Forum on International Gay Rights, October 23

Lyndon State Students to Lead Panel Discussion to Address LGBTQ Rights Around the Globe

October 15, 2013

Two Lyndon State College clubs, The Model United Nations (MUN) and the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), are combining to host a panel discussion on the “International Gay Rights Crisis.” Students will be joined on the dais by polygamy expert and LSC Social Sciences Professor Dr. Janet Bennion. Audience members are encouraged to join in the debate.

The panel discussion will examine cultural taboos regarding transgender and homosexuality around the world. A variety of national laws threatening the human rights of gender variance and the gay community, including the Saudi Arabian punishment by death to recent legislative actions taken by Russia to abolish gay rights will be addressed.

Marc Brunco, President of LSC’s Model United Nations and GSA representative to LSC’s Student Government Association said that the panel discussion, “… is about human rights abuses and the struggles for LGBTQ individuals to gain equal rights. This will be the second in a series of MUN Talks about world issues; our last one was on the Syrian Crisis.”

“The discussion will cover a lot more than just the Russia and Saudi Arabia [laws] which most people are familiar with. There are countries in equatorial Africa who criminalize homosexuality under penalty of death. [Conversely] there are countries that have more freedoms for LGBTQ individuals than they have here in the US; Canada and Argentina are notable examples.”

The discussion is on October 23 at 11 a.m. in the Alexander Twilight Theatre. The presentation is free and open to the public.