E-F1 Welcome to the World of LGBTQ+ Persons
8 Week Class | Available (Membership Required)
Understanding the challenges facing LGBTQ+ individuals and families has become increasingly important as their rights have come under attack while the numbers of persons who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning has increased. This course will explain the continuing struggle to obtain recognition and acceptance as well as introduce the major organizations that have led these efforts, and it will offer information about the delights, struggles and triumphs faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in making a successful life and a career. Participants will also learn the language and pronouns used by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, queer, and questioning individuals. The teachers will also give participants time to discuss the range of issues surrounding the LGBTQ+ movement. Guest speakers may be invited for various topics. All persons interested in these topics are welcome to register for this course.
Topics of the weekly class session will include:
- The Struggles for LGBTQ+ Rights
- The Roles of LGBTQ+ Allies and Friends
- PRIDE Marches and Festivals
- The Activities and Impact of Coming Out
- Same Sex Marriages
- LGBTQ+ Families
- Current Challenges for Transgendered Persons
- Drag Performers
Richard Heyl de Ortiz
Richard Heyl de Ortiz, Executive Director of the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center, and a leader in the field for the past thirty years, and Fred Mayo, volunteer at the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center for the past twenty years will co-teach this course.
Richard Heyl de Ortiz also hosts the Out in the Valley Radio Show on Kingston Radio every Saturday morning. Fred Mayo has taught The Coming Out Process for LLI before and given several lectures on LGBTQ+ issues at Woodland Pond.
Fred Mayo
Fred Mayo, retired Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management at NYU, has been teaching LLI courses for many years. The first ones included topics related to manners using parts of his book Modern American Manners: Dining Etiquette for Hosts and Guests. More recent courses have included: Isolation, Rituals and Routine, Building Community, Friendship, Giving and Generosity, The Coming Out Process, The New Three Rs – Rupture, Repair and Respect in Friendships, Travel, Tourism and Transformation, Where Did Customer Service Go, Community, and The Power of Listening. He has been involved in many community organizations and continues to serve as a volunteer for the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center where he served on the Board of Directors for six years. In LLI courses, he presents new ideas, encourages class discussion, and invites debate and personal reflection.