Pat Griffin
Photo: Sexual Minorities Archives
Will Help Expand Focus of the Sexual Minorities Archives
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Pat Griffin, Professor Emerita in Social Justice Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has joined the board of directors of the Sexual Minorities Educational Foundation, Inc. (SMEF), an educational non-profit that furthers the work of the Sexual Minorities Archives (SMA). Griffin’s research and writing interests at UMass were LGBT issues in education and athletics. She has been an advocate for LGBT equality in sports for over 30 years. Griffin is founding director for Changing the Game: The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Sports Project. She is the former director of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s It Takes A Team project, a LGBT education project. She regularly consults with the NCAA and college athletic departments on LGBT issues in sports and is a NCAA-recognized speaker.
The Sexual Minorities Archives is a national collection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) literature, history, and art located in Northampton, Massachusetts. SMEF has assembled a diverse group of community activists, authors, educators, and students as its board of directors and is currently a pending 501(c)(3) non-profit after its IRS filing last fall.
“We are thrilled and proud that Pat Griffin has joined the board of directors,” said SMEF executive director Bet Power Alwin. “Pat will add invaluable knowledge about LGBT issues in sports to the collections focus of the Archives and she will be key to making information related to LGBT athletes and athletics accessible to the public. In addition, Pat will help the Archives develop educational projects and programs about LGBT people in sports.”
“SMEF is an incredible historical resource for the community and I am excited to work with such an important organization,” said Pat Griffin.
Pat Griffin is the author of Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sports, co-editor of Teaching For Diversity and Social Justice, and co-author of On The Team: Equal Opportunities for Transgender Student-Athletes, the NCAA Guide for the Inclusion of Transgender Athletes and Champions of Respect: NCAA Guide for the Inclusion of LGBTQ Student-Athletes. In addition, she is the author of Pat Griffin’s LGBT Sports Blog at www.ittakesateam.blogspot.com.
In 2013, Griffin received the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Education Distinguished Faculty Award.
SMEF, Inc. is currently seeking additional board members, especially welcoming LGBTQI people of color. For more information, email sexualminorities.archives@yahoo.com.
[From a News Release]
