top of page

LGBTQIA+

INITIATIVE

The LGBTQIA+ initiative aims to bring attention to the issues that LGBTQIA+ debaters face in the speech and debate community, and our goal is to pursue projects that highlight the LGBTQIA+ debate experience to make the community a more equitable, inclusive space for any identity.

FIND US ON THE BR INSTAGRAM

Look for rainbow Instagram posts!

IMG_5391.jpg

FUTURE

PROJECTS

  • Conduct interviews with LGBTQIA+ competitors

  • To become an interview participant, click here

  • Provide lists of literature, articles, art, music, and other media relevant to discussing LGBTQIA+ issues

  • Host ally-friendly discussions

  • Disseminate guides pertaining to running identity arguments 

MEET THE INITIATIVE HEADS

Image%20from%20iOS%20(3)_edited.jpg

Cayla Thames (they/them)

Meet Cayla Lynn Thames, head of the LGBTQIA+ Initiative and head of the Nevada Chapter! Cayla is a junior at Green Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, competing in Program Oral Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, Prose and Poetry, and Humorous Interpretation. They have a passion for activism and uplifting the voices of BIPOC queer competitors in Speech and Debate. They are involved with March For Our Lives NV, UNLV's Black Lives Matter chapter, and are currently creating a nonprofit geared towards empowering multiracial youth. Cayla's favorite things are walking their pug Waffle, bullet journaling, reading Leigh Bardugo's novels, and eating pad thai.

Want to join the LGBTQIA+ Initiative? 

Membership Criteria: 

  • Must identify within the LGBTQIA+ community (including those questioning!) 

  • Must be respectful of everyone's identities no matter what. 

  • Members cannot have track records that have made people feel unsafe under any circumstances, including situations pertaining to, but not limited to: accusations of racism, sexism, ableism, queerphobia, transphobia, xenophobia, religious intolerance, allegations of sexual assault.

How to apply: 

If you are interested in applying, you can fill out the Student Position form. 

bottom of page