In mid-February, Illinois State welcomed more than 2,200 new faces to campus for the 22nd annual Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC), making it the largest conference in the 22-year history of MBGLTACC.
The conference, which is the largest LGBT college conference in the nation, was complete with workshops, keynotes, panels and entertainment. Over two years in the making, MBLGTACC was planned entirely by Illinois State students and advised by Illinois State staff.
“The students who have put this together are incredibly passionate,” said Illinois State graduate assistant Cassie Burningham, who helped advise the MBLGTACC committee. “They have been driven since the beginning. They own this conference and it is theirs.”
The event opened with a keynote speech from Laverne Cox, the first transgender woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream, scripted television show – the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Cox opened by proudly recalling her roots, and paid homage to her mother, who raised her alone in a working-class neighborhood. “I stand before you as an artist, an actress, a sister and a daughter,” she said. “And I believe that it is important to name the various intersecting components of my multiple identities. Because I am not just one thing and neither are you.”
“She combines humor and insight, the perfect blend of laughter and seriousness,” said Gabs Semansky from the University of South Dakota. “Of course, I love Laverne Cox. The moment I saw her name, I knew I would be coming to the conference.”
Illinois State senior Matt Rillie, right, takes a selfie with some friends at the opening of the MBLGTACC 2015 conference at Illinois State University in February.
The conference hosted more than 90 workshops on issues and topics related to the LGBTQ community – ranging from healthcare for LGBTQ patients to understanding housing needs for LGBTQ students. Nick Weldon, a graduate student at Indiana State University, did not expect a large turnout for his workshop on the stigma of sexually transmitted infections “so I was shocked to find a room overflowing with students eager to take information back to their own universities,” said Weldon.
Weldon also got to see the conference impact his own group of students from Indiana State. “After the conference, their energy was visibly different in the group. This was the first time most of them were a part of such a welcoming atmosphere.”
One of the highlights of the weekend included a drag show hosted by Bianca Del Rio, the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, season six. Her crude humor lit up Braden Auditorium between drag performances by conference attendees. “It was amazing to be introduced by a star like Bianca,” said Tyler Eilts, an Illinois State student who performed in the show as XO. “Not to mention how genuine and sincere Bianca was backstage.”
More than entertaining, the conference allowed participants the chance to explore the point of view of others in the LGBTQ community. “There are so many things I never took into consideration with the transgender population. It’s amazing how similar we all are,” said Blake Wilson of Iowa State University.
Next year’s planning committee is from Purdue University, where MBLGTACC 2016 will be held.
