  • Becoming an Ally, Tues. March 2, 9 p.m. Zoom ID: 964 4674 0223 (Password: 845802)
  • Paint & Sip: Sexuality & Body Positivity with professional artist Catherine Maroney, Weds. March 3, 7:30 p.m. Zoom ID: 971 3468 6706 (Password: 479254)
  • Out of the Closet: Domestic Violence in LGBTQ+ Relationships, Thurs. March 4, 9 p.m. Zoom ID: 964 4674 0223 (Password: 845802)
  • Holding Space for Femininity: A Women/Femme-Centered Space for Destigmatizing Sex/Intimacy, Mon. March 8 8, 7:30 p.m. Zoom ID: 964 4674 0223 (Password: 845802)
  • Behind the Post – A Discussion About Social Media, Relationships & More, Tues. March 9, 7:30 p.m. Zoom ID: 971 3468 6706 (Password: 479254)

View the full schedule of events in the 2021 Gender and Sexuality Month brochure at the event website.