Wichita State University (WSU) will be the 2019 host campus for the 27th annual Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Asexual College Conference (MBLGTACC).
MBLGTACC, the flagship program of the Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, is a three-day, student-run conference that includes a variety of keynote speakers, workshops, a grad fair, identity forums and entertainers.
The 2019 conference will mark the first time MBLGTACC has been held in Kansas. “It’s exciting that the MBLGTACC is making its first appearance in Kansas in the 27-year history of the conference,” said Brad Thomison, LGBTQ Coordinator, Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Wichita State University. “WSU students bid on hosting this event two years ago and they are thrilled to see it finally come to life.”
Thomison said the event will bring around 1,000 LGBTQ-identified college students to Wichita. “For many of the students attending the conference, this will be their first trip to Kansas. We are looking forward to the opportunity we as a university, and as a city, have to show hospitality and welcoming acceptance for this diverse population,” he said.
The conference aims to educate, connect and empower queer and trans+ college students, faculty, and staff around the Midwest and beyond by exploring topics through the critical lens of intersectionality.
“We’re looking forward to our first MBLGTACC in Kansas,” said Justin Drwencke, the Institute’s executive director. “We’re also aware of the curious misperception that work on behalf of queer and trans+ students isn’t being done or can’t be done in the Midwest, so we’re thrilled to partner with these bright young people and shine a light on this work in Kansas.”
Over its 27-year history, MBLGTACC has attracted advocates and thought leaders including Angela Davis, Robyn Ochs, Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, Kate Bornstein, Faisal Alam, and LZ Granderson; and entertainers and artists including Jujubee, Margaret Cho, J Mase III, Chely Wright, and Loren Cameron.
The 2019 conference theme is Beyond the Rainbow and to the Stars and will be held in Wichita from Feb. 15-17. Conference registration is now open at mblgtacc.org/attend.
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About Visit Wichita
Visit Wichita markets the greater Wichita area as a major convention and tourism destination, thereby enhancing the economic development of the city, county, region and state. Visit Wichita is led by president and CEO Susie Santo, and in 2017 travel and tourism contributed more than $1.1 billion in economic impact to the greater Wichita area.
About Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity
The Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity empowers students of diverse sexualities and genders to inspire sustainable change; leads higher education colleagues in relevant and inclusive practices; and advances knowledge of sexuality and gender through advocacy and expansive programming.
