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Refugee Survivors of LGBTQ Persecution is Focus of Public Talk November 5 at Palo Alto Art Center

Join us for an evening of learning and discussion on Monday, November 5th with Sharalyn Jordan, Ph.D., assistant professor of counseling, psychology and equity studies at Canada’s Simon Fraser University.  Dr. Jordan’s talk, Doing Justice with/in Research with Refugee Survivors of Homophobic and Transphobic Persecution, will take place at the Palo Alto Art Center and is open to the public. PAU students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.

Dr. Jordan works at the intersection of mental health and social justice, using community-engaged and critical qualitative inquiry to research the implications of homophobic and transphobic persecution for refugee protection, settlement, and mental health. Her research explores how the intersectionality of erasure, stigma, trauma, and oppressions constrain possibilities for safety, belonging, and resilience of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ+) refugees. 

In community collaborations, Dr. Jordan mobilizes research into legal, policy, and social service interventions that promote more equitable, LGBTQ+ responsive, and trauma-informed approaches to refugee protection and settlement.  Current projects include consultation and training for the Refugee Board's Guideline on decisions related to Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression, community-based research on psychosocial supports and adaptation of SOGIE/LGBTQ+ refugees. Dr. Jordan publishes across disciplines, with publications in Refuge, Forced Migration Review, Qualitative Health Research and Canadian Journal of Communication.  A champion of gender equity, safety and belonging, Dr. Jordan lives and works on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples: the Musqueam, Squamish, Sto'lo, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Event details:
6:30pm: Catered Reception (Palo Alto Art Center)

7:15pm: Talk by Sharalyn Jordan, Ph.D., followed by Q&A session with PAU President Maureen O’Connor, Ph.D., J.D., and CLEAR Director Kimberly Balsam, Ph.D.  (Palo Alto Art Center)

Registration is free; please RSVP here. For inquiries and accommodation information, please contact Jo at jharvey@paloaltou.edu or (650) 433-3856. Cost of admission is free.

Sponsored by The Center for LGBTQ Evidence-Based Applied Research (CLEAR) of Palo Alto University, with thanks to our partner Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI).