The Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity is partnering with the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Center for Racial Justice for an upcoming conversation with Dr. Bianca D.M. Wilson of the Williams Institute, a public policy research institute focused on sexuality and gender issues. The event, "Racial Foundations of Public Policy: LGBT Rights," will be held virtually on Thursday, October 27.
The historical roots and impact of race, gender, and sexuality shape public policy as both a disciplinary field and as a course of action. This program brings Dr. Wilson into conversation with Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes. Wilson, the Rabbi Zacky Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute, is an expert in system-involved LGBTQ youth, LGBT poverty, and sexual health among queer women. Watkins-Hayes, dean of U-M's Ford School, is internationally-recognized for her research at the intersection of inequality, public policy, and institutions, with a special focus on urban poverty and race, class, and gender studies.
The conversation is hosted as part of the Institute's Queer Policy Series, a program that convenes policymakers, leaders, and students to examine policies at various levels that impact queer and trans students and youth, and provides tools for effecting policy changes that embrace and affirm diverse sexualities and genders. It is also part of the Ford School and Center for Racial Justice's Racial Foundations of Public Policy Series, and follows a 2021 collaboration with the Ford School on "Trans Policy Issues: Why Are We Talking about Sports?" featuring Katie Barnes, Chris Mosier, and Naomi Goldberg. Attendance for this year's event is once again free and open to the public.