Together with several departments at Salt Lake Community College, the Gender & Sexuality Student Resource Center announced the 2021 Womxn’s Heritage Month events.
Planned programming includes virtual panels, displays, performances, screenings and other events to celebrate and recognize the achievements women have made over the course of American history and highlight women and femme experiences.
There has been some pushback from students about the GSSRC’s decision to title event programming with the alternative spelling of “womxn” — leading to the inclusion of a virtual panel on Wednesday titled “Womxn vs. Women: Why the ‘X’.”
“I’ve been very engaged in the discussion about the spelling, and have gotten lots of heat,” GSSRC coordinator Peter Moosman said in an email correspondence. “The ‘x’ is simply a symbol to disrupt the reader to be conscious of who the writer is talking about. It’s a symbol to disrupt thinking to be intentional about dismantling systems of oppression. It’s a symbol to connect with the marginalized who often don’t see themselves represented in spaces who use the typical language.”
The panel intends to provide an open discussion to unpack the “x” through the lens of feminist and queer language reform.
Other virtual events slated for the month include the panel titled “Wondrous Women from Around the World” on Thursday, which will highlight six women from around the world and the SLCC community. On Saturday, the dance workshop titled “Dancing Our Way To Mental Health” will center on Black women’s bodies and their relationship to radical social justice through movement.
Film screenings include the 2018 short documentary “Period. End of Sentence.” on March 18 and 25, which portrays the life of women in India navigating menstrual complexities. The award-winning 2016 box office release “Hidden Figures” will be screened on Friday.
Ame Voix, the inaugural monthly open mic night featuring spoken word, dance, art and movement, will be held in-person on March 25 at the South City Student Forum. Additionally, the GSSRC will welcome Ebony Stewart, an acclaimed spoken word artist and sexual health advocate, on March 26.
Several departments also have displays honoring women throughout the month.
A display for Emma Lou Thayne is in the Student Life and Leadership office on the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, and posters celebrating women writers, authors and poets are on display at two Student Writing and Reading Center locations and their Facebook page. TRIO STEM will be highlighting women in STEM on their Instagram.
The month wraps up with the virtual Unsung Sheroes Awards Ceremony on March 29, honoring the labor of women’s work here on campus, and a panel titled “Trans Day of Visibility: Beyond the Binary” on March 31, featuring prominent trans, women and nonbinary activists, scholars and thinkers.
Browse the list of Womxn’s Heritage Month event programming for more information.
