Journalists Frank Bruni of the New York Times and Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post and MSNBC will participate in a forum on the future of LGBT rights in America this Wednesday (April 10) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Journalists Frank Bruni of the New York Times and Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post and MSNBC will participate in a forum on the future of LGBT rights in America this Wednesday (April 10) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The discussion will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium at the FedEx Global Education Center, at the corner of Pittsboro and McCauley streets.
Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, Chapel Hill’s first openly gay mayor, will introduce Bruni and Capehart, also both openly gay. The journalists will discuss the rapidly changing terrain of LGBT rights in America: marriage equality, homophobia in schools and workplaces, military service and actions taken by LGBT politicians and advocates. The conversation will be moderated by Janie Long of Duke University, director of Duke’s Center for LGBT Life and an affiliated faculty member with the programs in women’s studies and sexuality studies.
Bruni, a UNC alumnus, joined the Times in 1995, holding his most recent position as op-ed columnist since June 2011. Before that, Bruni was the Times’ chief restaurant critic from June 2004 through August 2009 and Rome bureau chief from 2002 to 2004. He is also the author of the memoir “Born Round,” and “Ambling Into History,” a chronicle of George W. Bush's campaign for the presidency.
Capehart is a member of the Post editorial board and writes about politics and social issues for the PostPartisan blog. He is also an MSNBC contributor, appearing regularly on “Morning Joe” and other dayside programs. Before joining The Post in 2007, Capehart was the deputy editor of New York Daily News editorial page from 2002 to 2005. He worked as a policy adviser to Michael Bloomberg in his successful campaign for mayor of New York City.
The event is hosted by the UNC LGBT Representation and Rights Research Initiative. It is co-sponsored by the curriculum in global studies, the program in sexuality studies, the provost’s committee on LGBTQ life, and the Center for Global Initiatives.
Global studies contact: Lara Markstein, (919) 962-5442, laram@email.unc.edu