Lee Wind, M.Ed. Speaker Visits

Did you know that Gandhi left his wife for a man?  (And the book that mentioned it was banned?)



Or that Shakespeare was bisexual?

Or why Sappho from Lesbos is so famous?  (The island she lived on is where we get the term "lesbian.")

Or that 4,300 years ago an Egyptian Pharaoh had a woman's body and wore men's clothes and a false beard?

This new 30-60 minute powerful presentation (plus a 15-20 minute Q&A) looks at who writes history and focuses on same-gender love.  Lee explores how some surprising people in history were men who loved other men, women who loved other women, and individuals who defied the boundaries of conventional gender. 

Knowing that many significant people in history were Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Gender Non-Conforming, Queer, Questioning and Allies can let LGBTQ youth and young adults today know that they are not alone.  And knowing our Queer history can help us all better understand our present, and empower our future!

How do I get Lee to come speak to my school or group?

DISCOVER GLBTQ HISTORY

This new session was presented for the first time as

"HIStory HERStory OURstory"

at California State University, Fresno on May 1, 2012 as part of the Prentise J. Womack Lecture on the FAIR Education Act at the Henry Madden Library.  Jennifer Crow of the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature would be an excellent reference for this presentation.

It was also presented:

at PFLAG Los Angeles in July 2012,

at PFLAG Pasadena in September 2012 

at PFLAG Ventura in September 2012

at Models Of Pride in Los Angeles in October 2012

and

at Brentwood School, Brentwood CA as part of their Diversity Day in February 2013

From the PFLAG - Los Angeles website:

"The joy of seeing your presence and hearing your history presentation was overwhelming.  (I am sure you have heard this hundreds of times)  You are bright, intelligent, inspiring, a proud man, and a very responsible human being…"
- Bahram, attendee at my PFLAG Los Angeles presentation, July 2012

"There are many knowledgeable public speakers but most are oblivious to the importance of an entertaining and informative presentation.  Lee Wind's dedication to sharing soul-enhancing wisdom and reducing hypocritical ignorance comes through with unparallelled humor and passion." 

- Nathaliel, attendee at my PFLAG-Los Angeles presentation, July 2012



Upcoming presentations of Discover GLBTQ History include:

California Teachers Association GLBT Caucus meeting, Los Angeles, CA, on  April 5, 2013



"Lee is an amazing and engaging speaker! After reading his blog for young people, I invited him to speak for a library panel lecture at Fresno State on California’s FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Education Act. Lee’s portion of the evening was to speak to us about LGBT history. His research on many great leaders and well-known people was quite enlightening to those of us raised with the history of white, straight males. He provided us with information that has been traditionally suppressed from the general public. 

Lee has a wonderful presence and is as charming as he is informative. He blends compassion and humor with serious pedagogy and also gets the audience moving and thinking on their feet.  His presentation on LGBT history should definitely be heard by anyone wanting to expand their understanding of the past and its affect on the present." 

- Jennifer Crow, Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature

"Thanks for the wonderful job you did as part of the panel discussion on the FAIR Education Act at CSUFresno last week.  Specifically I liked how you addressed the standard perception about the way the word homosexual is perceived and are encouraging a mindset that focuses on the way people love versus simply allowing the focus to be simply about the mechanics of some forms of physical actions.

...As I know you are only too aware of, and contrary to what those opposing factual inclusion of LGBT information like to carry on about, this information isn't all about 'the sex.'  It's about the whole picture of who as people we all are. 

Presentations like yours help get that message out and in particular could be welcomed by many of those who have concerns about this issue but whose fears are more based on how it has been spun in the media versus an actual desire to stop anyone from learning that any specific figure was/is LGBT.  This mindset reflects the place many people I run into are at and for them getting the opportunity to hear about this issue from your perspective could be really helpful so I hope you will continue to share your presentation whenever possible."                 

- Attendee at the Cal State Fresno panel presentation

Discussions with attendees after my presentation at California State University Fresno.

"I was completely amazed how Lee Wind was able to link together LGBT history, LGBT literature, LGBT issues about pronoun usage, the FAIR Act, and a bunch of other stuff in 45 minutes.  He recited Shakespearean sonnets from memory, and shared a bit of his own history as well.  Wow!  'Very effective,' according to the youth in attendance." 

-Douglas Pollock, Ventura County PFLAG, Sept 2012

"Thank you for bringing your passion and knowledge to Pasadena PFLAG. Your presentation was engaging and I could not believe how much information was packed into a short amount of time. Most of all I loved that you took names that we all know, like Abraham Lincoln, Tchaikovsky, and Jane Addams, and filling in the gaps that were not taught in our history classes growing up. Sharing this knowledge is so important for everyone, especially future generations who will be learning this in school as they grow up, not just learning it later in life.

Thank you,

- Mary Manzo"

attendee at my Pasadena PFLAG presentation, September 2012