tomorrow night is all about YOU.

we get to talk about anything your hearts desire: books, movies, celeb gossip, skydiving, animal poaching, Harry Potter…

ANYTHING.

YOU.

HARRY POTTER.

so!  be sure to show up for some super friend hang out time in good ol’ URC 103 at 7:30pm.

it’s gonna be awesome.

cuz you’re awesome.

and that’s math.

or science.

this week, we’re starting things off with a kick-ass, sure-to-be amazing verbal frenzy of uRap: What Does “Gay-Friendly” Really Mean?

given the openness and personal nature of the topic the facilitators in charge of the upcoming topic decided to leave the floor to the uRappers!

we hope that the conversation will not just be an opportunity to commiserate over negative experiences, but will inspire hope and provide a great platform for activism and change on our campus.

so join us as we break it down and build it up in a new, positive way.

let’s talk change.

let’s make change.

URC 103, 7:30pm.

with any luck, this blogpost finds you all happy and relaxed after a pleasant Parent’s Weekend.

and if not, then tomorrow night couldn’t come at a more perfect time!

that’s right, uRappers: tomorrow night, at 7:30pm in URC103, is another uRap with a brand new topic!

and this time it will be in the typical uRap discussion format, where the floor is open to any and all who have something to say about issues regarding the US military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.

what does DADT really mean?

how did it come about?

who’s really suffering or gaining from it?

discuss these questions and more in the usual place at the usual time, tomorrow night.

in the meantime, here are a few links to wet your palate:

http://www.sldn.org/pages/about-dadt

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-21/politics/senate.defense.bill_1_defense-bill-immigration-provision-illegal-immigrants?_s=PM:POLITICS

so.

you.

us.

1930 hours. (7:30pm, for you civilians)

HQ. (URC103)

but!

tomorrow night marks another GRRRREAT uRap night, as students from USC’s own School of Pharmacy are joining us to discuss important information about STIs (that’s Sexually Transmitted Infections).

fun?  mayhaps yes, mayhaps not.

necessary and essential to building a healthy perspective on LGBT (and Ally!) health?

absolutely.

so come one, come all to what’s sure to be a really helpful and open discussion.

in the meantime, here are a few great links and resources we found for you:

(for general information about STIs and other resources)

http://www.lagaycenter.org/site/PageServer?pagename=YH_STD_Testing_and_Treatment

(in case you’re interested in getting free HIV testing)

http://www.outofthecloset.org/hivtesting.html

(for you YouTube junkies/genuinely curious video watchers)

http://www.youtube.com/user/GAYMENSHEALTH

(and in case you’re interested in participating in LA’s AIDS Walk (and you should be!))

http://www.aidswalk.net/losangeles/

so join us at tomorrow’s uRap!

come fraught with curiosity, leave armed with knowledge.

be smart.

be safe.

be there: URC 103, 7:30pm.

the s word.

the sex word.

tonight.

urc103.

7:30pm.

be there.

ask.

respond.

support.

listen.

laugh.

and enough with the one-word fragments (because being one-worded, they can hardly be called “sentences”).

tonight’s uRap discussion is exactly as its name suggests: all about the queer sex.

in an effort to lend an ear to those burning questions we know you have (and, let’s face it, we have, too), we’re offering you the chance to come in and, in true fishbowl fashion (meaning everyone writes a question on a piece of paper and submits it into a fishbowl/hat/bowl-bowl/tupperware), to finally and anonymously ask and get answers.

in order to better prepare you all for tonight, or to perhaps inspire some new questions or what have you, here are a couple of really great links we’ve found:

http://midwestteensexshow.com/category/episodes/

and

http://thestranger.com/SavageLove

so get to readin’ and get to watchin’ and get to urc103 by 7:30 tonight for what’s sure to be  a rip-roarin’ discussion.

seriously.

come in.

let’s get to know each other.

so in case you’re out of the loop (or just totally sappy and enjoy reliving particularly awesome moments of your life), this past Monday, September 13th, 2010, was the date of the very first uRap of the semester!

hurrah!

so we didn’t do much uRappin’, but we DID manage to get to know each other!

yes, yes.

rounds of “I Love My Fellow Trojan Who…” and one on one interviews galore!

this is beginning to look like a beautiful friendship.

or many beautiful friendships.

or a very large cornucopia of love.

i might have just said that for the sole purpose of using the word “cornucopia.”

but!

next week will be the first discussion of the semester, with the topic of “Everything You Wanted to Know About Gay Sex But Were Too Afraid to Ask.”

so get on it!

…er.

ask about it!

anything you want.

really.

all of the questions will be asked in a fishbowl, 100% anonymous way, and answered as openly as possible.

so fear not, uRappers, for your facilitators and peers are here to offer their support!

show up, 7:30pm in URC103.

in the meantime (that is, between now and the next blogpost which will probably feature pre-discussion prompts/questions and whatnot), here is a really beautiful and inspiring video we discovered just yesterday.

Awesome.

Yes, it was a great, heated discussion that was laden with awesome points and hilarious moments.  We love you.

As a result, as always, the following follow-up questions need some answering:

1.  How might gender roles influence the differences in perceiving women bisexuals and men bisexuals?  Do people make the mistake of equating male same-sex behavior with femininity?  What does this say about women who participate in same-sex behavior?  Are sexuality and gender, in fact, related?

2.  Where is the line drawn between sexual behavior and sexual preference?  Is there a line in the first place?

3.  What language is appropriate when discussing such matters as sexuality and gender?

Feel free to discuss!

Stay tuned for a prep post about next week’s topic, Genderqueer: Blurring the Lines (which will include a screening of a really interesting documentary)!

Happy Halloween!

Keep using exclamation points!

We love you!

your uRap facilitators!

The topic for this Monday night is The B in LGBT, meaning all things bisexual, bicurious, and bifriendly. Some things we may discuss include perceived stereotypes, prevalance and Kinsey Reports, male vs. female bisexuality, biphobia, and much more.

With all this in mind we have a handful of stellar links for you all.

1. A Bisexual FAQ

2. How Male Bisexuality Got Cool

3. Women’s Bisexuality an “Identity”, Not Phase

4. Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited

Yeah, and there’s also this…

…you knew it was coming…

Check out the resources, think up some interesting thoughts or questions, and you’ll be more than prepped for Monday night

See you all on the dusty trail hombres,

your uRap facilitators

Yeah.

You.

Because this week’s discussion topic is called YouRap!

Basically, this means that your facilitators get a wee bit of a research/discussion-question-invention break as you all can bring absolutely ANY topic your heart so wishes to discuss to the meeting.  Granted, we’ll still be facilitating, but you all can be in even MORE control than EVER.

Seriously.  This is so exciting, I’m using way more capital letters than should be allowed in a single post.

EXCITING.

YOU.

SINGLE.

…

ANYWHO.

So come on in, enjoy the chaos that is sure to be uRap free-association night, witness dozens of the most brilliant minds at USC fight for the floor in a good ol’ fashion verbal brawl that would put C-Span to shame, and, as always, gorge on free treats.

See you soon, you lucky devils/angels/queens/kings/dukes/dutchesses/objects of our affection!

YOUr uRap facilitators

(Note that I say “Little” affectionately.  Really, you all form a big part of our hearts.)

This past week’s topic, Being Gay and GREEK, proved to inspire yet another heated discussion.

Experiences were shared, as were sympathies, joys, abhorrations, and words of openness.  Good stuff.

The following aftermath questions have been posed:

1.  Who might really be at fault for the presumed disconnect between the two communities?

2.  Why, after facing so much discrimination as an LGBT in the Greek community, would you insist on becoming and remaining a fraternity brother or sorority sister?

3.  What’s the difference between being a lesbian in a sorority and being a gay man in a fraternity?  Is one easier than the other?  If so, which and why?

4.  Is having a separate LGBT Frat conducive to or counterproductive to joining the two communities?  Why?

Get those LGBT/uRap brain juices flowing!

Stay tuned for next week’s meeting, and we’ll see you all soon,

your uRap facilitators