October 18, 2024

Proposing the LGBTQ Interest Group Become a Commission

Whereas, since the establishment of the Lesbian, Gay and Family Interest Group in 1993, AEJMC has had units focused on issues of those in sexual marginalized groups; and

Whereas, what is now known as the AEJMC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Interest Group was first formed in 2003; and

Whereas, for more than twenty years, much of AEJMC’s advocacy for sexual and gender minorities has been led through the work of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Interest Group; and

Whereas, diversity is one of the five core areas of the Professional Freedom & Responsibility (PF&R) mission of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC); and

Whereas, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) has established “Diversity and Inclusiveness” as one of the eight standards by which all 119 accredited units are evaluated, tasking those units with empowering individuals traditionally disenfranchised based on their sexual orientation, gender and/or sex assigned at birth; and

Whereas, other marginalized groups within AEJMC are represented among membership as Commissions, with their heads serving as members of the AEJMC Board of Directors; and

Whereas, moving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Interest Group will create a more equitable, diverse and inclusive environment for marginalized groups in AEJMC;

Now, therefore, be it resolved, that AEJMC members support the establishment of the Commission on the Status of the LGBTQ+ Community; and

Be it further resolved that based on the recommendation of the AEJMC Board of Directors, AEJMC members be urged to participate in the online voting required to amend the AEJMC bylaws to establish a fourth Commission on the Status of the LGBTQ+ Community.

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CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)

The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a nonprofit scholarly organization with more than 2,000 members in about 40 countries who teach and research journalism, public relations, advertising, digital media, film, and media literacy. Founded in 1912, AEJMC is the oldest and largest alliance of communication educators and administrators at the college level. AEJMC’s mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to encourage the broadest possible range of communication research, to promote the implementation of a multicultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve better professional practice, a better-informed public, and wider human understanding.

<AEJMC 2024 Resolutions

AEJMC members approved resolutions during the 2024 year.

October 18, 2024

The AEJMC Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility (PF&R) has endorsed the three proposed resolutions which were developed by the PF&R subcommittee on resolutions and members of the AEJMC Council of Divisions (CoD).

AEJMC plays a key role in representing the interests of its more than 2000 members on topics such as freedom of information, diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as academic freedom.

In accordance with the recently amended bylaws, three separate online discussion forums were open in the AEJMC Community for members to discuss the three proposed resolutions.

Questions? Contact Amanda Caldwell, AEJMC Executive Director, at amanda@aejmc.org.

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Resolution One: Supporting Black Women in Higher Education Leadership

Resolution Two: Supporting Indigenous Scholars and Indigenous-Owned Media

Resolution Three: Proposing the LGBTQ Interest Group Become a Commission

 

<AEJMC Resolutions