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Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference
The Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference is the largest LGBTA college conference in the nation. It is an annual conference organized by and for queer and allied college students and is hosted at a different midwestern college each year. The conference includes dozens of educational workshops on various topics that affect LGBTA people as well as a variety of inspirational plenary speakers and entertainment.

The first conference was held in 1993 at Iowa State University and was a collaborative effort between Iowa State University and Drake University.

About 1,700 students attended the most recent conference in February 2012 at Iowa State University, where over 90 workshops were offered.

Purpose
MBLGTACC is an opportunity for LGBTA students and their supporters to meet in a safe and supportive environment to learn and discuss issues of importance to the LGBTA community and other communities.

While the specific theme of the conference changes each year, overall the conference serves to educate and unify the LGBTA community while providing a safe and supportive forum for discourse about issues of interest to the community.

Overview of Schedule
The conference typically takes place on a weekend (Friday through Sunday) in February. Most attendees arrive on Friday, though some arrive Thursday or Saturday. Friday and Sunday are half-days.

The Friday schedule typically includes the opening remarks and welcome, the first of three keynote speakers and evening entertainment. Some years, the conference has had one or two workshop sessions or even a pre-conference with a variety of activities.

The bulk of the conference's events take place on Saturday. This includes three to five workshop sessions, the second keynote speaker, identity caucuses, state caucus meetings, the annual meeting of the oversight committee and evening entertainment. Some conference attendees explore the city nightlife, often visiting the local gay club or bar.

The Sunday schedule typically includes about two workshop sessions, the third keynote speaker and closing remarks, including the announcement of the school that was selected to host the conference in two years. Since the establishment of the oversight committee in 2007, conference hosts have been selected two years in advance.

Workshops
The workshops are about a variety of topics that affect the LGBTA community. This includes:


 * Being out and Greek
 * Coming out
 * Athletics
 * The queer umbrella
 * Intersection of race/ethnicity and sexual orientation/gender identity
 * Urban vs. rural, midwestern vs. coastal experiences
 * Racism within the queer community
 * Religion, faith and spirituality
 * Kink and BDSM
 * Asexuality
 * Intersexuality
 * Allyship
 * Bisexual invisibility
 * Polyamory
 * Sex vs. gender
 * Feminism
 * Trans* identities
 * Disability
 * Military
 * Drag
 * “Ex-gay” conversion/reparative therapy
 * LGBT history
 * Bullying, discrimination and harassment in schools
 * HIV/AIDS
 * Inclusive sex education
 * Suicide and the queer community
 * Politics
 * Adoption
 * Youth homelessness
 * Being queer in the workplace
 * Immigration
 * Stereotypes
 * Marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships
 * Media representations and celebrities
 * Effective forms of creating change
 * Generation gap between youth and older adults

1993: Iowa State University and Drake University in Ames, Iowa
The first annual MBLGCC was held at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa from Feb. 19 – 21, 1993.[1] It was a collaborative effort between Drake University and Iowa State University.

1994: Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana
MBLGCC 1994 was held at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana from Feb. 18 – 20, 1994.

Theme

“Greetings From the 90’s: Wish You Were Here/Queer”

Speakers The following biographies are taken from a listserv announcement for the conference dated Feb. 14, 1994 :


 * Angela Bowen
 * Tom Neal

Special Workshop Presenters

The following biographies are taken from a listserv announcement for the conference dated Feb. 14, 1994 :


 * Kevin Berrill
 * Felice Yeskel

Entertainment

The following biographies are taken from a listserv announcement for the conference dated Feb. 14, 1994 :


 * The Flirtations
 * Marga Gomez

Details

The conference was organized by the Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay People’s Union, a student organization at Earlham College. The conference was co-organized by students Justin Connor and Josh Riley from the LBGPU. According to Justin Connor, about 330-350 people attended.

Early registration (by Jan. 25, 1994) price was $15; pre-registration (by Feb. 5, 1994) price was $17; and late registration/at the door prices were $22.[3]

Following the conference, the Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay People’s Union was $3,000 in debt.[2] Its organizers sent out a call via the listserv to other campus groups across the U.S. for donations. The group needed to pay off this debt by March 15, or it would lose its office and recognition as a campus group for one year and would not be allowed to do any queer programming on campus, according to the listserv plea.

1995: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois
Organizers

Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

Entertainment

Details

According to a listserv announcement dated April 30, 1994, the student group that organized the conference was denied funding from the university because of the conference’s “lack of broad appeal.”

Speakers
The following biographies are taken from a listserv announcement for the conference dated Dec. 18, 1995 :

* Paul Wesselmann
 * Lillian Faderman
 * Miriam Ben-Shalom

Entertainment

 * WiLDe BOYs
 * Karen Williams

1997: Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

Entertainment

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The conference was renamed the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender College Conference.

1998: University of Illinois at Chicago in Chicago, Illinois
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

Entertainment

Details

1999: University of Wisconsin at Madison in Madison, Wisconsin
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

Entertainment

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2000: Saint Cloud State University in Saint Cloud, Minnesota
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

Entertainment

Details

2001: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Illinois
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

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The conference was renamed the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference.

2002: Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

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Michigan State University

2003: The Ohio State University at Columbus in Columbus, Ohio
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

Entertainment

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2004: Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

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This was the second time that Iowa State University hosted the conference.

2005: Saint Cloud State University in Saint Cloud, Minnesota
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

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This was the second time that St. Cloud State University hosted the conference.

2006: University of South Dakota at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

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The University of South Dakota is located in _________, but the conference was held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, about 60 miles away.

2007: University of Minnesota at Twin Cities in Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

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The MBLGTACC Oversight Committee is formed.

2008: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Illinois
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

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This was the second time that University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hosted the conference.

2009: Indiana University Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

Entertainment

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2010: University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

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This was the second time that the University of Wisconsin-Madison hosted the conference.

2011: University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Speakers Special Workshop Presenters

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Details