Winona State hosts LGBTQ activist

Lauren Saner/Winonan

“Who here likes poetry?” J Mase III asked the audience as he began his presentation Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The audience responded somewhat enthusiastically.

“Who here likes the LBGTQ Community?”

A roar erupted from the audience.

“Are you all up for experimenting tonight?”

J Mase III is a blogger for the Huffington Post, a slam poet, and an author of several books.

Mase was invited to Winona State University by the K.E.A.P. Diversity Resource Center, Minnesota State Southeastern Technical College, Winona State University Equity Theme Team, Full Spectrum and the Inclusion Diversity Office Staff to celebrate Coming Out Week and Coming Out Day, which was Sunday Oct. 11.

Full Spectrum officer Morgan Abel expressed her thoughts on Coming Out Week.

“I think it is a great thing that it is a nationally and internationally recognized day…[it’s good that] we’ve come this far,” she said.

Abel continued to share how it is a good “visibility” day, meant to encourage others to be themselves and share who they are and their sexuality. She said it should not be a day to force people to come out to others, but a way to support those who are a part of the Lesbian Bisexual Gay Transgender Queer (LBGTQ) community, whether they choose to come out or not.

Abel said she was enthusiastic about the performance. She had heard good things about Mase, and expressed her interest in slam poetry.

Mase presented 10 poems he wrote, all based on his life and interactions with friends, family and random strangers who made comments on his sexuality.

His motto for poems for the evening was: “Anytime anyone in my life [screws] up, they get a poem.”

The focus of the poems ranged from his reactions to an inappropriate comment about his sexuality after being fired from a job and having to deal with the acceptance from his family, to the difference of religion among his parents and losing his father. One line from one of Mase’s poems aptly describes his poetic work.

“Fueled by the incessant anger of strangers/ And/ Meant for everybody,” Mase read.

The event was an hour of poems and Mase engaging the audience in between each poem.

Abel enjoyed the performance and how Mase was interactive with the audience, as well as the use of slam poetry to express controversial issues.

Ethan Bergen, a first-year student and member of Full Spectrum, found Mase to be inspirational, and would love to see him perform again.

Carl Stange, director of undergraduate admissions, also attended the event and said he enjoyed Mase’s interaction with the students and the students’ respect and attentiveness toward him. Stange said Mase’s sharing of his two religious backgrounds of Muslim and Christianity gave him new views on both faiths.

Mase explained why he decided to start doing slam poetry and his other organizations.

“[I wanted to] make space for me and others like me,” Mase said.

Mase created an organization called “awQward.” This talent agency was created to help transgender people, particularly of color, to succeed in performing and to influence others to think about the arts, the culture and history of transpeople of color.

Mase said he does all he can to present the importance of race and class impact to those in the LBGTQ community, especially trans-African American women. Mase also ends all performances with a meditation to respect transpeople and remember those that have been lost to violence.

To learn more about J Mase III, visit his website jmaseiii.com or awQwardtalent.com to learn more about his organization.