When Julia Himberg and Sa Whitley met at the Humanities Institute in 2023, an academic relationship was immediately forged. They were both working in queer and transgender studies, though they hadn’t crossed paths yet, Himberg an associate professor of film and media studies and associate chair in the Department of English, and Whitley an assistant professor of women and gender studies in the School of Social Transformation. 

During their conversations, they realized they were both craving an intellectual architecture for scholarly engagement to bridge the gap between faculty, students and staff working in queer and transgender studies across the humanities, sciences, arts, social sciences and engineering. We have colleagues across ASU who are prominent scholars, but all too often, we simply don't know each other, Himberg says. In fall 2024, the Queer X Humanities initiative was founded at the Humanities Institute.

During its first year, Queer X Humanities hosted an open house and roundtables, including a national symposium titled “Black Trans Futurities: Political Imaginaries in the Academy and the Arts,” facilitating connections that led to friendships, research collaborations, academic panels at major conferences and peer-to-peer mentorship. Archives are the infrastructure that hold our collective memories and that extends to preserving the history of marginalized groups and uplifting their voices.

At two upcoming events on Oct. 9, guests will have the opportunity to engage with John D’Emilio, one of the early scholars of gay and lesbian studies, and Nancy Godoy, the associate archivist and director of the Community-Driven Archives Initiative at ASU Library, which houses a repository rich in LGBTQ+ legacy and Arizona history, including the BJ Bud Memorial Archives.

The Queer Archives Workshop from 10 a.m.–noon will include hands-on activities and a guided discussion with Godoy and D’Emilio, while An Evening with John D’Emilio from 4–6:30 p.m. will include a formal presentation by D’Emilio, a brief Q&A facilitated by Himberg and Whitley, and a closing reception. Both events will highlight the importance of LGBTQ+ archives, queer historical methodologies, and queer and transgender studies research.

Source: https://news.asu.edu/b/20251003-pair-upcoming-events-highlight-importance-lgbtq-history