The keynote speaker for the annual LGBTQ+ symposium this March will be T. Wise. PHOTO CREDIT: Maddie Bataille | Photo Editor
On March 23, the University of Rhode Island will host its 27th annual LGBTQ+ Symposium, where T. Wise, a transgender writer, educator, performer and social justice activist, will speak about his life experiences and what it is like to be a transgender person today.
The symposium is a week-long event that includes a number of activities throughout the week. The main attraction for the event is keynote speaker T. Wise, who will be performing comedy and speaking on an open panel about a documentary about him with students that will feature Wise, the director of the film, Christoph Green and Wise’s parents. Annie Russell, director of the Gender and Sexuality Center, said that she is excited to present this opportunity to URI students.
“The symposium is the longest standing diversity event at URI,” Russell said. “I love organizing the event every year and giving our students the opportunity to hear from someone with a very unique perspective and share experiences.”
Wise will be discussing his struggles with being transgender and his life experiences at this year’s symposium.
He has been writing about his experiences as a transgender man since the late 2010s and has produced two albums along with a number of articles. Wise, also known as “Little Boy Blue,” also performs, traveling to talk to fellow members of the LGBTQ+ community and share his experiences through discussion.
Wise was brought in for the symposium by Amy Olson, the executive director of the URI chapter of Hillel. Olson has known Wise since he was a child and knew he would be a perfect candidate to speak at the symposium.
“I knew T.’s parents, so I have known him since he was a little kid,” Olson said. “I was really excited to have him on because he is just a tremendous person with such an interesting background.”
Not only will Wise be speaking at the symposium, but he will also be featured in a documentary about his life. These films are written by Green as a part of The Flux Series, a docu-series about transgender experiences. In a time when members of the transgender community are at the center of political battles, Russell feels strongly that people like T. Wise’s voices need to be heard.
“We made a conscious effort to look for transgender people to be our keynote speakers this year because we are in a time where these people are being attacked politically and socially,” Russell said. “Life is not always hunky-dory and more times than not there are good moments and bad. We felt like T’s perspective and work background was really important to share.”
This documentary about Wise will be screened at the symposium for the students. Olson said this will be a very unique opportunity for students.
“I am very proud to be involved in something like this,” Olson said. “Events like this aren’t a tradition at a lot of schools but having the opportunity to bring in and learn from people like T. is very valuable for our students.”
Since the symposium’s founding in 1995, T. Wise is the first person of Jewish and transgender background to speak at the event. Olson is hopeful that this new perspective will bring in a lot of eyes and ears.
“I think T. has an amazing perspective on the world,” Olson said. “I encourage everyone to come and listen to him and take his words with them. We all have room to learn when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community.”