Pride, the LGBTQA club at McHenry County College ( MCC ), hosted its first conference, Pride: The Changing Perception of the LGBTQ Community April 12. Several dozen people attended.
Chicken Lips, Denver-based gay couple Bob Wells and Dave Johnson, opened the conference with humorous team-building exercises, and they also presented a discussion on leadership and laughter.
MCC staff were among the presenters at workshops during the day. Others who addressed the conference were several PFLAG members including Toni Weaver, Barbara Marlan, Jerry Powers, Mary Genzler, Cate Becker and Arlene Collins ( who led a discussion of moms of transgender sons ).
Em Rademaker, outgoing coordinator of student life at MCC, discussed international LGBTQ issues; Windy City Times Publisher Tracy Baim focused on LGBT Chicago history; Equality Illinois' Patty Dillon looked at marriage equality in the state; MCC professor Laura Power did a presentation on queer characters on prime-time TV; Rev. Sean Dennison of Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation talked about his evolving identity as a transgender man; and there were several other interesting workshops.
Rick Clute, the openly gay retired MCC dean who coordinated the conference with Rademaker and Erick Marchessault ( Pride president ), ended the day with their own very personal stories of coming out.
Videos by Tracy Baim
McHenry County College Pride hosts confab www.youtube.com/watch .
McHenry County College Pride hosts confab: Chicken Lips www.youtube.com/watch .