LGBT Center, Women’s Center, Lavender Menace to host LGBT History Month Speaker Hugh Ryan

The Ohio University community is invited to an Oct. 27 talk by author and curator Hugh Ryan that is being held as part of the LGBTQ History Month events.

Ryan will give a talk and reading from his most recent book while speaking live from New York City on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m., and will answer questions from the Ohio University community. Participants can join the TEAMS event from their personal computers or attend the in-person viewing that the student organization Lavender Menace is hosting in Baker University Center Room 235. Those interested in participating should register for the event in order to receive the TEAMS link at this website.

The event is being hosted by the Ohio University LGBT Center, the Ohio University Women’s Center and Lavender Menace.

“LGBT History Month gives us an opportunity to reflect on the ways that LGBTQ+ people have lived, worked, built community, found joy, and resisted oppression through history, and the way that history affects how we live today,” said Sarah Doherty, assistant director of the Ohio University LGBT Center. “Hugh Ryan’s recent book, ‘The Women’s House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison,’ sheds new light on the history and ongoing reality of LGBTQ+ people in prisons, of the history of social work and police in punishing and controlling people thought to be ‘improperly feminine,’ and on the links between Black revolutionary feminism, gay and trans rights organizing, and the contributions of Black and Brown, poor and working class women and transmasculine people in building community and connections between and across social movements.”  

The event is open to all students, faculty, staff and community members. ASL and autocaptions will be provided for the real-time event. In addition, an edited transcript will be uploaded with the event video to the Ohio University LGBT Center YouTube page after the event for asynchronous viewers.

For those individuals attending the in-person gathering, Baker University Center has all-gender single-user ADA restrooms on the first and third floors, and multistall gendered ADA restrooms on all floors. In addition, changing tables are available in single-user restrooms and a lactation station is available on the fourth floor with a key entry (for more information, stop at the fourth-floor service desk).

Individuals traveling by bus to the event should know that Baker University Center is located on the bus routes in the city of Athens. For those driving to the event, paid parking is available in the parking garage and lot adjacent to Baker University Center. Power door entrances are available on the ground floor and fourth floor entrances to the Baker University Center. Any questions about the event or accessibility needs can be directed to Doherty at doherty@ohio.edu or 740-593-2818.

About Hugh Ryan

Hugh Ryan is a writer and curator, and most recently, the author of “The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison,” which New York Magazine called one of the best books of 2022. His first book, “When Brooklyn Was Queer,” won a 2020 New York City Book Award, was a New York Times Editors' Choice in 2019, and was a finalist for the Randy Shilts and Lambda Literary Awards. Ryan was honored with the 2020 Allan Berube Prize from the American Historical Association. Since 2019, he has worked with the NYC Dept. of Education to develop LGBTQ+ inclusive educational materials and trainings.

About LGBTQ History Month

October is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) History Month. Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson created the event in 1994 to commemorate National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, as well as the first and second March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979 and 1987. LGBTQ+ History Month allows the opportunity to learn about sexuality and gender diverse people in history, LGBTQ+ liberation movements, and what LGBTQ+ history can teach about working for respect and freedom. Learn more about OHIO’s LGBT History Month celebration at this OHIO website.