Section I. General Policy Guidelines

A. Policy Statement

It is the policy of The University of Texas at Austin to provide an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. In accordance with federal and state law, the University prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, including sexual harassment, age, disability, citizenship, and veteran status. Procedures for filing discrimination complaints on the basis of gender, including sexual harassment, are addressed by HOP Policy 4.B.2. Pursuant to University policy, this policy also prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

http://www.utexas.edu/policies/hoppm/04.B.01.html

We had amazing food, yummy drink specials, a nice silent auction, some glorious door prizes, and a truly wonderful “one queen” show hosted by an amazing mistress of ceremonies.

We appreciate all who were able to volunteer, donate, attend, and otherwise support our event.

We’ll have/post totals soon!

If so, then and come to downtown this Saturday for Brazos Valley QueSt’s 5th annual Spring GAYla,
UNDER THE SEA - FINDING HOMO.

Halo Bar will be magically transformed into a colorful reef for BV QueSt’s annual fundraiser for Aggie Allies and OUTreach Grants. With a silent auction, outstanding homemade treats, fantastic music, dancing, and performances by our finest entertainers, Spring GAYla is the premiere spring fundraising event for the queer and queer-supportive community of the Brazos Valley. And it’s tax deductible, too, because BV QueSt is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization!

————-
Spring GAYla
…a BV QueSt event!

Under the Sea - Finding Homo
Saturday, March 1, 2008
7:00 - 10:30 PM, with show at 9:00
Halo Bar, 121 N. Main, in downtown Bryan. 979-823-6174

Music, dancing, fantastic homemade hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, show, and silent auction,
all in a non-smoking environment!
advance tickets: $10 for students, $20 for non ($5 more day of event)

More information can be found at
bvquest.org
————-

Join these Sponsors in supporting your community!

• Halo Bar
• Edg Photography, Class of ‘06
• Brad Dressler, bcd design
• As You Wish photography & events
• Dr. Phillips/TSO of Bryan
• Linda & Paul Parrish
• Lori & Emil Luza
• Nancy Jean Tubbs ‘93 ‘99
• MSC OPAS
• Brazos Progressives
• LaSalle Hotel & Cafe
• Darby Roberts ‘88 and Chris Matus ‘99
• Passion Parties by Brenda
• Ambrose Furniture Works/Accent Fabrics
• Jessica Christian ‘95
• Hidden Oasis Carriage Co.
• Schotzi’s Sports Bar
• Fitzwilly’s Bar & Grille

- As always, this BV QueSt fundraiser is a smoke-free event.

- Halo opens to the public at 9:30 (upstairs at 10:30). All ticket sales and donations collected at the door before 9:30 will be donated to this event/cause.

Spring GAYla is BV QueSt’s chief fundraiser for Aggie Allies and BV QueSt’s OUTreach Grants. Aggie Allies provide a safe haven, listening ear, and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people, and anyone dealing with sexual orientation issues. OUTreach Grants help support local queer/ally organizations in their activities and programs. Previous Spring GAYlas have raised thousands of dollars for Aggie Allies and OUTreach Grants, and we want to set a new record this year.

So hitch a ride on Flipper’s fin to BV QueSt’s Spring GAYla, UNDER THE SEA - FINDING HOMO. And if a certain, famous clownfish’s orange coloration doesn’t quite go with your school affiliation, then do a Google search on Premnas biaculeatus to find an alternative!

Purchase tickets:

• - online at http://bvquest.org/donate/ for will-call tickets (your ticket price covers a small PayPal fee)
• - at the door for only $5 more

Donate:

• - Can’t make it but still want to support the cause? Online donations (via PayPal) are accepted on our site. Become a sponsor for as little as $50!
• - BV QueSt welcomes tax deductible donations of cash or goods (products, promotional items, crafted items, or gift certificates) that can be used in our silent auction. To make a donation, please email fundraising@bvquest.org or call 979-271-1023. BV QueSt will prepare receipts for your tax records.

Volunteer:

• - And if you’d like to help with Spring GAYla, please email volunteer@bvquest.org or call 979-271-1023. BV QueSt welcomes help with the auction, promotions, entertainment, catering, decorations, GAYla setup and staffing.
• - Can’t make it this time? Save the date for our Fall Homecoming: October 11, 2008. (Held annually on the Saturday on or after National Coming Out Day.)

Brazos Valley QueSt: On a QueSt to Unite our Queer/Straight Community

BV QueSt is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to host events celebrating and supporting queer and queer-supportive organizations in the Brazos Valley. Founded in 2003, BV QueSt has contributed thousands of dollars to OUTReach Grants, student scholarships, and local queer/ally organizations.

You are talented.
You are creative in at least one way.
You can do something that others can not.
Put a skill to use for your community!

Brazos Valley QueSt is seeking products, works of art, gift
certificates for services, and other items of interest for the silent
auction at the upcoming GAYla.

successful auction items in the past have included:
a gift certificate for a service, like graphic design
a gift certificate for a cooking lesson and a dinner prepared by the donor
a set of hand-beaded jewelry (necklace, earrings, and bracelet)
a handmade afghan
a gift certificate for minor household projects, like installing a ceiling fan

To donate your time, talent, product, and/or service, fill out the form located here:
http://www.bvquest.com/sponsors/

And, even if you can’t give, make plans to attend
2008 Spring GAYla
March 1st
7:00pm - 10:30pm
Halo Bar
http://BVQueSt.org/

If so, then mark your calendars for the first Saturday in March, and
come in a submarine, glass bottomed boat, or dory to Brazos Valley
QueSt’s fifth annual Spring GAYla, UNDER THE SEA - FINDING HOMO at the
Halo Bar in historic downtown Bryan, Texas.

Halo Bar will be magically transformed into a colorful reef for BV
QueSt’s annual fundraiser for Aggie Allies and OUTreach Grants.  With
a silent auction, outstanding homemade treats, fantastic music,
dancing, and performances by our finest entertainers, Spring GAYla is
the premiere spring fundraising event for the queer and
queer-supportive community of the Brazos Valley.  And it’s tax
deductible, too, because BV QueSt is a 501(c)(3) non-profit,
charitable organization!

———-
Spring GAYla:
…a BV QueSt event!

Under the Sea - Finding Homo
Saturday, March 1, 2008
7:00 - 10:30 PM, with show at 9:00
Halo Bar, 121 N. Main, in downtown Bryan.  979-823-6174

Music, dancing, fantastic homemade hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, show,
and silent auction, all in a non-smoking environment!
advance tickets: $10 for students, $20 for non (all tickets $5 more
day of event)

More information can be found at our web site, www.bvquest.org.
———-

Spring GAYla is BV QueSt’s chief fundraiser for Aggie Allies and BV
QueSt’s OUTreach Grants.  Aggie Allies provide a safe haven, listening
ear, and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people, and
anyone dealing with sexual orientation issues.  OUTreach Grants help
support local queer/ally organizations in their activities and
programs.  Previous Spring GAYlas have raised thousands of dollars for
Aggie Allies and OUTreach Grants, and we want to set a new record this
year.

BV QueSt welcomes tax deductible donations of cash or goods (products,
promotional items, crafted items, or gift certificates) that can be
used in our silent auction.  To make a donation, please email
fundraising@bvquest.org or call 979-271-1023.  BV QueSt will prepare
receipts for your tax records and help with pickup or delivery of
large items.

And if you’d like to help with Spring GAYla, please email
volunteer@bvquest.org or call 979-271-1023.  BV QueSt welcomes help
with the auction, promotions, entertainment, catering, decorations,
GAYla setup and staffing.

So mark your calendar for March 1, and hitch a ride on Flipper’s fin
to BV QueSt’s Spring GAYla, UNDER THE SEA - FINDING HOMO.  And if a
certain, famous clownfish’s orange coloration doesn’t quite go with
your school affiliation, then do a Google search on Premnas
biaculeatus to find an alternative!

- Can’t make it but still want to support the cause? Online donations
(via PayPal) <http://www.bvquest.org/donate/> are accepted on our
site.  Become a sponsor for as little as $50!
- Halo <http://halobcs.com> opens to the public at 9:30
(upstairs at 10:30). All ticket sales and donations collected at the door
before 9:30 will be donated to this event/cause.
- As always, this BV QueSt fundraiser is a smoke-free event.
- Can’t make it this time? Save the date for our Fall Homcoming:
October 11, 2008.
*To be held annually on the Saturday on or after National Coming Out Day.*

Purchase tickets:
. Email tickets@bvquest.org. A volunteer will make arrangements to
meet you on or off campus.
. at Halo Bar
. online at http://bvquest.org/donate/ for will-call tickets
(your ticket price covers a small PayPal fee)

<http://bvquest.org>
**********
Brazos Valley QueSt:  On a QueSt to Unite our Queer/Straight Community
**********
BV QueSt is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to
host events celebrating and supporting queer and queer-supportive
organizations in the Brazos Valley.  Founded in 2003, BV QueSt has
contributed thousands of dollars to OUTReach Grants, student
scholarships, and local queer/ally organizations
Brazos Valley QueSt
Spring GAYla, “Under the Sea: Finding Homo”, March 1, 2008 at 7pm
http://www.bvquest.org/

Directions from campus:
Take Texas Ave S
Turn right at FM-2818
Turn left at Southwood Dr
2200 Southwood Drive.

View news story by KBTX channel 3 in Bryan/College Station.

View the trailer

A screening of the documentary For The Bible Tells Me
So to encourage discussion about the seeming chasm
between scripture, the church, and homosexuality and
what that has meant for families and their gay
children. This event is funded by a grant from Brazos
Valley QueSt.

Sponsors include:

• Aggie Allies
• Aggie Amnesty International
• Brazos Valley QueSt
• Equality Texas
• Friends Congregational Church
• Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
• Texas A&M Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Student Association
• Texas A&M Office of Multicultural Services
• United Campus Ministry in Aggieland

At the conclusion of the event we will have 30 minutes
available for discussion and a viewing of a 5 minute
film by a Texas A&M student entitled “Being a Gay
Aggie”.

Can the love between two people ever be an
abomination? Is the chasm separating gays and lesbians
and Christianity too wide to cross? Is the Bible an
excuse to hate?

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at
the Seattle International Film Festival, Dan
Karslake’s provocative, entertaining documentary
brilliantly reconciles homosexuality and Biblical
scripture, and in the process reveals that
Church-sanctioned anti-gay bias is based almost solely
upon a significant (and often malicious)
misinterpretation of the Bible. As the film notes,
most Christians live their lives today without feeling
obliged to kill anyone who works on the Sabbath or
eats shrimp (as a literal reading of scripture
dictates).

Through the experiences of five very normal, very
Christian, very American families — including those
of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and
Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson — we discover how
insightful people of faith handle the realization of
having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices
as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard’s Peter Gomes,
Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy
Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing,
clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the
crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity.

The award categories include the Diversity Service Award, Gary Gray Memorial Student Recognition Award, Partners in Learning Award of Excellence, and the Rainbow Award. Four Diversity Service Awards will be given in the categories of student, faculty and staff as well as student organization, and winners will receive $300. Nominations are due February 29, 2008.

2008 Diversity Awards ceremony
April 23rd
10:30 a.m.
MSC 201

Sponsored by
Department of Multicultural Services
Office of the Vice President of Diversity
Department of Disability Services
Aggie ALLIES
Student Government Association Diversity Commission.

For more information regarding the award process, contact
Jennifer Ford
Associate Director
Department of Multicultural Services
862-2000
Jennifer-Ford@tamu.edu

The Gender Issues Education Center wants to hear it during Gay Awareness Week! People of all sexualities and gender identities are encouraged to write and submit a monologue! You are not required to perform your monologue and you may remain anonymous.

Applications are available in the Gender Issues Education Center
Email GIEC@tamu.edu for more information

Submission deadline: February 8, 2008.

You can:

• write your own coming out story
• use other forms of media in a monologue fashion
• write a family/friend’s coming out story
• interview others

The monologues will be performed as a celebration of identity during Gay Awareness Week - April 7-11, 2008. We also need organizers, editors, actors, and techies. Please email GIEC@tamu.edu to find out more about this exciting opportunity!

Gender Issues Education Center | Cain Hall B-117 | 979.862.8920 | GIEC@tamu.edu

Tickets available at MSC Box Office (boxoffice.tamu.edu) beginning January 28th.
$7 students $10 general admission

Sponsored by: Gender Issues Education Center, Women’s Resource Center, and GLBTA.

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.

Through V-Day campaigns, local volunteers and college students produce annual benefit performances of “The Vagina Monologues” to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities. 2008 marks V-Day’s 10 year anniversary and with it V-Day has introduced two new V-Day events, V-Day’s A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer: Writings on Violence Against women and Girls, and the V-Day documentary Until The Violence Stops. In 2007, over 3000 V-Day benefit events took place produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls.

Download the MS Word .doc version of the file

It is my pleasure to the second annual Brazos Valley Quest scholarship.  The Brazos Valley QueSt organization has raised enough money to offer $1000 in scholarships funds.  The mission and purpose of Brazos Valley QueSt is to celebrate the queer and queer-supportive community of the Brazos Valley by providing events designed to raise funds for local queer and queer-supportive organizations.  Our motto is: On a QueSt to Unite Our Queer/Straight Community.

Over the past several years Brazos Valley QueSt has held a wide range of fund raisers benefiting Aggie Allies, GLBT Aggies, the Brazos GLBT Oral History Project, the GLBT Professional Network at Texas A&M University and AIDS Services of the Brazos Valley.  The scholarship is a continued function of our philanthropy efforts.

We are asking you share this information with current or former students who meet the following qualifications:  applicants must be a Brazos Valley resident who will be attending an accredited college or university for the 2008-2009 academic year and who identifies as GLBT or an ally.  The application can be found at <http://www.BVQueSt.com/scholarship>.  The deadline for scholarship submissions is Friday, January 25, 2008.  All applications must be submitted via email to:

Scholarship Coordinator
Kate Kiernat
scholarship@BVQueSt.com

All applications need to be submitted via email.  (Download the MS Word .doc version of the file)
Once the January 25, 2008 deadline has passed the scholarship committee will review and rank all applications.  From that ranking and discussion of the committee, we will decide on the recipient(s) of the 2008 Brazos Valley QueSt Scholarship.  The winner will be announced at the 2008 Spring GAYla.

If you have questions about the Brazos Valley QueSt Scholarship, please do not hesitate to contact me at scholarship@BVQueSt.com or 979.314.4532.

Thank you for your assistance in letting students know of a scholarship opportunity.