Events and Workshops Summer Semester 2024

Alejandra Nieves Camacho — 24.04.2024

Dear Members of UdK,

This semester, we are once again offering you the opportunity to participate in workshops and events on topics related to anti-racism and diversity.

These events prioritize university students due to limited space, but are open to all university members. While most spots are for students, we also reserve some places for staff and faculty. Additional spots may open up based on availability. To register for the workshops, email dib@intra.udk-berlin.de and indicate whether you’re a student or staff.

Workshop: A reflection on privilege and multiple discrimination: recognize, reflect, act!

Date & location:
30. April from 14:00 – 16:30, Bundesallee 1-2, Room 340

Language:
English

Who is invited?:
This workshop is for white-positioned students and staff of UdK.

Content: 
In this interactive workshop, participants will delve into the complex dynamics of privilege and multiple discrimination. We will explore how these intersecting factors shape our experiences, attitudes, and actions in everyday life. By recognizing our own privileges and understanding the impact of discrimination, we aim to foster empathy, awareness, and actionable change.

Workshop Facilitator: My Democracy – La Red – Vernetzung und Integration e.V.

Please register by emailing dib@intra.udk-berlin.de.

Webinar “Conflict over the Conflict: A Look at the Israel/Palestine Debate at University” with Prof. Kenneth Stern

Date and Location:
May 7, 5:00 – 6:00 PM, Online

Language:
English

Content:
We are pleased to invite you to our online webinar with Kenneth Stern. Stern, an American lawyer, author, and director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate at Bard College, will guide us through the main theme of his 2020 book “The Conflict Over the Conflict: The Israel/Palestine Campus Debate.”

In his book, Stern analyzes attempts to censor opinions at universities and their impact on academia. He emphasizes that many students prefer to avoid complex issues rather than confront them. Additionally, Stern will explain the background and significance of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.

The first chapter of “The Conflict over the Conflict,” generously provided by Kenneth Stern for UdK Berlin attendees, can be found here.

The event will take place online. Access details will be sent after registration via dib@intra.udk-berlin.de.

Workshop: Fighting Hate and Racism Online: Basics

Date and Location:
May 23, 12:00 – 2:30 PM, Kammersaal / Fasanenstr. 1B

Language:
English

Content:
In this workshop, participants will gain essential knowledge and practical strategies to recognize and deal with hate speech, racism, and discriminatory content in digital spaces. We will explore the impact of hate speech, recognize signs of it, and equip ourselves with any basic-tools to promote a more inclusive and respectful online environment.

Workshop Facilitator: My Democracy – La Red – Vernetzung und Integration e.V.

Please register by emailing dib@intra.udk-berlin.de.

Panel discussion – Talking about anti-Semitism: Current debates

Date and Location:
May 30, 4:00 – 07:00 PM, Grunewaldstr. 2-5, Room 306 – Wheelchair accessible

Language:
German

Content:
This panel discussion will examine the various definitions of antisemitism, in particular the differences between the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA) and the definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Both academic and political difficulties will be discussed.

Another focus is on analysing current forms of anti-Semitism and the importance of a clear understanding of them. The challenges and effectiveness of current policies and discourses in the fight against anti-Semitism, including the fight against racism and discrimination and the promotion of tolerance and diversity, will also be considered.

Guests:
Prof. Dr. Elad Lapidot is Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Lille, France. He has taught philosophy and Talmud at numerous universities, including the University of Bern in Switzerland, Humboldt University and the Free University in Berlin. His research is guided by questions about the relationship between knowledge and politics. His publications include: Anti-Anti-Semitism. A Philosophical Critique (Berlin: Matthes & Seitz, 2021), Hebrew translation with introduction and commentary (with Roi Bar) of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit (Tel Aviv: Resling Publishing, 2020), and Heidegger and Jewish Thought. Difficult Others, edited with Micha Brumlik (London/New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018).

Prof. Dr Uffa Jensen is a historian and has been Professor of Antisemitism Research and Deputy Director of the Centre for Antisemitism Research at TU Berlin since 2017. His research focuses on the history of anti-Semitism, German Jews, psychoanalysis, the history of emotions and historical image research. his most important publications include: “”An anti-Semitic double murder. The forgotten history of right-wing terrorism in the Federal Republic of Germany”, ” How the couch came to Calcutta: A global history of early psychoanalysis” (Berlin 2019), “Zornpolitik” (Berlin 2017), ” Feelings against Jews. The Emotional History of Modern Anti-Semitism” (essay together with S. Schüler-Springorum 2013).

Moderation: 
Prof. Dr. Kathrin Peters, Professor of History and Theory of Visual Culture at the UdK Berlin & Alejandra Nieves Camacho, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Officer UdK Berlin.

Please register at dib@intra.udk-berlin.de.

Workshop: Strategies for Dealing with Polarizing Content and Right-Wing Extremism on Social Media: Advanced

Date and Location:
June 6, 12:00 – 2:30 PM, Fasanenstr. 1 B, Kammersaal

Language:
English

Content:
Digital spaces such as social networks are often characterized by aggression and discriminatory prejudices, which manifest in various forms. Discriminatory narratives, hate, and prejudices are increasingly disseminated indirectly. Consequently, it is sometimes challenging to discern what is wrong with certain content and how to effectively counter it. This workshop aims to help participants recognize different forms of online aggression and group-based hostility. Additionally, it provides strategies for better handling these indirect forms of polarizing content and aggressions.

*Participation in the basic workshop is recommended but not mandatory.

Workshop Facilitator: My Democracy – La Red – Vernetzung und Integration e.V.

Please register by emailing dib@intra.udk-berlin.de.

Workshop: Breaking 500 Years of Antiziganism – Sensitization for Media Images and Discourses.

Date and Location:
June 13, 3:00 – 6:00 PM, Bundesallee 1 – 2, Room 341

Language:
English

Content:
Almost everyone has heard the word “antigypsyism”. But how did the persistent prejudices about Roma develop historically through media such as literature, visual arts, music and journalistic reporting? And how do they still shape the German media landscape today? After an introduction to the topic, we will use various practical examples to interactively identify angypsyist patterns in text and images. At the end of the workshop we would also like to talk about the role of art in the community for identity formation and resistance.

Workshop Facilitator: Amaro Foro e.V. a transcultural organisation of Rom*nja and non-Rom*nja. Together, we are committed to combating antigypsyism and promoting the equal right to participation for the community. Since March 2020, we have been implementing a pilot project to raise awareness of the topic among media professionals. We believe that working on different forms of discrimination should be an integral part of the training of artists, cultural workers and journalists. We look forward to discussing and learning together!

Please register by emailing dib@intra.udk-berlin.de.

Online Workshop: Argumentation Training: Anti-Racism in Chat Groups (Telegram)

Date and Location:
June 17, 4:00 – 7:00 PM, Online

Language:
English

Content:
This workshop focuses on enhancing participants’ ability to engage in effective and respectful discussions within chat groups, specifically addressing anti-racism. As online platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp play a significant role in shaping conversations, understanding how to counter racism and promote inclusivity is crucial.

The workshop will be held online. The participants will be invited to take part in a discussion in a telegram group and to put into practice some strategies for managing online aggression and group-based hostility. Please install the app before the workshop.

Workshop Facilitator: My Democracy – La Red – Vernetzung und Integration e.V.

The event will take place online. Access details will be sent after registration via dib@intra.udk-berlin.de.

Workshop: Combating Disinformation, Fake News, and their Connection to Hate and Racism on Social Media

Date and Location:
July 2, 12:00 – 2:20 PM, Room information will be announced.

Language:
English

Content:
In this Workshop we will delve into the topic of desinformation and fake news and its connection to prejudices. We’ll explore the basics: why Fake News spreads, how it influences the formation of biases, and how we can recognize it to protect ourselves and others.

Workshop Facilitator: My Democracy – La Red – Vernetzung und Integration e.V.

Please register by emailing dib@intra.udk-berlin.de.

Workshop: Anti-Racism for Teacher Education Students

Date and Location:
July 8.

More information to follow soon.

Thank you for joining us in our efforts against discrimination, racism, and exclusion, and for promoting peaceful and respectful coexistence in our university!

Please check our website regularly for updates and new workshops.

For questions or comments, please contact: dib@intra.udk-berlin.de.

Visual communication: Michael(a) Daoud.

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Ableism

Adultism

General Equal Treatment Act

Antisemitism

Accessibility

Harassment

Gender Binary

Sex

Cisgender

Dominance Culture

Prison-Industrial Complex

Gender-Expansive

Gender

Gender Transition

Gender Expression

Gender Dysphoria

Gender Identity

Heteronormativity

Hormone Therapy

Institutional Discrimination

Inter*

Intergenerational Trauma

Intersectionality

Islamophobia

Classism

Colonialism

Culturally Argued Racism

Cultural Appropriation

Marginalization

Microaggression

Misogyny

Neurodiversity

Nonbinary

Patriarchy

Pronouns

Racism

Sex-Gender-Difference

Sexism

Sexual Orientation

Social Origin

Social Norm

Socioeconomic Status

Structural Discrimination

Tokenism

White Supremacy

Whiteness

Xenophobia

Abolition

Accountability

Ageism

Agender

BIPoC

Colorism

Critical Diversity Policy (UdK)

Deadnaming

Doing Gender

Misogynoir

Queer

Safer Space

Social Justice

Trans*

Ende

Ableism

Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with differing physical and mental abilities and needs. It typically involves a negative assessment of a person’s body and mind due to skills and abilities, based on a supposed biological (physical and/or mental) norm of what an able-bodied, neurotypical person should be. Ableism can intersect with other forms of oppression such as racism and sexism. 

Adultism

Adultism is the discrimination found in everyday life and law based on unequal power relationships between adults, on the one hand, and children, adolescents, and young people on the other. 

General Equal Treatment Act

The General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), enforced since 2006, is the uniform central body of regulations in Germany for the implementation of four European anti-discrimination directives. For the first time, a law was created in Germany that comprehensively regulates protection against discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, gender identification, religion or belief, ability, age, or sexual orientation.

Antisemitism

Antisemitism is a belief system based on hatred/hostility towards or discrimination against Jewish people as a religious or racial group, Jewish institutions or anyone/anything that is perceived Jewish. Antisemitism varies over time and between cultures, with antisemitism intensifying in different historical moments.   

Accessibility

Accessibility names the extent to which a product, service, or environment can be used and accessed by as many people as possible. Inclusive accessibility therefore assesses the needs and desires of all possible people—including those who are neurodivergent or who have varying abilities—and incorporates these into its design and function. Changes to enable those with different abilities to have equal opportunity and participation are often referred to as accommodations.  

Harassment

Harassment is undesired and non-consensual conduct that violates the dignity of another person. Harassment can often create intimidating, hostile, humiliating, or offensive environments, and can be based on someone’s sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, age, race, gender, and more. Harassment can take a variety of forms, including verbal, physical, and/or sexual. 

Gender Binary

The gender binary is the classification of gender into two distinct and opposite categories of man/masculine and woman/feminine. This belief system assumes that one’s sex or gender assigned at birth will align with traditional social constructions of masculine and feminine identity, expression, and sexuality. Assignment beyond the gender binary is typically viewed as a deviation of the norm. 

Sex

Sex refers to a person’s biological status and is typically assigned at birth, usually based on external anatomy. Sex is typically categorized as male, female, or intersex. 

Cisgender

Cisgender, or simply cis, refers to people who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. Cis comes from the Latin prefix which means “on this side of.” 

Dominance Culture

This concept, according to Birgit Rommelspacher, assumes that there is a system of hierarchies, rule and power in which the various racist, sexist, classist, and other forms of governance intertwine. In this interconnectedness, a dominant group maintains power, which is socially negotiated again and again. In a given society, the dominant group achieves their role by being perceived as pertaining to a majority of the population and having a significant presence in societal institutions. 

Prison-Industrial Complex

The prison-industrial complex (PIC) is a term that describes the complex and interrelated dependencies between a government and the various businesses and institutions that benefit from practices of incarceration (such as prisons, jails, detention facilities, and psychiatric hospitals). Based on the term “military-industrial complex,” PIC urges a more comprehensive analysis of how imprisonment is used in a society, noting all the interest groups that prioritize financial gain over keeping people out of prisons. 

Gender-Expansive

Gender-expansive is an adjective that can describe someone with a more flexible and fluid gender identity than might be associated with the typical gender binary. 

Gender

Gender is often defined as a social construct of norms, behaviors, and roles that vary between societies and over time. Gender is often categorized as male, female, or nonbinary. 

Gender Transition

Gender transition is a process a person might take to bring themselves and/or their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. This process is not a singular step nor does it have a definite end. Rather, it can include any, none, or all of the following: telling one’s family and social circles; changing one’s name and pronouns; updating legal documents; medical interventions such as hormone therapy; or surgical intervention, often called gender confirmation surgery. 

Gender Expression

Gender expression is how a person presents gender outwardly, most typically signalled through clothing, voice, behavior, and other perceived characteristics. Society identifies these cues and performances as masculine or feminine, although what is considered masculine or feminine varies over time and between cultures.  

Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria refers to psychological distress that results from the incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity. People of all genders may experience dysphoria at varying levels of intensity, or not at all. 

Gender Identity

Gender identity is one’s own internal sense of self and their gender. Unlike gender expression, gender identity is not externally visible to others. 

Heteronormativity

Heteronormativity is the concept that heterosexuality—romantic and/or sexual attraction between people of the “opposite” gender—is the normative or acceptable sexual orientation in a society. Heteronormativity assumes the gender binary, and therefore involves a belief in the alignment between sexuality, gender identity, gender roles, and biological sex. As a dominant social norm, heteronormativity results in discrimination and oppression against those who do not identify as heterosexual.   

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy, sometimes called gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), is the process by which sex hormones or other hormonal medications are administered. These hormone changes can trigger physical changes, called secondary sex characteristics, that can help better align the body with a person’s gender identity.

Institutional Discrimination

Institutional discrimination refers to prejudiced organizational policies and practices within institutions – such as universities, workplaces, and more – such that an individual or groups of individuals who are marginalized are unequally considered and have unequal rights. 

Inter*

Inter*, or intersex, is an umbrella term that can describe people who have differences in reproductive anatomy, chromosomes, or hormones that do not fit typical definitions of male and female. The asterisks (*) emphasizes the plurality of intersex realities and physicalities. 

Intergenerational Trauma

Intergenerational trauma refers to the trauma that is passed from a trauma survivor to their descendent. Due to violent and terrifying events—such as war, ethnic cleansing, political conflict, environmental catastrophe, and more—experienced by previous generations, descendants may experience adverse emotional, physical, and psychological effects. As the original sources of trauma are structured by forms of discrimination such as race and gender, intergenerational trauma also occurs along intersectional axes of oppression. For example, Black communities have brought to light the intergenerational trauma of enslavement. 
Intergenerational trauma is sometimes called historical trauma, multi- or transgenerational trauma, or secondary traumatization. 

Intersectionality

Intersectionality names the interconnected nature of systems of oppression and social categorizations such as race, gender, sexuality, migratory background, and class. Intersectionality emphasizes how individual forms of discrimination do not exist independently of each other, nor can they be considered and addressed independently. Rather, addressing oppression should take into account the cumulative and interconnected axes of multiple forms of discrimination. 

Islamophobia

Islamophobia is a belief system based on hatred/hostility towards or discrimination against Muslim people as a religious or racial group, muslim institutions or anyone/anything that is perceived Muslim. Islamophobia varies over time and between cultures, with Islamophobia intensifying in different historical moments.

Classism

Classism is a term that describes discrimination based on the belief that a person’s social or economic status determines their value in society. Classism, as a form of discrimination and stigmatization, is based on actual or assumed financial means, educational status, and social inclusion. “Inferior” classes in the hierarchy are problematised and stereotyped, and often receive unequal access and rights within society. 

Colonialism

Colonialism is the control and dominance of one power over a dependent area or people. In subjugating another people and land, colonialism entails violently conquering the population, often including mass displacement of people and the systematic exploitation of resources. Beyond material consequences, colonialism also includes processes of forcing the dominant power’s language and cultural values upon the subjugated people, thereby effecting cultural, psychological, and intergenerational trauma. 

Culturally Argued Racism

Culturally argued racism is directed against people based on their presumed cultural or religious background. This form of discrimination can occur regardless of whether they actually practice one culture or religion and how religious they are (e.g. anti-Muslim racism and anti-Semitism). 

Cultural Appropriation

Cultural appropriation is the act of taking on aspects of a marginalized culture by a person or an institution who is outside of that culture, without comprehensive understanding of the context and often lacking respect for the significance of the original. Cultural appropriation, when promoting negative cultural or racial stereotypes, reproduces harm. Acts of cultural appropriation can often reveal power dynamics within a society: for example, a white person who wears a marginalized culture’s traditional dress is praised as fashionable, while a racialized person could be isolated from the dominant group and marked as foreign.  

Marginalization

Marginalization describes any process of displacing minorities to the social fringe. As a rule, marginalised groups are presumed to not correspond to the norm-oriented majority of society and are severely restricted in their ability to behave freely, have equal material access, enjoy public safety, and more.  

Microaggression

Microaggression names individual comments or actions that unconsciously or consciously demonstrate prejudice and enact discrimination against members of marginalized groups. As small, common, and cumulative occurrences, microaggressions can comprise of insults, stereotypes, devaluation, and/or exclusion. Microaggressions often negatively affect the person on the receiving end, affecting their psychological and physical health and wellbeing. 

Misogyny

Misogyny is a term for sexist oppression and contempt for women that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thereby maintaining patriarchal social roles. Misogyny can indicate an attitude held by individuals and a widespread cultural system that often devalues anything perceived as feminine. Misogyny can overlap with other instances of oppression and hate—such as homophobia, trans*-misogyny, and racism. 

Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is a term that describes the unique ways each person’s brain structures function. The basic assumption of what kind of brain functioning is healthy and acceptable within a norm-oriented majority society is called neurotypical. 

Nonbinary

Nonbinary is a term that can be used by persons who do not describe themselves or their genders as fitting into the binary categories of man or woman. A range of terms are used for these experiences, with nonbinary and genderqueer often used. 

Patriarchy

Patriarchy is a social system whereby cis men dominantly hold positions of privilege both in public and private spheres. In feminist theory, patriarchy can be used to describe the power relationship between genders that favors male dominance, as well as the ideology of male superiority that justifies and enacts oppression against women and all non-normative genders. 

Pronouns

Pronouns, or personal gender pronouns (PGPs), are the set of pronouns that an individual uses to refer to themselves and desires for others to use when referring to them. The list of pronouns is continuously evolving. An individual may have several sets of preferred pronouns, or none. The intention of both asking and using a person’s pronouns correctly is to reduce the negative societal effects for those whose personal pronouns don’t match with the gender identity that’s assumed by a cisnormative society. Using gender-neutral wording and terms to refer to groups of people (such as “folks,” instead of “guys”) are also inclusive steps that resist the gender binary and cis-normativity. 

Racism

Racism is the process by which systems, policies, actions, and attitudes create unequal opportunities and outcomes for people based on race. More than individual or institutional prejudice, racism occurs when this discrimination is accompanied by the power to limit or oppress the rights of people and/or groups. Racism varies over time and between cultures, with racism towards different groups intensifying in different historical moments.   

Sex-Gender-Difference

Sex-gender difference names the distinction between the concept of “sex” as a biological fact and the concept of “gender” as a product of cultural and social processes, such as socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and gendered identities.

Sexism

Sexism is the process by which systems, policies, actions, and attitudes create unequal opportunities and outcomes for people based on their attributed or supposed sex and the ideology underlying these phenomena. It is mostly used to name the power relations between dominant and marginalised genders within cisheteronormative patriarchal societies.

Sexual Orientation

Sexual orientation is the term that describes which sex or gender a person feels emotionally, physically, romantically and/or sexually attracted to.

Social Origin

Social origin describes the socio-cultural values and norms into which one is born, including factors such as environment, class, caste, education biography, and more. The values that accompany one’s social origin are constructed, but often have material impact that privileges or under-privileges certain groups and people. For example, someone whose social origin includes living in a Western country, inheriting intergenerational wealth, and having a consistently good education will increase their chances for a high-paying job as an adult. Their social origin must therefore be taken into account, rather than their inherent worthiness for such a job. 

Social Norm

A social norm is a shared belief in the standard of acceptable behaviour by groups, both informal as well as institutionalized into policy or law. Social norms differ over time and between cultures and societies. 

Socioeconomic Status

Socioeconomic status, usually described as low, medium, or high, is a way of describing people based on their education, income, and type of job. The values and norms assigned to each socioeconomic class are socially constructed but have material impact. 

Structural Discrimination

Structural discrimination refers to patterns of behaviour, policies, and attitudes found at the macro-level conditions of society. This discrimination of social groups is based on the nature of the structure of society as a whole. Structural discrimination is distinct from individual forms of discrimination (such as a single racist remark, which is a microaggression), though it often provides the contextual framework to understand why these individual instances occur. 

Tokenism

Tokenism is a superficial or symbolic gesture that includes minority members without significantly changing or addressing the structural discrimination of marginalization. Tokenism is a strategy intended to create the appearance of inclusion and to divert allegations of discrimination by requiring a single person to be representative of a minority. 

White Supremacy

White supremacy names the beliefs and practices that privilege white people as an inherently superior race, built on the exclusion and detriment of other racial and ethnic groups. It can refer to the interconnected social, economic, and political systems that enable white people to enjoy structural advantages over other racial groups both on a collective and individual level. It can also refer to the underlying political ideology that imposes and maintains multiple forms of domination by white people and non-white supporters, from justifying European colonialism to present-day neo-fascisms. 

Whiteness

Whiteness is a socially and politically constructed behaviour that perpetuates an ideology, culture, history, and economy that results in the unequal distribution of power and privilege favoring those socially deemed white. The material benefits of whiteness are gained at the expense of Black, Indigenous, and people of color, who are systematically denied equal access to those material benefits. 
On our blog, white is often written in small italics to mark it as a political category and emphasize the privileges of whiteness which are often not named as such, but rather taken for granted as the invisible norm. 

Xenophobia

Xenophobia names the hostility towards groups or individuals perceived as “outsiders” based on their culture. Xenophobic attitudes are often associated with hostile reception of immigrants or refugees who arrive in societies and communities that are not their homelands. Xenophobic discrimination can result in barriers to equally access socioeconomic opportunities, as well as ethnic, racial, or religious prejudice.

Abolition

Abolition is a term that names officially ending a system, practice, or institution. Rooted in 19th century movements to abolish slavery, present day abolitionism is often invoked to end the practice of policing and military and/or the interconnected carceral systems of prisons, refugee camps, detention centers, and more. For more, see the definition of prison-industrial complex). 

Accountability

Accountability is the obligation and willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions. In the context of social justice, accountability refers to the ways in which individuals and communities hold themselves to their principles and goals, as well as acknowledging the groups to which they are responsible. Accountability often requires a transparent process and continuous self- and collective awareness. 

Ageism

Ageism is discrimination or prejudice based on a person’s age, such as when skills and abilities are questioned and assessed based on one’s older or younger age. 

Agender

Agender is an adjective that can be used by persons who do not identify as any gender.

BIPoC

BIPoC stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color. A term that originated in the U.S., it is a self-designation intended to center the specific experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other racialized groups, who are severely impacted by systemic racial injustice rooted in histories of enslavement and colonialism, and to unite people and groups affected by racism. 

Colorism

Colorism is a term that describes the prejudice or discrimination favoring people with lighter skin tones over those with darker skin tones. This is especially used to describe the nuanced discrimination faced within a racial or ethnic group. 

Critical Diversity Policy (UdK)

The Critical Diversity Policy at UdK is a document whose intention is to emphasize and enforce the idea that differences in values, attitudes, cultural perspective, beliefs, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, gender identity, abilities, knowledge and life experiences of each individual in each group of people should be considered and overcome within the university.

Deadnaming

Deadnaming is the act of calling a trans*, nonbinary, or gender-expansive person by their birth name, or an incorrect name, when they have changed their name as part of their gender expression. It is never okay or necessary to use a person’s deadname when they have changed their name, including when describing past events. If you deadname someone, take accountability by apologizing and commit to not doing so in the future. Take steps to know someone’s current name and commit to using it.   

Doing Gender

This sociological term focuses on how people observe, (re-)produce, and make gender relevant in everyday life. Rather than taking gender as an innate quality, the acts of “doing gender” emphasize how gender is a social construct that is prevalent in daily human interaction. 

Misogynoir

Misogynoir is a term, coined by Black feminist Moya Bailey in 2010, that describes the gendered and racial oppression faced by Black cis and transgender women (the latter sometimes referred to as trans*-misogynoir). Taking an intersectional lens, misogynoir examines how anti-Black racism and misogyny combine into a particular form of oppression and discrimination. 

Queer

Queer is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. It Is used for a broad spectrum of non-normative sexual and/or gender identities and politics. 

Safer Space

Safer spaces are intended to be places where marginalized communities can gather and communicate shared experiences, free of bias, conflict, or harm perpetrated by members of a dominant group. Recognizing that there is no such thing as a perfectly safe space for marginalized people under the current systems of our society, the term “safer” indicates the goal of temporary relief, as well as acknowledging the fact that harm can be reproduced even within marginalized communities. 
Examples of safer spaces created in organizations and institutions are queer-only spaces and/or spaces only for Black, Indigenous, and people of color. 

Social Justice

Social justice is a form of activism and political movement that promotes the process of transforming society from an injust and unequal state to one that is just and equitable. Social justice is rooted in the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities, and the fundamental right to feel psychologically and physically secure. Social justice therefore aims to change governing laws and societal norms that have historically and presently oppressed some groups over others. Social justice is not just the absence of discrimination, but also the presence of deliberate systems and supports that achieve and sustain equity along lines of race, gender, class, ability, religion, and more. 

Trans*

Transgender, or simply trans*, is an adjective that refers to people whose gender identity is different than the sex assigned at birth. Trans comes from the Latin prefix which means “across” or “beyond.” The self-designation is not an identity feature that automatically indicates whether this person identifies with a different gender, no gender or multiple genders. Thus, there are several trans* identities. The asterisks (*) emphasizes the plurality and fluidity of trans identities.