Gender and Sexuality Commission

The purpose of the Gender and Sexuality Commission (GASC) is to actively promote awareness of gender and sexuality issues, as well as sexual assault, through outreach efforts, publicity drives, and special projects. Additionally, GASC works with campus resources pertaining to gender, sexuality, and sexual assault awareness education in order to improve these respective efforts on campus. Furthermore, GASC assists in the organization and coordination of educational programs concerning gender, sexuality, sexual assault and sexual harassment. Programs include: Generation Sex Week, attending the Western Regional LGBT Conference, supporting student groups/campus events through co-sponsorships, educational workshops, panels, and keynote speakers. GASC also reviews and makes recommendations to the ASUCD Senate and relevant ASUCD Commissions on gender, sexuality, and sexual assault programs at UC Davis and throughout the UC system.

GASC can offer collaboration/informational resources on projects, campaigns, educational programs and is able to budget money, write bills to senate, & co-sponsor. This 11-member voting body has legislative power and ability to mobilize students on issues pertaining to/but not limited to: domestic violence, gender equality, queer issues, sex positivity, minority groups, and awareness.

* "Chair:" Laura Brown
* Elizabeth Bache
* Bob Bhatti
* Jennifer Casanova
* Maribel Gomez
* Laura Kroeger
* Sarah Raridon
* Alison Tanner
* Sing Wang
Alternates:
Jose Marquez
Chelsea Norris
Allison Ramiller
Jenna Templeton

• Chair: Laura Brown (Fall 2008- )
  

• Vice-Chair: Bob Bhatti
  

• Jimmy Mou
  

• Kate Rockwell
  

• Jennifer Cassanova
  

• Anna Caroselli
  

• Laura Kroeger
  

• Alison Tanner
  

• Jeremia Kimelman

• Chair: Angelique Tarazi (Fall 2007- )
  

• Vice-Chair: Lauren Thomas
  

• Lee Grino
  

• Darny Sy
  

• Muriel Garcia
  

• Jimmy Mou
  

• Allyson Bertraut
  

• Caitlin Kenney
  

• Damaris Tobar
  

• Stephanie Robinson (alternate)
  

• Anna Caroselli (alternate)

Former commission chairs: Angelique Tarazi(Fall 2007-Spring 2008), Sarah Cokely (Winter 2007-Spring 2007), Robert Feldman (Fall 2006), Wenche Molenaar (Spring 2006), Genna Carnes (2005-Winter '06), Jenn de la Vega (2004-2005), Angelina Malfitano (2003-2004), Nathan Thomas (2002-2003).

On June 6th 1991, the ASUCD Executive Council passed Council Bill #66 which created the Sexual Assault Awareness Committee (SAAC) to "ensure student input on policies concerning sexual assault and to increase knowledge of sexual assault issues". The committee, according to the bill, met on the second Wednesday of every month. In 1998, SAAC became the Gender and Sexuality Committee in order to expand its work and to be more "inclusive of different genders and sexualities". In Winter 2002, a Constitutional Amendment, authored by former LEAD Senator and ASUCD Vice President Dan Beaman, created the ASUCD Gender and Sexuality Commission.

In 1998, SAAC became the Gender and Sexuality Committee in order to expand its work and to be more "inclusive of different genders and sexualities".

In Winter 2002, a Constitutional Amendment, authored by former LEAD Senator and ASUCD Vice President Dan Beaman, created the ASUCD Gender and Sexuality Commission.

http://asucd.ucdavis.edu/gov/commissions/gasc/

The ASUCD Gender and Sexuality Commission (GASC) meets every Tuesday from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm in the ASUCD Conference room on the 3rd floor of the Memorial Union (during the academic year). They are fun, so you should go there and help them plan programs which will help or interest you.

All GASC and Generation Sex Week events are free and open to all regardless of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, ideology, class etc. ASUCD and GASC welcome ALL students to come and participate in the events. Come celebrate, learn and have a great time!

• Their events do operate under voluntary Safe Zone guidelines and they ask that the attendees respect this request. A Safe Zone is an agreement to be respectful of all participants, presenters and attendees of an event. It also includes being non-judgmental and unpresumptuous about all who are involved. While the term Safe Zone may not be a "legal" term, it does coincide with the UC Davis Principles of Community. Some feel that there is no legal obligation, and therefore no moral obligation, to adhere to safe zone rules.

• Occasionally people mention personal examples when discussing programs, including their own sex toy use.

"See you at the next meeting!" - RevChad

I appreciate and enjoy what this commission does. GASC is very important today, in a time where high AIDS, other STD and teen pregnancy rates directly correlate to a lack of sex education. Furthermore, this year's commissioners have fostered creative dialogues among the various campus groups...where else could you find a Jew, a Muslim, and BrentLaabs talking about sex? This is also a time when parts of our society are finally recognizing the marginalization and bigotry towards homosexual and transgender inviduals who do not fall into traditional views of sexuality. By fostering a sexuality dialgoue they work to expand societal acceptance of the LGBTI community. Funding GASC only takes about $0.01 out of my pocket, well here is $0.02. JimSchwab

Every year GASC's "Sex Toy Workshop" (held during Generation Sex Week) causes controversy.

• In 2004, Ian Watson wrote an opinion in the aggie about why he thinks the workshop is "[an] idea so bad [it is] almost humorous." This article prompted several people to write to the California Aggie in defense of the "Sex Toy Workshop".
  

• He based his opinion on what little he saw as he "poked [his] head in for a while". Had he stayed for the entire workshop, he would have learned that since butt plugs should always have a wide stopper to keep it from going too far in, he should have put something around his neck to keep his head from getting wedged so far up his ass. —MarieHuynh paraphrasing RevChad
  

• That is freaking hilarious! —ss

Comments:

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The critiques I have read basically take the approach of "This shouldn't be done, so this shouldn't be talked about." As opposed to the approach "Since this is done, we should talk about it". The former is the same logic that the DARE program uses - which is why they don't talk about actually doing drugs, just that you ought not to do them. The consequences of actually doing them are not discussed. Similarly, conservatives don't like AIDS awareness or homosexual discussion in general, because once again, they think people ought not be doing them so it would be best not to talk about them. Any logical person that isn't bent up on emotional prejudices can see just where this approach would lead to - and it's not down a bright and cheery path. Call me a liberal, but anyone that criticizes events like the ones that GASC put on are just playing a game with themselfs of denying reality." - cjm

• Exactly. I've heard people say it is a liberal event while it is aimed at education without politics being involved at all. I think the people who focus on GASC using student fees should see where else their student fees go to. Places like the Health Center that give educational sessions on birth control are funded with student fees. Places like the Womens' Center, the LGBTRC, and more are all funded, in part, by student fees. These places all have a goal of educating and improving the physical, mental, social, and sexual health of the students - not some liberal agenda. - Ro
  

• I can understand the "against" point of view; the Health Center and Womens' Center are focused on health, safety and support. This is pretty much focused on "how to have kinky sex". That said, I support it... but because I support education and discussion of anything to adults. This seems to draw a crowd and is thus in demand... so was the Pixies concert last year. That all said, if I *didn't* think it was appropriate for adults to be educated on and discuss kinky sex, I would be upset about it. I think it's a healthy edge... there will be "edge" activities that some people don't want, and "over the edge" activities that the majority of people don't want. I could probably find a group of people willing to lecture on zooaphilia, but I think that would be "over the edge". Thus the line is drawn... when the majority of people involved want it gone, rather than a single person or minority. — jw
  

• Your opinion of "kinky sex" is not the universal opinion (fortunately). I feel that using categories like this is just another form of discriminating based on age, gender, sexuality, ability, race, ect., holding everyone to the "norm" of "proper" sexuality. Keep in mind that your opinion of sexual norms is personal when you called GASC events "edgy" or "controversial" and remember that GASC is promoting a more inclusive campus that will not hold anyone to another person's norm. —AlisonT
  

The California Aggie (print edition) contained an article on 1/12/2005 talking about an alleged liberal named "Mason" filming Generation Sex Week events with their permission — which are so-called 'Safe Zones' in which individuals are encouraged to speak freely. GASC suspected the filming individual to be a conservative because of his persistence.

• It is true that the individual known as "Mason" received permission from commissioners to film interviews, but he was misleading in the regard that he told commissioners that he was filming from a "liberal website" and was getting footage of "activism on campus". He was clearly not what he said himself to be after leaving several incriminating paper program evaluations stating it was a "waste of student money". He also did not receive full permission from the Sexuality panel participants or the participants of the open mic night.
  

• You are operating under the assumption that I am legally required to obtain permission. I believe that the paper program evaluation said "You've been penetrated" as well. :)- M
  

• There is a "Mason" on the Davis College Republicans board.
  

• I was also in 4-H as a child.-M