Facing Today: How LGBTQ History Can Inform and Empower Young People Today

Join us for Facing Today: How LGBTQ History Can Inform and Empower Young People Today, presented in partnership with Facing History and Ourselves. 

This event is free and open to the public. RSVP is appreciated but not necessary!

Lavender Scare, the Stonewall Riots, Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings are important events and people in the LGBTQ rights movement that are often left out of textbooks and curriculum. What happens when we are able to integrate the missing voices of LGBTQ people into our classrooms and communities? 

In the upcoming legislative session, Illinois will have the opportunity to become the second state to pass a law requiring secondary schools to teach LGBTQ history. Join us for a forum for teachers and community members, where a panel of activists and experts will help us explore the importance of learning and teaching LGBTQ history and the impact it could have on future Upstanders. 

Panelists Include: 
Ramon Gardenhire, Vice President of Policy, AIDS Foundation of Chicago 

Victor Salvo, Founder and Executive Director, The Legacy Project

Michael Ziri, Director of Public Policy, Equality Illinois

This event is part of the programming for Weinberg/Newton Gallery's current exhibition, Weight of a World. Conceived of as a tool, Weight of a World presents artworks that elicit lessons to be learned – and to be taught – from global conflict, local lore, and cultural identity. Presented in partnership with Facing History and Ourselves, Weight of a World comprises sculptures, paintings, film, and supplementary programming that pivot upon two vast, inextricable categories: history and identity. The works on view recognize the roles of individuals within the long arc of history: how we are formed by our contexts, and how we may impact what comes next.

Artists: Alison Ruttan, Deborah Stratman, and Orkideh Torabi, with a program by Rebecca Keller.