Athens, Ga. – University of Georgia counseling professor Corey Johnson and senior Skyler Musgrove were honored for their work advocating for gender equity and inclusiveness on campus during UGA’s 2011 Lavender Graduation.
Johnson, an associate professor of recreation and leisure studies in the College of Education’s department of counseling and human development services, received the 2011 Founders Award for his work as former chair and present interim chair of GLOBES, a diverse local organization of faculty, staff, graduate students and administrators who advocate for UGA’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or LGBTQ communities.
In addition, Johnson’s primary areas of research include gender/masculinity and sexual orientation. In 2008, he received the Scholarship of Engagement Grant for Enhanced University Engagement that funded his research of collective memories of LGBTQ high school experiences. From that project, the documentary film Be There For Me was produced, which was later followed with a similar documentary focusing specifically on the experiences of transgender youth called We Exist. Both of these documentaries gave voice to LGBTQ identified youth, their high school experiences, and how teachers and administrators can make their experience better.
Johnson also was praised for co-founding the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition, a partnership of educators, community organizations and safe school activists who raise awareness about issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth and families. The GSSC works with educators and community organizations to help Georgia’s schools become safe and affirming environments for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and/or expression.
Johnson joined the UGA faculty in 2007 after serving as an assistant professor at California State University at Long Beach from 2003 to 2006. He received his Ph.D. in recreation and leisure studies from UGA in 2002.
The Founders Award was established in 2005 in honor of Asa Green who co-founded the first gay student organization at UGA, the Committee on Gay Education, in 1971.
The first Outstanding Student Advocate Award was presented to Skyler Musgrove, a senior from Douglasville majoring in mass media arts, anthropology and new media. Musgrove was recognized for his work in initiatives to create an equitable and inclusive environment for all students, specifically advocating for the addition of gender identity and expression to the university’s non-discrimination policy.
The annual event, sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center, the Lambda Alliance and GLOBES, honors lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-indentified faculty and graduating students at UGA. For more information on UGA’s Lavender Graduation, see http://www.uga.edu/lgbtcenter/students/graduation.html.
