Committee on LGBTQ+ [Z] Issues in Linguistics

To join this committee, please login to the website and in the left side menu on the Member Portal click on "My Committees and SIGs." 

Background

This committee, known as COZIL, was established in 2019 as an outgrowth of the LSA LGBTQ+ Issues in Linguistics Special Interest Group.

Charge

• To help the Society and the profession identify, publicize, and implement ways of improving the recruitment, retention, and scholarly and professional development of LGBTQ+ linguists.
• To make recommendations to the Society and the profession concerning ways in which full equality of opportunity can be provided to all who seek to study, teach, or conduct linguistics research.
• To advocate for inclusive language and practices in the Society’s statements and guidelines as well as at the Society’s events.

Responsibilities

The work of the Committee includes but is not limited to the following:

• Monitoring and advancing the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in linguistics.
• Proposing to the Executive Committee LSA policies regarding the rights, opportunities, and needs of the LGBTQ+ community in linguistics, as well as evaluating said policies.
• Maintaining liaison with other organizations concerned with LGBTQ+ diversity and equality in linguistics and allied fields and investigating possibilities for cooperating with such groups on specific projects.
• Organizing professional development programming to assist LGBTQ+ linguists in advancing their careers.
• Encouraging and promoting research on language, gender, and sexuality as well as developing professional, academic, and social platforms for said research.
• Promoting communication, networking, and mentoring between LGBTQ+ students and professional linguists.
• Promoting the positive recognition of mentoring, advising, and other supportive roles that may take up a disproportionately large contribution of time for the few LGBTQ+ faculty members in the professions and disseminating information about solutions to the problem of overburdening LGBTQ+ faculty in this way.
• Collecting and disseminating relevant data and resource materials and publicizing the activities of the Committee by all appropriate means.
• Managing the Arnold Zwicky Award and COZIL Travel Grants nominations and selection process

Membership

At least eight members are serving three-year terms, including at least one student member. 

• Chair: Lal Zimman, University of California, Santa Barbara (2024)
• Incoming Chair: Evan Bradley, Pennsylvania State University, Brandywine (2025)
• Executive Committee Liaison: Hadas Kotek, Apple, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2026)
• Staff Liaison: Vy Le, Director of Membership and Governance

To join COZIL, please click on the button below or login to the website and in the left side menu on the Member Portal click on "My Committees and SIGs."