From: Tess Benser
Date: September 3, 2021
Subject: Center For Women & Gender Equity September 2021 Newsletter


Center for Women & Gender Equity in purple and gold text.

Welcome Back to Campus, Golden Rams!

It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to the very first Center for Women & Gender Equity monthly newsletter of the 2021-2022 academic year. If you are just joining this newsletter for the first time, allow us to introduce ourselves: We are the Center for Women & Gender Equity.

The Center for Women and Gender Equity provides education, resources, and advocacy in partnership with the students, faculty, and staff of the West Chester University community. We facilitate exploration of gender identities and their relationship to other categories and experiences of social difference. Since our founding in 1974, we have worked to disrupt gender-based oppression in the multitude of ways it intersects with other forms of oppression. We are grounded in a vision of joy, liberation and justice for everyone, but intentionally center those who have historically faced systemic barriers to living out the fullness of that vision.   

The Center offers opportunities to engage with a wide variety of gender justice topics through facilitated workshops, sustained dialogue, and curated social media content.  

This Fall, we continue the EqualiTea Speaker Series, this year focusing on the ways that gender influences labor markets, especially throughout the pandemic. Please read more about our upcoming EqualiTeas below. 

In January of this year, the Center for Women & Gender Equity in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Counseling Center, and several community partners including the Crime Victims Center of Chester County, Girls Justice League, and Health Federation were awarded nearly $30 thousand as part of the 2021-2022 Pennsylvania Governor's It's On Us Grant.  Building on the work of previous projects funded through the It’s On Us grant, important initiatives slated for 2021 will include a variety of co-curricular learning experiences such as the It’s on Us Week of Action activities, a speaker series focused on anti-violence education, and a body-mapping workshop.

The Center for Women & Gender Equity also regularly offers health and well-being-oriented programs. These are focused on strategies to develop healthy and fulfilling friendships, relationships and connection to others in ways that maintain a campus environment that is safe and respectful for every member of the community. Consider joining us for Situationships, Ram Step Up, Sexy Bingo, or listen in to our peer educator created podcast, Exploring Entanglements, about what it means to be a Sexual Citizen. 

We are located in Lawrence 214 and hope you will stop by! You can also feel free to call the Center at 610.436.2135, email the department account at cwge@wcupa, or follow us on Instagram @wcu_cwge or like us on Facebook @wcuCWGE.  

Take good care and be well this semester! We look forward to connecting with you!

Best, 

The Center for Women & Gender Equity Staff

Purple graphic for upcoming events

EVENT

The Evolving Future of Reproductive Justice in Collaboration with Planned Parenthood Generation Action

Wednesday, September 8
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Private Location (rsvp to display)
Link
Add to Google Cal,Outlook,Yahoo,iCal

Members of the WCU community are invited to join Planned Parenthood Generation Action for a program on gender and reproductive justice with speaker and public health educator Janielle Bryan. For more information, email cwge@wcupa.edu.

This workshop provides an introduction to the Reproductive Justice framework and its core principles and a deeper understanding of intersectionality. We are in need of powerful tools for change, maybe now more than ever. As young folks, it is not always easy having your needs heard, let alone centered in this work. There's space to have your ideas amplified as we continue working to build social justice movements. This interactive workshop will be an opportunity to discuss and envision the future of reproductive justice. Each participant will leave with tangible ways they can begin to get involved in this work.
RSVP

EVENT

EqualiTea Speaker Series-55¢: The Value of Latinidad featuring Marisol Rosado-Perez

Monday, September 13
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Private Location (rsvp to display)
Link
Add to Google Cal,Outlook,Yahoo,iCal

Latina workers earn 55 cents for every dollar earned by white non-Latine men, the largest
income gap in the nation. Working Latinas are currently overrepresented in essential low-wage jobs and underrepresented in high-wage jobs— but the wage gap persists across the board.
Latinas would have to work 33 more years to earn the same amount as white, non-Latine men would over a 40-yr career. This rampant pay discrimination disproportionately harms Latina women and puts them and their families in danger of long-term economic insecurity. This combined with the impact of COVID-19 pandemic has predisposed Latinas to be among the most hurt by the pandemic. Equal pay for Latina workers is long overdue!

This interactive kick off to the EqualiTea Speaker Series will support Latinas to stand in their power while examining the disproportionate harms faced by Latina workers. This conversation centers the economic, health, and social conditions faced by Latina workers and uplifts researched considerations for rebuilding a more just and equitable economy through advocacy and engagement.
RSVP

EVENT

Fresh Check Day

Wednesday, September 15
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Academic Quad (Rain location: Campus Recreation Multipurpose Activity Court), Commonwealth Hall, Ground Floor, West Chester, Penn 19383, United States
Link
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Fresh Check Day, the signature program of the Jordan Porco Foundation, is an uplifting mental health promotion and suicide prevention event for colleges that includes interactive expo booths, peer-to-peer messaging, support of multiple campus departments and groups, free food, entertainment, and exciting prizes and giveaways. Join us on the academic quad this year where students can grab free water ice from the Kona Ice food truck, win a t-shirt, and other prizes such as an Amazon Fire 7 with Alexa, Amazon gift card, Rocketbook, or WCU gear pack. Fresh Check Day aims to create an approachable and hopeful atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about mental health and helps to build a bridge between students and the mental health resources available on campus, in the community, and nationally.
RSVP

EVENT

It’s On Us Speaks Faculty & Staff Session: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar

Thursday, October 14
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Private Location (rsvp to display)
Link
Add to Google Cal,Outlook,Yahoo,iCal

Faculty & staff are invited to join the Center for Women & Gender Equity and WCU It's On Us for It's On Us Speaks: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar. Known on Instagram as @thefatsextherapist, Sonalee Rashatwar (they/he) LCSW MEd is an award-winning clinical social worker, sex therapist, adjunct lecturer, and grassroots organizer. and have been working in the field of anti-violence for 10+ years. They will be speaking on sexual violence and harm and its connection to state violence and the culture of body policing in the United States.
RSVP

EVENT

It's On Us Speaks: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar

Thursday, October 14
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Private Location (rsvp to display)
Link
Add to Google Cal,Outlook,Yahoo,iCal

Join the Center for Women & Gender Equity and WCU It's On Us for It's On Us Speaks: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar. They will be speaking on sexual violence and harm and it’s connection to state violence and the culture of body policing & monitoring in the United States.

This will be a virtual event with an optional, in-person live stream party in the Sykes Ballrooms.

This event is sponsored by the 2021 PA Governor's It's On Us Grant.


Sonalee Rashatwar (they/he) LCSW MEd is an award-winning clinical social worker, sex therapist, adjunct lecturer, and grassroots organizer. Based in Philly (licensed in NJ and PA), they are a superfat queer bisexual non-binary therapist and co-owner of Radical Therapy Center, specialized in treating sexual trauma, diet trauma, racial or immigrant trauma, and South Asian family abuse, while offering fat positive sexual healthcare.

Popularly known as TheFatSexTherapist on Instagram, their notoriety first peaked when they were featured on Breitbart in March 2018 for naming thinness as a white supremacist beauty ideal. And they continue to draw the ire of white supremacists everywhere with controversial statements on intersectional fat liberation since then. Sonalee is a sought-after speaker who travels internationally to curate custom visual workshops that whisper to our change-making spirit and nourish our vision for a more just future.

Sonalee is not paid for their labor as a community organizer, where they have fundraised and facilitated a free five-day political action summer camp for LGBT+ South Asian and Indo Caribbean youth. Sonalee received their Master of Social Work and Master of Education in Human Sexuality from Widener University in 2016 and have been working in the field of anti-violence for 10+ years.
RSVP




Ruby Jones Conference on Race, Social Justice & Civic Leadership Registration Open! Saturday. September 8, 2021 | 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Register Now: tinyurl.com/wcurjc21 Registration Deadline: October 1, 2021 The Ruby Jones Conference on Race, Social Justice, & Civic Leadership is designed to create an educational environment where students can engage in learning that will raise awareness and promote action-oriented dialogue about racial, cultural and social issues that impact how they experience life on campus, in communities and in society. Professor Ruby Jones was a West Chester University alumna and was also the first Black faculty hired at the institution. Ruby was a K-12 educator prior to becoming a professor at WCU. She was actively involved with the NAACP, the YWCA and the American Association of University Women. She has been described as an educator, humanitarian and civic leader. 2021 Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jamila Lyiscott Nationally renowned and viral TED speaker, social justice education scholar and activist, spoken word artist, and educational consultant. To best accommodate conference participants, registration for the 2021 Ruby Jones Conference is limited to West Chester University students, faculty and staff. For questions, please contact the Dowdy Multicultural Center at multicultural@wcupa.edu or 610-436-3273.
Ruby Jones Conference on Race, Social Justice & Civic Leadership Registration Open! Saturday. September 8, 2021 | 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Register Now: tinyurl.com/wcurjc21 Registration Deadline: October 1, 2021 The Ruby Jones Conference on Race, Social Justice, & Civic Leadership is designed to create an educational environment where students can engage in learning that will raise awareness and promote action-oriented dialogue about racial, cultural and social issues that impact how they experience life on campus, in communities and in society.   Professor Ruby Jones was a West Chester University alumna and was also the first Black faculty hired at the institution. Ruby was a K-12 educator prior to becoming a professor at WCU. She was actively involved with the NAACP, the YWCA and the American Association of University Women. She has been described as an educator, humanitarian and civic leader.   2021 Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jamila Lyiscott Nationally renowned and viral TED speaker, social justice education scholar and activist, spoken word artist, and educational consultant.  To best accommodate conference participants, registration for the 2021 Ruby Jones Conference is limited to West Chester University students, faculty and staff. For questions, please contact the Dowdy Multicultural Center at multicultural@wcupa.edu or 610-436-3273.

Ruby Jones Conference on Race, Social Justice & Civic Leadership VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Conference Date: Saturday, October 9, 2021 Slots Between 9 AM - 4 PM Sign-Up Now: https://tinyurl.com/rjcvolunteer Tasks Include: Registration, set-up, break-down, floating, and more. For questions, please contact the Dowdy Multicultural Center at multicultural@wcupa.edu or 610-436-3273.

Events

Thursday, September 2
Start End   Event         Location
11:00am 11:55pm Virtual Involvement Fair Private Location (rsvp to display)
Wednesday, September 8
5:00pm 7:00pm Fall Community Fest Ram Park (Field outside of Sykes)
Thursday, September 9
11:00am 2:00pm Fall Involvement Fair Day 1 Private Location (rsvp to display)
Saturday, September 11
9:00am 6:00pm Wilderness and Remote First Aid Certification Private Location (rsvp to display)
Tuesday, September 14
11:00am 2:00pm Fall Involvement Fair Day 2 Private Location (rsvp to display)
Monday, September 20
1:00pm 2:00pm Queering the Conversation: Queerness in Tarot Private Location (rsvp to display)
Wednesday, September 22
3:00pm 4:00pm Perfectionism 101: Reclaiming Your Life with Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Valued Action Private Location (rsvp to display)
Wednesday, October 13
9:00am 4:00pm Public Service & Volunteer Fair Private Location (rsvp to display)
Teal graphic with Sex Education

Sex Education Lessons for Covid-19


The pandemic has been long and exhausting, and it is still not over. As we re-integrate back to campus and try to navigate what typical daily life will be over the coming months, there are a few lessons from sex education that we can remember and apply to Covid-19 that can help us to have safer experiences. 

Vaccines are effective, safe, AND they can help to provent long term future health issues. 
According to the CDC, nearly 80 million people are currently infected with HPV in the United States. That's about one in four people. Of that number, nearly 35,000 people are estimated to be affected by a cancer caused by HPV infection each year, cervical cancer and cancers of the back of the throat, anus, penis, vagina, or vulva. To protect against both HPV and the cancers it can lead to, the CDC recommends people of all genders receive the HPV vaccine. It can be safely administered around age 11 or 12 and up to age 45. 

Likewise, Covid-19 can lead to both life threatening acute infection AND longterm health issues. Since the virus is still very young, many of the effects of long-covid have not been fully investigated or researched, but many people still struggle with symptoms of long covid for months after they have recovered from their initial infection. According to CDC reccomendations, the best thing to do to avoid long term covid-related health effects is to get vaccinated. Covid-19 vaccination is recommended and approved for all people ages 12 years and older, including if you had COVID-19 or a post-COVID condition.

Get tested, know your status.
This slogan has been used often in campaigns for HIV and STI prevention. Many people who have an STI or STD may not be aware they are infected and able to pass the infection on. They may be asymptomatic or be experiencing symptoms so mild that they are unaware of what they indicate. Getting tested regularly can help people to know their status and make the best choices for themselves and their partners about treatment and prevention measures. 

Likewise, not every person who catches covid-19 will experience symptoms. With the rise of the Delta Variant, a highly transmissable iteration of the virus, even people who have been fully vaccinated are capable of catching and transmitting covid-19. Therefore, the CDC recommends continued masking while in close contact with people outside of your household and regular testing. 

Barriers make contact safer. 
Barrier methods are one of the most reliable ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and STI transmission during sex. Internal condoms, external condoms, and dams can be used to prevent the exchange of bodily fluids that can spread STIs. 

Likewise, wearing a mask is one of the most reliable ways to prevent the spread of covid-19. Covid-19 is most likely to spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets when people cough, sneeze, or talk. Wearing a mask helps prevent these droplets from traveling. 

Barriers are effective, but they are also a personal choice. It's important to have conversations about those you are in close contact with regarding your barrier boundaries - whether it's discussing condom use with a partner or mask wearing with a roommate, it's important to be on the same page with the people in your life about barrier use!

Want some more information on the lessons sex can teach us about covid? Watch the video below!


Rams Step Up! Skill Building graphic

Being Direct About Your Re-Integration Boundaries


Re-integration and returning to life on campus has presented many moments of great joy for a lot of folks, but with it also has come a lot of stress and anxiety about how to navigate in-person interactions after a year and a half mostly interacting from a distance. Check out some of the work the Center for Women & Gender Equity Peer Educators have done to bring this conversation to WCU during the first week of classes. 



Check out this Instagram Live, made by CW&GE Peer Educators Taylor, Dana, and Gabby! 
Teal graphic with Advocacy in action

Texas's SB8 and Abortion Access


This week, the state legislature in Texas passed a law known as Senate Bill 8 which effectively outlaws most abortions after six weeks. This law is a real challenge to people's ability to access abortion, as many people who become pregnant are not aware of it within this six week timeframe. Unique to this bill is the fact that it essentially deputizes citizens to enforce the law, rather than state officials. This means it does not technically violate the rights outlined in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The United States Supreme Court made a 5-4 decision not to block this law from taking effect. This law disproportionally impacts people who hold historically marginalized identities and greatly limits access to a necessary medical procedure. 

[Image description: Screen capture of tweet by Cori Bush: "I’m thinking about the Black, brown, low-income, queer, and young folks in Texas. The folks this abortion health care ban will disproportionately harm. Wealthy white folks will have the means to access abortion care. Our communities won’t."]

If you are looking for ways to support people in Texas seeking an abortion, or want more information, here are a few resources. 

Fund Texas Choice

Jane's Due Process

Lillith Fund

The Afiya Center

The Bridge Collective

Clinic Access Support Network



 

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The Evolving Future of Reproductive Justice in Collaboration with Planned Parenthood Generation Action Logo

EVENT

The Evolving Future of Reproductive Justice in Collaboration with Planned Parenthood Generation Action

Wednesday, September 8, 2021
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Private Location (register to display)
Add to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

Members of the WCU community are invited to join Planned Parenthood Generation Action for a program on gender and reproductive justice with speaker and public health educator Janielle Bryan. For more information, email cwge@wcupa.edu.

This workshop provides an introduction to the Reproductive Justice framework and its core principles and a deeper understanding of intersectionality. We are in need of powerful tools for change, maybe now more than ever. As young folks, it is not always easy having your needs heard, let alone centered in this work. There's space to have your ideas amplified as we continue working to build social justice movements. This interactive workshop will be an opportunity to discuss and envision the future of reproductive justice. Each participant will leave with tangible ways they can begin to get involved in this work.
REGISTER
EqualiTea Speaker Series/Latinx Heritage Month Speaker-55¢: The Value of Latinidad featuring Marisol Rosado-Perez Logo

EVENT

EqualiTea Speaker Series/Latinx Heritage Month Speaker-55¢: The Value of Latinidad featuring Marisol Rosado-Perez

Monday, September 13, 2021
3:00pm - 4:00pm
https://wcupa.zoom.us/j/97482795098?pwd=QXZzL0FyZTg4YXUxMytNejU2bTN0QT09, 700 S High St, West Chester, PA 19382, United States
Add to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

Latina workers earn 55 cents for every dollar earned by white non-Latine men, the largest
income gap in the nation. Working Latinas are currently overrepresented in essential low-wage jobs and underrepresented in high-wage jobs— but the wage gap persists across the board.
Latinas would have to work 33 more years to earn the same amount as white, non-Latine men would over a 40-yr career. This rampant pay discrimination disproportionately harms Latina women and puts them and their families in danger of long-term economic insecurity. This combined with the impact of COVID-19 pandemic has predisposed Latinas to be among the most hurt by the pandemic. Equal pay for Latina workers is long overdue!

This interactive kick off to the EqualiTea Speaker Series will support Latinas to stand in their power while examining the disproportionate harms faced by Latina workers. This conversation centers the economic, health, and social conditions faced by Latina workers and uplifts researched considerations for rebuilding a more just and equitable economy through advocacy and engagement.

Hosted by EqualiTea Speaker Series, Latinx Heritage Month Speaker & 150th Anniversary Speaker Diversity Speaker Series
Sponsored by BB&T (now Truist) Bank, Essential Utilities, West Pharmaceutical Services
REGISTER
It's On Us Speaks: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar Logo

EVENT

It's On Us Speaks: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar

Thursday, October 14, 2021
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Private Location (register to display)
Add to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

Join WCU It's On Us, the Center for Women & Gender Equity, the Counseling Center, and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for It's On Us Speaks: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar. They will be speaking on sexual violence and harm and it's connection to state violence and the culture of body policing & monitoring in the United States.

This will be a virtual event with an optional, in-person live stream party in the Sykes Ballrooms.

This event is sponsored by the 2021 PA Governor's It's On Us Grant, and is made possible by our generous campus partners in The Counseling Center, Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy, Women & Gender Studies, Peace & Conflict Studies, Youth Empowerment & Urban Studies, Graduate Social Work, Undergraduate Social Work, the Fraternal Programming Board, and Campus Recreation.


Sonalee Rashatwar (they/he) LCSW MEd is an award-winning clinical social worker, sex therapist, adjunct lecturer, and grassroots organizer. Based in Philly (licensed in NJ and PA), they are a superfat queer bisexual non-binary therapist and co-owner of Radical Therapy Center, specialized in treating sexual trauma, diet trauma, racial or immigrant trauma, and South Asian family abuse, while offering fat positive sexual healthcare.

Popularly known as TheFatSexTherapist on Instagram, their notoriety first peaked when they were featured on Breitbart in March 2018 for naming thinness as a white supremacist beauty ideal. And they continue to draw the ire of white supremacists everywhere with controversial statements on intersectional fat liberation since then. Sonalee is a sought-after speaker who travels internationally to curate custom visual workshops that whisper to our change-making spirit and nourish our vision for a more just future.

Sonalee is not paid for their labor as a community organizer, where they have fundraised and facilitated a free five-day political action summer camp for LGBT+ South Asian and Indo Caribbean youth. Sonalee received their Master of Social Work and Master of Education in Human Sexuality from Widener University in 2016 and have been working in the field of anti-violence for 10+ years.
REGISTER
Faculty & Staff It's On Us Speaks: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar Logo

EVENT

Faculty & Staff It's On Us Speaks: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar

Thursday, October 14, 2021
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Private Location (register to display)
Add to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

Faculty & staff are invited to join the Center for Women & Gender Equity and WCU It's On Us for It's On Us Speaks: Body Policing & Sexual Violence with Sonalee Rashatwar. Known on Instagram as @thefatsextherapist, Sonalee Rashatwar (they/he) LCSW MEd is an award-winning clinical social worker, sex therapist, adjunct lecturer, and grassroots organizer. and have been working in the field of anti-violence for 10+ years. They will be speaking on sexual violence and harm and its connection to state violence and the culture of body policing in the United States.
REGISTER
EqualiTea Speaker Series-Women & Technology Careers featuring Dr. Kristin Austin Logo

EVENT

EqualiTea Speaker Series-Women & Technology Careers featuring Dr. Kristin Austin

Wednesday, March 2, 2022
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Online Event
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Men and women's enrollment in introductory computer sciences courses is mostly equal. However, at the end of that first course, women's enrollment in subsequent courses drops by more than 86%! And guess what? This drop-off is not due to grades! Why are men persisting in technology courses and majors and women are not? Spoiler alert: lack of representation; misogyny; microaggressions; and imposter syndrome. Let's discuss!

REGISTER