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CAS in the Media Arts and Sciences Media Headlines

Transgender women found and created community in the 1980s internet

The internet has played an outsized and very visible role in the massive political and social gains of transgender people over the past two decades. But while it’s easy to point to modern-day social media and smartphones as instrumental tools for the trans community, trans people have actually been utilizing the internet to connect, learn, and organize since the 1980s.

Avery Dame-Griff.
Dame-Griff

Dr. Avery Dame-Griff, PhD, is a lecturer in Women’s and Gender Studies and assistant professor of Digital Technology and Culture at Washington State University. He’s also the founder and primary curator of the Queer Digital History Project, an independent project tracking queer* digital culture from the 1980s to the 2010s. His forthcoming book focuses on the relationship between the “two revolutions” of the transgender political revolution and the computer revolution.

Dr. Dame-Griff’s research and archival work digs extensively into the earliest communities of trans people online: BBS or the “Bulletin Board System.” The BBS was a precursor to the modern world wide web and social media. Launched in the late 1970s by computer hobbyists, BBSs allowed users to dial a number through their modem and access an online, text-only “bulletin board” where users could post messages. By the mid-to-late 1980s, as the technology needed to access BBSs became more affordable and accessible, BBS groups focusing on niche interests — including transgender communities — were popping up across the US and, soon, the world.

These early online trans communities were secretive and ephemeral by necessity, Dr. Dame-Griff tells Avast. Trans women in the 1980s were likely to be presenting publicly as men, oftentimes with wives and families, and exposure could result in them losing everything — their jobs, their families, and even their lives. Some lived as “crossdressers,” allowing themselves to dress in women’s clothing at home (maybe with their spouses) but rarely, if ever, in public.

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Security Boulevard

Ten seniors recognized for excellence

Each year, 10 graduating seniors from Washington State University are recognized for excellence in several areas: academics, athletics, campus involvement, community service, and visual and performing arts. Six students in CAS are among WSU’s top 10 of 2022.

The WSU Alumni Association and Student Alumni Ambassadors coordinate the 80-year tradition of honoring these outstanding students, who are nominated from across WSU’s six campuses.

A selection committee comprised of faculty, staff, and students chose the winners based on criteria that fit each category.

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WSU Insider
WSU Features

Alison Saar named Jo Hockenhull Distinguished Lecturer for 2022

Printmaker and sculptor Alison Saar will deliver the distinguished lecture for the Jo Hockenhull Lecture series at 4:30 p.m., Thursday Feb. 10.

Saar will discuss the connections between art and social justice as she provides an overview of her work in sculpture and printmaking for the event, organized by the Program in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS), the Fine Arts Department, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU.

The Hockenhull lecture series was launched in 1996 by the Women’s Studies Department in collaboration with the Department of Fine Arts to honor Jo Hockenhull, a WSU emeritus professor of Fine Arts who served as director of Women’s Studies for more than a decade. At WSU, Hockenhull focused on building programs and initiatives supporting diversity, the liberal arts, free speech, and critical thinking. Past lecturers have been visual artists, poets, and performance artists who have emphasized the important connections between art, social justice, and political practice. They have included artists such as Arshia Fatima Haq, Marie Watt, Alma Lopez, Faith Ringgold, Octavia Butler, and the Guerilla Girls, to name a few.

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WSU Insider

Critically queer: L Heidenreich explores transgender Mestiz@ history

Linda Heidenreich
Heidenreich

As someone who identifies as gender queer, Mestiz@, materialist, and Catholic, L Heidenreich brings a unique perspective to the study of history that is hard to find in most classrooms.

“I loved my history classes growing up, but my family wasn’t in them,” said Heidenreich, an associate professor of history at Washington State University. “It wasn’t until I got to grad school and could choose my focus that I had the opportunity to study the histories I wanted. I think we as history educators have an obligation to make it easier for future generations.”

In the classroom, Heidenreich said the goal of their work is to give young people a broader perspective about the lives and history of LGBTQ people, an area of history which is integral to America’s past and present but is often marginalized. “October is LGBTQ History Month and it’s sad that we need a month to acknowledge the history of our communities,” Heidenreich said. “But nevertheless, I think it is important to send a message about the vital importance of recognizing and exploring the role of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in American history.”

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WSU Insider

Outstanding College of Arts and Sciences seniors excel in academics, leadership, service

Writers, researchers, scientists, musicians, athletes, activists, adventurers… the 23 students who received this year’s Outstanding Senior honors from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) excelled in academic performance and in service to their department or school and to the broader Washington State University community.

Sean Swalling.
Swalling

Outstanding Senior in mathematics and statistics, Sean Swalling is passionate about sharing knowledge with others and is already experienced in his chosen field of teaching. In addition to serving as a summer tutor and camp counselor, he has proven himself a leader in the classroom.

Samantha King-Shaw.
King-Shaw

Samantha King-Shaw, Outstanding Senior in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies (WGSS), is an accomplished student–athlete of color whose performance in the classroom, on the track, and in service to the community won great praise from WGSS faculty. “King-Shaw’s academic success and record of community service demonstrate an extraordinary ability apply what she learned as a women’s studies major,” they said.

Megan Wong.
Wong

Described by one of her professors as “bright, talented, motivated, collaborative and kind,” Megan Wong, Outstanding Senior for the School of Biological Sciences, packed into her college career not only stellar achievements in academics but also a host of extracurricular activities.

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WSU Insider