The LGBTQ+ Center is working with academics nationwide to research LGBTQ+ studies to drive advocacy efforts. Center director Cris Mayo has recently co-edited two scholarly collections focused on educational practices that address queer, trans, gender nonbinary, and intersectional identities, ¬“Queer Pedagogies: Theory, Policy, Praxis” (co-edited with Nelson M. Rodriguez), and “Queer, Trans, and Intersectional Theory in Educational Practice: Student, Teacher, and Community Experiences” (co-edited with Mollie V. Blackburn), while also co-authoring the book “Navigating Trans*+ and Gender Complex Identities,” (with Jamison Green, Rhea Hoskin, and sj Miller) which was released on Nov. 14.
In collaboration with WVU faculty members and international scholars, Mayo is also serving as the editor-in-chief of an international editorial team on the Oxford Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality in Education, which will be published by Oxford University Press in late 2020.
“In line with our land-grant mission to offer programming, outreach and training to improve understanding of LGBTQIA+ issues, it is important to us that the Center supports research on LGBTQ+ studies,” Mayo said. “It’s exciting to be part of a global network of scholars and advocates who want to improve an inclusive culture for everyone. From collaborations with new WVU faculty members to colleagues across the country and around the world, we hope to educate and broaden understanding about diverse gender identities and sexualities. I appreciate the partnerships among the co-authors and co-editors to put these scholarly collections together and look forward to continuing our work into the future.”
The LGBTQ+ Center offers programming, training, social events, LGBTQ+ studies courses and advocacy projects aimed at providing a warm, welcoming atmosphere for all students, faculty, staff and community members to meet new friends, socialize, learn, teach, ask questions or find information on local and national resources.