Author Claudia Brenner Addresses Anti-Gay Violence on March 30

03/11/2009 

Claudia Brenner, who barely lived to write the book Eight Bullets: One Woman’s Story of Surviving Anti-Gay Violence, will lecture on Monday, March 30, at SUNY Cortland.

Brenner’s presentation, which begins at 7 p.m. in Old Main Brown Auditorium, continues the College’s Women’s History Month series of events. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about the presentation, contact Judy Ouellette, associate professor of psychology, at (607) 753-4218 or judith.ouellette@cortland.edu.

For more information about Women’s History Month, contact Mechthild Nagel, director of the College’s Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies and interim Women’s Studies coordinator, at (607) 753-2013 or mecke.nagel@cortland.edu.

In May 1988, Brenner survived a gunman’s attack while hiking with her partner on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. Her partner was killed. She walked four miles out of the woods with five gunshot wounds to get help. Brenner’s account of her survival, as well as her views about the American criminal justice, health care and mental health systems and her commitment to social activism, are described in her 1995 book Eight Bullets, published by Firebrand Press of Ithaca.

“Anti-gay violence is much bigger than anyone admits,” Brenner said. “It affects all sorts of people. And my story seems to have a huge impact on all people because it is so horrific and it doesn’t leave room for a person to stay uncommitted. When you hear the story ? two women, unarmed, innocent, shot ? people don’t stay neutral. They go to a place of compassion.”

Lecture sponsors include the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Committee; the President’s and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Offices; the Women’s Studies Committee of the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies, the Cortland Foundation and the Affirmative Action Committee.