Starting this fall, students can take a new course from the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies department called WGSS-350 “History of the LGBT Movement.”
Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program Gloria Young created the 300-level class as a way to broaden the discipline and transition the department to include more course offerings on sexuality.
The course begins with World War II, which can be considered the beginning of a sense of group consciousness for the LGBT community, according to Professor Robert Connelly, who will teach the course. The class covers the movement all the way to present day.
While the course will cover specific events in history, it will also examine contemporary issues, including the ongoing dialogue on gender identity, Connelly said.
Connelly stressed the value of the course, saying the LGBT movement is just as important as any other U.S. civil rights movement.
“I think that when we learn about the struggles and inequalities that marginalized populations have endured, we can come to a both greater understanding of the individual members of those groups, and hopefully a greater acceptance of them,” Connelly said. He said he is looking forward to teaching the course, especially since he can teach it in D.C.
“We are extremely fortunate to be in Washington, D.C., which is the home of so much policy making that affects gay issues,” Connelly said, adding that he has invited speakers from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and the Human Rights Campaign to talk to the class.
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