Commission for Gender and Sexuality

The Commission for Gender and Sexuality works for social justice for students, faculty, staff and administration who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and our allies (LGBTQA) particularly on issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression when we educate campus and community, advocate for equality and enhance visibility.

Vision Statement

The Commission for Gender and Sexuality continues to support the campus and area communities via advocacy, education, and resources. We cooperatively maintain a permanent high-visibility campus resource center with a full time staff that serves as a home of our initiatives. We partner with other organizations and institutions on and off campus to educate, advocate, support and provide social opportunities.

Bylaws and Strategic Plan

The LGBTQA Commission Bylaws were originally adopted October 6, 2010, revised February 25, 2011 and April 13, 2012. Current revision approved May 8, 2020. The name of the organization was changed to Commission for Gender and Sexuality during the February 3, 2021 meeting.

The Strategic Plan was originally adopted at the February 25, 2011 meeting. Current revision approved November 16, 2020.

Position	Appointee
Chair	Jessy Defenderfer
Vice-Chair	Dave Kube
Secretary	Asa Kelley
Treasurer	Deb Chamberlain

Committees meet regularly and are supervised by the chairs below. If you are interested in working with a committee, please contact the appropriate chair.

Position	Appointee
Visibility Committee Chair	Vacant seat
Advocacy Committee Chair	Vacant seat
Recruitment and Fundraising Committee Chair	Gretchen Osterman
Scholarship Committee Chair	Damien Marken
Conference Committee Co-Chair	Dan McCurry
Nomination Committee Chair	Asa Kelley

Position	Appointee
Coordinator of Sexual & Gender Diversity	Monica Johnson
Equality Alliance Advisors	Monica Johnson Craig Young
President's Commission on Diversity and Inclusion Representatives	Asa Kelley
PASSHE LGBTQIA Consortium Representatives	Asa Kelley Monica Johnson Vacant student positions

Commission Meetings

The Commission for Gender and Sexuality meets at least three times each academic semester to report on the work of the committees. Contact any executive officer to join our mailing list and be invited to the next meeting.

Annual Reception

We will host our 15th Annual Reception on Friday, April 5, 2024 at 5:00 PM. Please see the Event Page for more information.

We're always accepting gifts for the Silent Auction! Money raised supports Commission for Gender and Sexuality sponsored events, the Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference, and student educational travel.

If you have an item you would like to donate, please complete the Silent Auction Item Donation Form.

News

All News Stories

Gender and sexuality scholarship winners announced

Posted: Feb. 15, 2022

Commission for Gender and Sexuality at BU awards two scholarships each year to provide financial support to students in the LGBTQIA+ Community