Ronni Sanlo

Ronni Sanlo (born March 20, 1948 in Miami, Florida, United States) is the Director Emeritus of the UCLA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center and an authority on matters relating to LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) students, faculty and staff in higher education.[1] She grew up in a Jewish family, and recognized at an early age that she was a lesbian, yet in her upbringing she was too afraid to tell anybody.[2] Sanlo went on with her life and decided to get married to a man she dated in college and later they had two children.[3] At the age of 31, Ronni came out to friends and family, but one year after that because of laws created in Florida she lost custody of her children. The unfair treatment towards the LBGT community and her rights as a mother are what gave Sanlo the drive to get involved in activism and LGBT politics.[4]

Education

In Sanlo's early educational career she attended Hebrew school and Jewish youth groups throughout her high school years.[5] She then went to college at the University of North Florida, where she graduated in 1996 from the College of Education with her Doctor of Education (Ed. D.). Her concentration was in Educational Leadership/Organizational Development with a dissertation on "Unheard Voices: The Effects of Silence on Lesbian and Gay Educators (published by Greenwood Press, 1999)". Sanlo continued on and got her Master of Education in the concentration area of Counseling in 1989. She then went to the University of Florida in Gainesville where she got a Bachelor of Music and majored in Music Performance and minored in English.[6]

Career

Sanlo's sexual orientation was cause for the losses of many jobs, but soon she recovered and was hired by the Florida Health Department to be an HIV epidemiologist. From there in 1994 she was hired by the University of Michigan to direct the Lesbian and Gay Programs office. She later added "bisexual" and "transgender" to the office name, created the initial LGBT program standards for the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), and was the founding chair of the Consortium of LGBT Resource Professionals in Higher Education.[2] Three years later Sanlo attained a position at UCLA as their director to the LGBT center and from there she eventually became a professor who created the UCLA Masters of Education in Student Affairs in the Higher Education and Organizational Change (HEOC) division of the UCLA Graduate School of Education.[3][7] In 2010 she retired from UCLA and went to teach in the Educational Leadership program at California State University Fullerton for a consecutive two years.[7] In present day she directs the operation of her publishing companies, Purple Books Publishing and Purple Distinctions.[8]

"Letter To Anita": The Ronni Sanlo Story

This film was released in 2013 and stars Meredith Baxter, as Ronni Sanlo. It premiered at the Los Angeles LGBT film festival, Outfest, in 2014.[9][10][11] The film's context shows Ronni Sanlo and her struggle between Anita Bryant's Anti-Gay Campaign, "Save Our Children." Bryant helped overturn a Dade County Ordinance; which outlawed the discrimination against gays.[12] This resulted in Ronni Sanlo losing custody of her children. The film also displays her fight to support people with HIV/AIDS and her fight for Gay Civil Rights in the midst of her losing her children. Lastly, Letter to Anita shows the "backdrop of the broader gay civil rights movement.".[12]

Letter To Anita won the Audience Award: Best Documentary Feature and Jury Award: Runner Up for Best Documentary Feature at the 25th Annual Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

Books authored

Sanlo has authored several books and articles on the topic of gender identity and sexual orientation in higher education.

Books include:

Sanlo, Ronni L. Unheard Voices: The Effects of Silence on Lesbian and Gay Educators. J F Bergin & Garvey, 1999. Print.

Sanlo, Ronni L., ed, Rankin, ed., Schoenberg, ed. Our Place on Campus: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Services and Programs in Higher Education. Greenwood, 2002. Print.

Sanlo, Ronni L., ed. Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation: Research, Policy, and Personal Perspectives: New Directions for Student Services, Number 111. 1 edition. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 2005. Print.

Sanlo, Ronni. Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual College Students: Risk, Resiliency, and Retention. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice, 6, 2004. Print.

Sanlo, Ronni L. The Purple Golf Cart: The Misadventures of a Lesbian Grandma. Palm Desert, CA: Purple Books Publishing, 2013. Print.

'Lavender Graduation'

Sanlo is widely recognized as instituting the first "Lavender Graduation" ceremony at the University of Michigan in 1995, a commencement tradition that is now included in most universities across the United States.[13] By 2001, there were over 45 Lavender Graduations at colleges and universities nationwide.[14] The commencement takes place to acknowledge and honor lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and ally students and their contributions to the university. Lavender Graduation allows for LGBT students (all races and ethnicities) recognition within the university. The event honors their achievements, success and leadership in the university as a LGBT student and allows for pride and recognition of their identity. The ceremony also is not only for LGBT students, it is open to anyone supportive of the LGBT community.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Dr. Ronni Sanlo". Campus Pride. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 Sanlo, Ronni. "About Ronni". Ronni Sanlo, Ed. D.; Educator, Author, Professor, Speaker.
  3. 1 2 Soderburg, Wendy; Hutchinson, Reed. "Ronni Sanlo, LGBT Studies". UCLA Spotlight. UCLA Marketing & Communications.
  4. ↑ Dekel, Yanir. "‘Letter to Anita:’ Ronni Sanlo Talks About Her Latest Project". BCC People.
  5. ↑ Wilcox, Melissa M. (2009). Queer Women and Religious Individualism. 601 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA: Indiana University Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0253221162.
  6. ↑ Sanlo, Ronni. "Curriculum Vitae". Ronni Sanlo, Ed. D.; Educator, Author, Professor, Speaker.
  7. 1 2 Sanlo, Ronni. "Professional Experience". Ronni Sanlo, Ed. D.; Educator, Author, Professor, Speaker.
  8. ↑ "Purple Distinctions Affordable Self Publishing". Purpledistinctions.com. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "2014 Outfest - Letter to Anita". Outfest.org. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Chicago Tribune. "ECC to host LGBTQ consultant as guest speaker on Nov. 14". Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  11. ↑ Tampa Tribune. "Tampa’s gay and lesbian film festival celebrates 25 years". Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Letter to Anita". Lettertoanita.com. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  13. ↑ Human Rights Campaign. "Lavender Graduation". Lavender Graduation.
  14. ↑ "Lavender Graduation". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Lavender Graduation tradition celebrates LGBT students". USA TODAY College. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
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