Jen Riley (she/her)

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Identity: Lesbian

What motivates you to be visible on campus?

To be a role model for students, as well as a visible part of the LGBTQ community on campus. Being visible is one way we stand up to the culture of heteronormativity. As a Professor of English and Gender & Women’s Studies, I often teach about sexuality and gender in my courses, especially in GWS courses on feminist theory. Part of my own published scholarship is on American Poet Adrienne Rich, who is well known for her essay on compulsory heterosexuality and the Dream of a Common Language in 1978 that includes a section titled “Twenty-One Love Poems” on love between women