This Wednesday’s meeting of Sisterhood for Humanistic Equality, or S.H.E. Speaks, began with a round of introductions. Then club president Kelly Hicks, whose light purple hair matched a T-shirt labeled “The New Lavender Menace,” guided the room through a colorful slideshow on the differing types of oppression faced by LGBTQ women.
“Different layers of identities can cause different layers of oppression,” Hicks, a junior psychology major, said. “We can work together to create a more equal society.”
The feminist club has existed in some form since 2010. It began as the “Vagina Monologues,” conversation-starting monologues focused on feminism that are performed in February. After directing the monologues last year, Hicks decided to make it more than a play and hold a weekly meeting discussing feminism.
“It’s a nice way to get out,” said Holly Grizzle, a senior psychology and Spanish double major and director of the Vagina Monologues. “It’s educational and interesting… I’m really glad that we’re discussing pieces from the Vagina Monologues because there’s a lot to talk about there.”
Joined by vice president of S.H.E Speaks Lindsay Fischer, Hicks discussed the definitions of various LGBTQ terms, the community’s history of activism, including the original “Lavender Menace” organization and notable LGBTQ women in today’s society.
Then, attendees gathered in a circle for discussion, which ranged from the Trump administration’s policy on transgender members of the military to Peoria City Councilman Zach Oyler, who was recently arrested for domestic violence.
“If you want to disagree, that’s fine,” Hicks said. “We want it to be an open forum for people to discuss stuff.”
She hopes the club will grow in both numbers and relevance. Hicks said her goal is to create a community for students to come together in the spirit of feminism and equality.
“Everyone’s really cool and we learn a lot,” said club member Cam Turner, a freshman nursing major. “I really like talking about intersectionality and stuff like that, that not a lot of people think about when they think about feminism.”
S.H.E. Speaks meets Wednesdays from 7-8 p.m. in the Garrett Center. Everyone is able to attend.
“We welcome people from all backgrounds,” Hicks said. “We are hoping to get more people to come, especially to our later events in the semester because those will be some things that everyone needs to know about.”
The club plans on hosting discussions on domestic violence and sexual assault during their respective awareness months.
Students interested in joining S.H.E. Speaks can contact shespeaksbu@gmail.com or find the organization on social media @ shespeaksbu.
