Open Door Discussions

Approximately four times each semester, the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center hosts Open Door Discussions (ODDs). These student-led presentations cover an LGBTQ-related topic and then encourage dialogue with participants. All GVSU students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend! ODDs are INT 100/201 approved, so students can attend and participate for class credit. Open Door Discussion are engaging, informative, and fun! We hope you can join us.


Academic year 2024-2025

  • April 2025: Self-care Seminar
  • April 2025: Kept in the Dark - On Queer Visibility (or lack thereof)
  • April 2025: Rainbows & Rhymes: Queer Poetry and Poets
  • March 2025: The Queer Burnout Breakdown
  • March 2025: Rethinking Access: The Intersection of LGBTQ and Disabled Identities
  • November 2024: The Global Impact of K-pop
  • November 2024: Queer? Lit! - A Guide to LGBT+ Books
  • November 2024: ID ≠ Identity: The Unexpected Politics of Legal Identification for Transgender People
  • April 2024: The White Rainbow and the Intersection of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Identities
  • April 2024: Spring into Self-Care, A Look into Self-Love for the LGBTQ Community in a Fast-Paced World
  • February 2024: Why are Vampires so Yassified? Queries about Vampirism in Classical Literature and Adaptations 
  • February 2024: We're Here! We're Queer? Challenging How We Define the World and Ourselves
  • December 2023: Were They...You Know?: A Thoughtful Analysis of Retrospective Identity Labeling
  • November 2023: Local LGBTQ+ History, focusing on GVSU and Grand Rapids
  • November 2023: Queer Mental Health 
  • October 2023: Gender Essentialism - You are more than biology
  • October 2023: Disabilities and Chronic Conditions within the LGBTQ+ Community
  • February 2023: The Pendulum Effect: How Hate Threatens LGBTQ+ Pride
  • February 2023: Ace in Queer Space: The History of Asexuality in the LBGTQ+ Community
  • March 2023: The Rainbow Infinity: Intersections of Queerness and Autism
  • March 2023: Physical and Social Health in the LGBTQ+ Community
  • November 2022: Roe v. Wade: An Attack on Bodily Autonomy and Trans Lives
  • November 2022: More than Warhol: A Look into Queer Art History
  • November 2022: Exclusion in the LGBTQ+ Community
Two student workers presenting an open door discussion on the overturning of row vs. wade. The Center is bright and colorful, with attendees facing away from the camera and toward the presenters.

Open Door Discussion Archive

Academic year 2023-2024

  • April 2024: The White Rainbow and the Intersection of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Identities
  • April 2024: Spring into Self-Care, A Look into Self-Love for the LGBTQ Community in a Fast-Paced World
  • February 2024: Why are Vampires so Yassified? Queries about Vampirism in Classical Literature and Adaptations 
  • February 2024: We're Here! We're Queer? Challenging How We Define the World and Ourselves
  • December 2023: Were They...You Know?: A Thoughtful Analysis of Retrospective Identity Labeling
  • November 2023: Local LGBTQ+ History, focusing on GVSU and Grand Rapids
  • November 2023: Queer Mental Health 
  • October 2023: Gender Essentialism - You are more than biology
  • October 2023: Disabilities and Chronic Conditions within the LGBTQ+ Community

Winter 2023 Semester

  • December 2023: Were They...You Know?: A Thoughtful Analysis of Retrospective Identity Labeling
  • November 2023: Local LGBTQ+ History, focusing on GVSU and Grand Rapids
  • November 2023: Queer Mental Health 
  • October 2023: Gender Essentialism - You are more than biology
  • October 2023: Disabilities and Chronic Conditions within the LGBTQ+ Community


Page last modified May 14, 2025