The Cal State University Academic Senate and Cal State Long Beach Academic Senate has approved a new minor for the university, queer studies.
The idea for the minor was developed by Jennifer Reed, an associate professor within the women’s, gender and sexuality studies department.
Reed is also a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Task Force. She has mentioned that the term “queer” is not offensive, it is only an umbrella word in academia to include a wide range of sexuality.
The minor took about two years to be approved. Students in pursuit of this major will be required to take an introduction to queer studies course and a queering gender course. The other elective courses offered next fall under the women’s, gender and sexual studies department will include: gender and sexuality in Asian America; American Indian genders and sexualities; critical issues in Chicana and Latina studies; gender, sexuality, and desire in world history context and reproductive justice.
It’s 2012, and we finally have an academic minor for queer studies. A major would have been nice to make up for our school being completely behind the times, but this is the first step.
Dina Peroone, an assistant professor of sex, sexuality, crime and punishment, said she supports this minor and feels that it is imperative to inform students about this subject for life in the real world.
Queer studies is a critical approach to studies based on issues including sexual orientation, gender identity, the LGBT community and culture. The minor includes academic study in categories such as biology, sociology, psychology, political science and ethics.
Considering that we have a large LGBT community and pride parade in Long Beach, I would have assumed we would have this by now.
Our neighboring schools, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge, already offer degrees in the same field.
Other California schools offer degrees and certificates. Humboldt State University offers a multicultural queer studies minor. The University of California, Berkeley offers an LGBT studies minor. The University of California, Santa Barbara offers a queer studies minor in their department of feminist studies, and San Francisco State University offers an LGBT studies minor through its LGBT program.
I can understand SFSU beating us to the punch, but we are clearly a city of many cultures with a large community that appeals to this minor.
I am proud that we will have the option next year for this minor. I hope to see it become a major soon with more classes and options.
Krista Brooks is a junior journalism major and the assistant opinions editor for the Daily 49er.