The challenges of being a person of color in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender America will be the topic of a talk by Juan Battle, former president of The Association of Black Sociologists, when he visits Cal State San Bernardino on Wednesday, Oct. 11.

“Closets Are for Clothes: Being a Person of Color in LGBT America,” will be presented at noon in the Santos Manuel Student Union Theater. Battle’s talk is free and open to the public; parking at CSUSB is $6.

Annika Anderson, assistant professor of sociology at CSUSB, was awarded funds from several sources to bring Battle to campus.

“Battle was a key member of my dissertation committee and an influential asset as I navigated the academic job market,” Anderson said. “He is an avid advocate for students of color, LGBT students, and marginalized individuals. Students and faculty who are interested in race, gender, sexuality, and their intersections will be particularly interested in this event, as it illustrates the university’s commitment to an inclusive environment.”

Battle, a professor of sociology at The Graduate Center at the City University of New York, will discuss his findings from The Social Justice Sexuality Project, one of the largest ever national surveys of Black, Latina/o, and Asian and Pacific Islander, and multiracial lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. 

The project involved more than 5,000 respondents, and the final sample includes respondents from all 50 states; Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; in rural and suburban areas, in addition to large urban areas; and from a variety of ages, racial/ethnic identities, sexual orientations and gender identities.

In addition to the noon presentation, Battle will meet with CSUSB faculty to discuss “Navigating Academia as a Person of Color” in a morning session, and “Keys to Increasing Your Grantsmanship” in the afternoon. He is also scheduled to meet and have lunch with LGBT students on campus, and with the CSUSB Sociology Club.

In addition to his teaching duties, Battle is the coordinator of The Graduate Center’s Africana Studies Certificate Program. His research focuses on race, sexuality and social justice. He is the coeditor of “Black Sexualities: Probing Powers, Passions, Practices, and Policies (2010),” and he has also authored dozens of book chapters, academic articles and encyclopedia entries.

Battle has delivered lectures at a multitude of universities, colleges, community-based organizations and funding agencies throughout the world, and his scholarship has included work throughout North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Europe. His work has been highlighted in popular national magazines, radio shows and newspapers, among them Black Entertainment Television (BET), Essence, and the Advocate.

Battle was recently a Fulbright Senior Specialist and the Fulbright Distinguished Chair of Gender Studies at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria; he is currently an affiliate faculty member of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies, the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

Battle’s talk is sponsored by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the CSUSB Intellectual Life Fund, the University Diversity Committee and The Pride Center at California State University, San Bernardino.

For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.