Yale University hosts ‘Transgiving’
Yale is not alone in offering a “Transgiving” event.
Yale University hosted an event called “Transgiving” last week. The event title plays on “Thanksgiving,” which will be celebrated in a few days.
The school’s LGBTQ Center promoted the event on its Instagram page. The post called on students to “Celebrate trans joy, resilience, and community.”
[RELATED: Student government email claims Thanksgiving celebrates ‘theft’ and ‘destruction’]
“Transgiving” is part of the Center’s “Trans Week,” which is “all about celebrating and honoring our trans, non-binary, genderqueer, and gender-expansive community members.”
The mission of Yale’s LGBTQ Center is “to support and empower students, faculty, staff, and alumni of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions to strengthen and unite our Yale University community,” according to its webpage.
“We envision a stronger and braver Yale University community that is radically inclusive of all sexualities, gender identities and expressions,” it continues.
Hosting “Transgiving” is just one example of how the LGBTQ Center accomplishes this vision. According to the Center’s Instagram page, many LGBTQ-themed events have occurred at Yale this semester. For example, the Center organized a “community gathering” earlier this month after this year’s presidential election.
“This election season has been particularly challenging for our community,” the Center’s Instagram post said. “Our focus today and going forward, will be to continue supporting you and working to create a better tomorrow for future generations of LGBTQ people.”
Other LGBTQ-themed programming include “Trans Brunch” or “Trunch,” and “Intercultural Trick-or-Treating.” The Center also runs a “Qloset,” which keeps LGBTQ-affirming clothing.
Other colleges and universities, including Oakland University in Michigan and Northern Michigan University, also host “Transgiving” events.
George Washington University has previously organized “Transgiving,” having students discuss the effects of colonialism on Thanksgiving.
The event’s description said that students “don’t have to be trans to eat the food.” They can be “non-binary or genderqueer or agender or genderfluid or bigender or femme or masc or andro or... an ally!”
While some schools promote events like “Transgiving,” others teach students about “decolonizing” Thanksgiving. The University of Buffalo and Washington University in St. Louis sponsored two such events this year.
Campus Reform contacted Yale University and the LGBTQ Center for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
