The Color of Queer Film Series
About
History
Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ – Jesuit Superior General 1965-1983, once said that “We cannot separate action for justice from the proclamation of the Word of God.” In relation to one of our five characteristics of a Jesuit Education - Service that promotes justice: Using learning and leadership in openhanded and generous ways to ensure freedom of inquiry, the pursuit of truth and care for others – as a community we must come together to learn about our marginalized and historically oppressed brothers and sisters.
Loyola University Chicago's Department of Student Diversity launched The Color of Queer Film Series in the Fall of 2008 as a way to address the intersections between a person’s racial and sexual identities and promote dialogue around the overwhelming hate crimes queer communities of color experience.
Statistics
- The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (2006) Hate Crimes Report, “documents a murderous tide of under-reported violence that is claiming the lives of gender non-conforming young and young adults ages 30 and under” (p. 2).
- U.S. Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation (2008) released the Hate Crimes Statistics of 2007 and reported that 67.4% of hate crimes were either racially motivated or resulted from sexual orientation. In addition, out of the 6,965 known hate crime offenders, 62.9 percent were white.
- Furthermore, the GPAC (2006) Hate Crimes Report compiled FBI Hate Crimes data from 1996 – 2004 and found that:
o the number one hate crime category is based on a person’s racial identity
o the second highest is based on a person’s perceived gender identity expression
o the third highest is based on a person’s sexual orientation.
Mission
The Color of Queer Film Series, is rooted in social justice education and is a service to our community that promotes justice and lives out the Jesuit characteristics by encouraging the freedom of inquiry through honestly and authentically learning about queer people of color – their struggles, hopes, dreams, and the internal and external reconciling among their various identities: race, class, gender, sexuality, spirituality and their religious identity.
We need to pursue the truth about our marginalized brothers and sisters who belong to queer communities of color and care for their well-being because often times they have been silenced and killed because of these specific identities. It is our role and responsibility to educate others about their lives, give them voice, and admire their courage for being authentically and holistically true to their various identities.
Spring 2009 List of Events
Questions? Please contact Maeve Kiley at 312-915-7712.