Who are we?
We are juniors and seniors at Longwood University in Farmville, VA enrolled in Citizen 410, a class about Virginia’s queer history. Throughout this website, you can learn about our perspectives on many of the different topics we’ve discussed and what changes we would make to help include the queer community in our history.
Why queer history?
There are many things that aren’t talked about within our history. Our mission is to share the stories of queer individuals and to highlight key events in queer history so their history isn’t erased. We want to show others that this history is something that shouldn't be feared, but taught so that we can fight for change. Acknowledging and sharing queer history leads to more queer representation and has the potential to de-stigmatize the act of being queer.
How you can help
You can help the queer community and the expansion of their history by keeping yourself up to date on the new information surrounding their community. Find LGBTQ+ news outlets and primary sources; don’t just limit yourself to what you see on social media! Additionally, you can help further our mission by exploring our website and following our social media (linked below) and by spreading the news about our website and the topics we’re promoting.
Further Resources:
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Follow our journey on social media!
The website was created by all the students who have taken the course. Here are the current committee teams.
Website Design Committee
The Design Committee worked to add all content to the website created by the class members and edit the design and creative elements to create the most user friendly website for anyone willing to learn more about Queer History. This committee consisted of Rianne (Physics ‘23), Annastasia (Vocal Performance and Choral Music Education ‘23), and Jackson (Computer Science ‘24).
Editing Committee
The editing committee edited both existing content on the website and the new content created by this semester's class. They ensured that everything on the website made sense and didn’t include any grammatical errors. This committee consisted of Eli (Psychology ‘23), Kendall (Psychology ‘24), and Tristan (English ‘24).
Educational Outreach Committee
The educational outreach committee reached out to students, professors, and other schools to educate themselves further on the queer community and to give suggestions on queer history additions to classroom lessons. This committee consisted of Hannah (Archaeology ‘23) and Erica (Liberal Studies ‘24).
Writing and Research Committee
The writing and research committee checked citations and facts for maximum accuracy. They checked the importance, relevance, and reliability of the presented information in student work and also created new information on current news. This committee consisted of Mallory (Sociology ‘24), Emily (Communication Studies ‘24), and Cosmo (Biology ‘24).
Social Media Committee
The social media committee consistently updates the instagram, twitter, and Tiktok for the Queer Heart of Virginia pages. These uploads include website updates, work in progress projects, news, and queer history facts. This committee consisted of Katelyn (Kinesiology ‘23) and Jacob (History and Communication Studies ‘23).
Professor
The Professor of this class is Dr.Dudley-Shotwell, she is Honors Faculty in the Cormier Honors College and teaches courses in History and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. Her research interests include the histories of health activism, childbirth and parenting, queer health and reproduction, the intersections of feminism and queer theory, transphobia in the feminist movement, and reproductive justice.She overviews all edits and writing materials that get posted to the website.
