Dr. Cris Mayo to present on LBGTQ history of Morgantown at the Folklife Center

Dr. Cris Mayo will talk about the history of the LBGTQ community in Morgantown Monday, April 15 at 7 p.m., at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center.  

Drawing on oral history narratives from people of diverse genders and sexualities, Mayo’s presentation will chart both the stories of those who left but contributed in their visits home and those who stayed and built safe spaces, relationships, and organizations dedicated to improving the lives of other LGBTQ citizens in WV.  This presentation, part of the Diversity in Appalachia Lecture Series Part II: Search for Identity, is free and open to the public. The Diversity in Appalachia Lecture Series is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, finders, conclusions, or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the WV Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

Cris Mayo is the Director of the LGBTQ+ Center at West Virginia University and a Professor in Women's and Gender Studies. Dr. Mayo’s publications include Gay Straight Alliances and Associations Among Youth in Schools (Palgrave, 2017), LGBTQ Youth and Education: Policies and Practices (Teachers College Press, 2013), and Disputing the Subject of Sex: Sexuality and Public School Controversies (Rowman and Littlefield, 2004), as well as articles in Teachers College Record, Educational Researcher, Educational Theory, Studies in Philosophy of Education, Sexuality Research and Social Policy, and Educational Policy and Theory. 

Housed in an award-winning repurposed historic barn building on the Fairmont State University campus, the Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center is home to scholarly research, archives, publications, community programs and events, workshops, exhibitions, and undergraduate studies in Folklore and Museum Studies. The Folklife Center is dedicated to the identification, preservation, and perpetuation of our region's rich cultural heritage. For additional information about the Folklife Center contact Dr. Francene Kirk at 304-367-4403.

Dr. Cris MayoFrank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife CenterLGBTQ