Panel discussion on ‘bystander intervention’

Date of Event: January 23, 2013

Posted: January 14, 2013

GRANVILLE, Ohio— Recently, in downtown Columbus, two men were being berated for being gay, and several bystanders intervened. The story garnered a great deal of attention in the media and online, and at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 23, a panel will discuss the event, along with issues related to bystander intervention, equality, and community, in Denison University’s Slayter Hall auditorium (200 Ridge Road). The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mark Anthony Arceño at 740-587-8687 or visit www.denison.edu/food-culture.

In late December, Joel Diaz and Ethan White were holding hands, waiting for a slice of pizza at Mikey’s Late Night Slice in Columbus, when a man in the line began to berate them for being gay. Several bystanders and an employee working in the pizza truck intervened and defended Diaz and White, making it known that such hate speech was not tolerated. After Diaz posted a story about the incident online, it garnered attention from across the country, including a report on Huffington Post.

The panel discussion will include Diaz; Mikey Sorboro of Mikey’s Late Night Slice; Krista Benson, a doctoral student and instructor for the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Ohio State University; and Grant Stancliff, communications director for Equality Ohio.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING, Denison University, Granville— Colloquium, “Equality on the Line: Local Food Culture and a Story of Bystander Intervention,” with Joel Diaz,Mikey Sorboro, Krista Benson and Grant Stancliff at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 23, in the auditorium of Slayter Hall (200 Ridge Road). Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mark Anthony Arceño at 740-587-8687 or visit www.denison.edu/food-culture.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name: Ginny Sharkey
Position Title: Media Relations
Primary Email: sharkeyv@denison.edu
Business Phone: (740) 587-6266

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