FREEPORT — The Highland Diversity Committee presents “Gender, Drag, and Binaries, Oh My: Let’s Talk About It” at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 22 via Zoom.

Dr. T. J. Jourian is an independent scholar, consultant, and trainer with Trans*Formational Change. The program will center on trans and queer people, and the experiences of people of color. His research examines race, gender, and sexuality in higher education, with particular attention to masculinity, transness, and racialization. He will also speak about campus gender and sexuality. Jourian has trained and consulted at many college campuses, conferences, and community-based organizations.

“The Diversity Committee is very excited to have T.J. Jourian share his knowledge and skills with our campus,” said Dr. Julie Hartman-Linck, Sociology instructor. “Highland strives to be an inclusive campus for everyone, but gender identity is certainly an area where we can all learn to do better in supporting our students, faculty, and staff.”

She adds, “This program will give us a chance to learn and reflect on how we can create a campus that is true for everyone in our community. I’m also thrilled he’s willing to share his expertise in a talk for the campus. In particular, my sociology students are going to benefit from his talk on drag and gender performance, and be able to better understand the topics we’ve addressed throughout the semester.”

The HCC Diversity Committee is the primary sponsor, with additional funding from Student Activities, Student Senate, and the Division of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts.

For more information and to get the Zoom link visit highland.edu.