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Session One (11:30 AM - 12:45 PM)
Domestic Violence/Partner Abuse in GLBTI
Communities: Breaking the Silence One in four GLBTI people will be battered in their lifetime, yet domestic violence/partner abuse continues to be closeted in queer communities. Although lesbians in mainstream domestic violence movements have made efforts to break the silence surrounding domestic violence/sexual assault in lesbian communities, these movements have made only minimal efforts to address the needs lesbians, and even less work had been done for battered gay and bisexual men and transgender/transsexual folks. The fear of confirming stereotypes of GLBTI communities often contributes to our own minimizing of abuse/assault. This, combined with the belief that “among our own” or within the GLBTI communities we are safest, often makes it difficult for us to acknowledge domestic violence as well as community accountability. Those who are abused by partners are left with few options for safety and community support. This interactive workshop will present an overview and strategies for GLBTI communities to understand and acknowledge domestic violence as well as ways for community members to support survivors and speak out against domestic violence. Issues and topics to be covered include dynamics of abuse in bisexual and transgender communities, ways to support survivors, overcoming barriers in recognizing abuse/assault, dispelling the myths/stereotypes around abuse/assault, how homo/bi/trans-phobia affects community awareness and actions, and connecting domestic violence and oppression, including racism, ableism, classism, and homo/bi/trans-phobia. Gunner A. Scott is a survivor of queer domestic violence and the Organizer/Outreach Coordinator for The Network/La Red: a Massachusetts-based social justice organization committed to ending abuse in lesbian, bisexual women’s, and transgender communities. Along with 10 years of experience in mental health and substance abuse counseling, Gunner is a queer/transgender activist who has been part of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition; GLBT Domestic Violence Coalition; Jane Doe, Inc.; Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, & Allies Caucus; and Lesbian AIDS Project of Massachusetts. Gunner is also the creator of Butch Dyke Boy Productions (www.butchdykeboy.com). Bi Popular Demand (Anderson Hall 206) This fun, lively workshop will answer all your questions about bisexuality and more. Is bisexuality just trendy, or is there a world beyond gay and straight? How do you know if you're bi? Are bisexual people twice as likely to get a date? The workshop will explore myths about bisexuality, tell you about the latest terms like "heteroflexible," and offer buttons with funny bi slogans for sale. Marshall Miller and Dorian Solot are sex and relationship educators who have presented hundreds of workshops around the country at colleges and universities, businesses, churches, adult education centers, and regional and national conferences. Passing: Mimicry and Mockery by the Minority (Anderson Hall 313) What are the consequences when gender, sexual and/or racial minorities choose to “pass” in white or heterosexual worlds? Is passing mimicry or mockery? This workshop will explore how minorities define their individualities by their ability to “pass” in mainstream society. Juan Ramos is an Outreach Coordinator and HIV Counselor at the Wayne Wright Resource Center, a program of JRI Health. In the past four years he has facilitated numerous workshops on urban youth, social racism and cultural competency. Diego A. Maldonado-Santos has been a volunteer for BAGLY and SpeakOut Boston for the past three years. His work focuses on the development of leadership skills in all youth, health issues affecting GLBT youth, cultural competency and diversity. Marriage in Your Life and Your Community (Robinson Hall 152) How does the movement for same-sex marriage affect the rights of transgendered communities, working class people, and communities of color? Explore answers to this question, and find out about current developments in Massachusetts and how you can help win this important civil right. Josh Friedes, Joshua Legg, and Maggie Crowley are volunteers with the Freedom to Marry Foundation of Massachusetts, a Boston-based organization working to educate society on the importance of equal marriage in Massachusetts. The Still-Persistent Desire: Butch and Femme Today (Anderson Hall 312) Stone femmes and bulldaggers, high femmes and stone butches, power femmes and soft butches. Butch and Femme as lesbian and transgender identities have a rich history and promising future. This workshop will explore where we have been and where we might be going. Come to this interactive workshop to learn from others and share your own experiences. Kath Poehler is the Financial Manager and State-wide GLBT Youth Group Coordinator for BAGLY, Inc. Originally hailing from nowhere and everywhere, Kath is actively involved in the state-wide GLBT and social justice movement. Although supremely busy trying to make the world a better place, she still finds time to get to the gym and continue the search for the perfect cup of coffee. True Colors LIVE!! (Anderson Hall 208) The troupe will present segments from their original performance piece (approximately 45 minutes), with a question and answer session (approximately 15 minutes) following the performance. This allows the audience to experience the art and then discuss the issues within the piece, the character choices made by the ensemble, and the script-building process. True Colors is a theater troupe for GLBT youth and their allies ages 16-22, devoted to creating art about the complex and often challenging lives of youth within the GLBT community. True Colors empowers youth with the freedom and opportunity to explore themselves and the issues that are important to them. As an ensemble, True Colors creates original performance pieces and performs them at schools and organizations in the Boston area. Transfeminism: Where Trans and Feminism Meet (Anderson Hall 210) How can trans-folks incorporate feminism into their lives? How can feminist communities and organizations include and recognize trans-folks? How do trans-folks learn and act out misogyny and sexism? How do feminists reinforce the binary gender system? How do genderqueer identities influence this important dialogue? Can transfeminism be included within feminism? Come participate in an open discussion around the complexities of these two communities, and explore the questions that come up when these issues meet. Role-plays and small group discussions will lead to specific action plans that attendees can bring back home to break down these walls that divide communities. This workshop is about connecting oppressions, exploring power and privilege, understanding gender oppression, and ally building as well as connecting this important dialogue to work towards social justice and social change in feminist and transgender communities. We will discuss the interelatedness of sexism, binary gender oppression, and transphobia, and what a transfeminist approach would look like in our activist work. Taryn Levitt
is a pansexual, transgender, genderqueer activist who lives in Boston. Taryn
leads workshops and trainings on queer activism, dismantling oppressions,
youth empowerment and leadership, transgender/genderqueer identities, and
working towards social change. Taryn enjoys writing, playing the drums,
bending gender, stomping out oppression, speaking out against injustice, and
changing the world. Active Citizenship in the Queer Community (Bromfield-Pearson Hall 02) No matter what stage you are in your personal life, from “out” to “questioning”, this workshop is for those who aspire to become active citizens in the queer community. Becoming engaged and effective citizens in this community is an ongoing process that demands continuous personal development. Often public opinion, bias, and homophobia can create obstacles for active citizenship, but this workshop will serve to educate and inspire you about active citizenship and to show you ways to turn the negative around. Molly Mead received her Doctorate of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. A faculty member at Tufts for over 15 years and an out lesbian since 1972, Molly is currently Director of Tufts’ University College of Citizenship and Public Service. She thinks a lot about the obligation for queer people to become active, engaged citizens and to speak out about issues of justice. Why You Can’t Afford to Hate Lawyers: Rights, Wrongs and Queers in Suits (Anderson Hall 211) Everybody loves to hate the law, but LGBT people don’t have that luxury. Your rights are on the line. Does the law protect you when you’re walking down the street, at work, in your apartment, or at school? Does it protect you when you’ve met “the one”, when you’re having a baby, fighting for custody, in the hospital, or splitting up? Does it protect you when you’re having sex or changing your sex? We’ve come a long way, baby, but we’ve still got a long way to go for equality based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Learn your rights, find out what’s next in the movement for LGBT civil rights, and ask tough questions of an advocate on the front lines. Gavi Wolfe is the Public Education Director at Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), New England's leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression. He oversees GLAD's wide range of community education efforts, including the Legal Information Hotline and Lawyer Referral Service, website and publication series, and community outreach. Mr. Wolfe is a graduate of Brown University. Perspectives of Queer Life in University Housing (Bromfield-Pearson Hall 03) Have you ever lived in a residence hall? Did you feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or awkward in your own living space? Was there difficulty fitting into your residential community? Many queer students can answer yes to these questions. In this workshop we will discuss issues concerning safety for LGBT students in the university living environment. We will explain ways in which students can take initiative in creating and changing student housing policies in order to accommodate the queer community. Such topics as mix-gendered residence halls, LGBT culture housing, and transgender-welcoming living environments will be addressed. Dean Gendron is an alumnus of Tufts University. He has worked in Tufts’ Office of Residential Life and Learning for five years and is currently the Assistant Director for Experiential Learning. Body Basics: Queer Women and Body Image (Robinson Hall 153) Society tells women that long hair, long legs, thin bodies, big breasts, makeup, name-brand clothes and smelling good are the ingredients for being accepted. How do we as queer women respond to and/or revolt against this? Are we just as bound by strict and unrealistic definitions of beauty? Come join us for a lively and interactive discussion about body image in and out of the queer community. Chocolate provided. This discussion is open to all past, present, and future women. Dawn Dougherty is the Director of Public Education and Outreach Services at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. She has worked as a trainer and consultant for the past eight years specializing in homophobia, public speaking and violence prevention. She also teaches and performs Middle Eastern belly dance. Transgender 101: What Your Parents Didn't Teach You About Your Gender (location TBA)Transgenderism, what they don't tell you on tv or news. What's in it for non-trans people. You'll be surprised to hear about transgenderism in nature. What do you do when there are no roadmaps to follow? Join us as we explore 50 billion galaxies of gender, and more. Nancy
Nangeroni is an outspoken transgender activist, writer, musician, and
media producer and founder and co-host of GenderTalk Radio (www.gendertalk.com).
Former executive director of the International Foundation for Gender
Education. Nancy has appeared in many national and international television
and radio broadcasts on transgender issues. Body Image and Gay Men (location TBA)This workshop is a facilitated discussion… if you like to talk (or just listen), this workshop is for you. Come share your thoughts and strategies about body image and its impact on the gay male community. If you’re not a gay man, and want to share your thoughts on the topic, please join us too. We will explore topics relating to the media, club culture, eating and exercise habits, and more. Andy Garcia is the Program Manager at BAGLY, the Boston Alliance of GLBT Youth. He has also worked for the National Youth Advocacy Coalition, coordinating national health education programs for GLBT youth, as well as for the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. Andy has degrees in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Cornell University. He presented this workshop last year. Out in the World (location TBA) What is it like to be a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered person outside of the U.S? What are the types of human rights violations faced by LGBT people around the world? Learn about international LGBT issues and the integral relationship between the U.S. LGBT movement and the growing global LGBT movement. Ariel Herrera is a queer activist and performer based in New York City. He is the national field organizer/membership coordinator for OUTfront, Amnesty International's program on LGBT human rights. He is also the political chair of the Gay Asian & Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY) and a Steering Committee member of Queers for Economic Justice Project.
Session Two (2:00 PM -
3:15 PM) Exploring Culture and Sexuality: What Does “Coming Out” Mean Anyway? (Anderson Hall 309) What does “coming out” mean for us in our various ethnic, national and familial cultures? How do we navigate and negotiate our sexual identities within our different community contexts? Is “coming out" a culturally constructed or even Western definition and expectation? What does it really mean to come out or to be out? Are you "out" if you're not "out"? We examine these questions and more from within personal, social and political frameworks while using film as a catalyst to discussion. Kathy Girod and Carol Gomez are co-founders and producers of OpenMinds, a monthly performance art and discussion series that focuses on issues of race, class, gender, sexuality and culture. For more info, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/openmindsboston. Kathy is a project director for the Center for Community Based Research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, where she works with ironworker apprentices around cancer prevention. She also serves on the board of The Network/La Red, an organization that works to end abuse in LBT communities. In addition, she facilitates a bi-monthly coming out group for LBT women at the Cambridge Women's Center. Carol currently divides her time between the Tufts University Women's Center and the victims of Violence Program at the Cambridge Health Alliance. At Tufts she does violence prevention programming and education as well as group facilitation for college-aged students on healthy relationships, cultural and sexuality identity issues, and campus activism. At the VOV, she provides crisis counseling and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence, political trauma, and violent crime. Adventures in Queer Dating (Anderson Hall 206) Are you forever single and looking? Involuntarily celibate? Feel like there's no such thing as dating on your campus? Your school's pool of LGBT students is so small that you ran out of dating prospects after your freshman year? How can a shy person possibly survive the wilds of queer dating? Join us for some dating tips and a lively discussion about the perilous search for lasting love. Marshall Miller and Dorian Solot are sex and relationship educators who have presented hundreds of workshops around the country at colleges and universities, businesses, churches, adult education centers, and regional and national conferences. Marriage in Your Life and Your Community (Robinson Hall 152) How does the movement for same-sex marriage affect the rights of transgendered communities, working class people, and communities of color? Explore answers to this question, and find out about current developments in Massachusetts and how you can help win this important civil right. Josh Friedes, Joshua Legg, and Maggie Crowley are volunteers with the Freedom to Marry Foundation of Massachusetts, a Boston-based organization working to educate society on the importance of equal marriage in Massachusetts. Developing Your Own Story (Anderson Hall 208) In this session,
True Colors troupe will facilitate an interactive workshop. This workshop
will give the audience an opportunity to experience the way that True Colors
writes original performance pieces. Through freewriting, performance, and
discussion, participants will explore “expectations” related to race,
gender, love and sexuality. Creating a Strong Queer Organization on Your Campus (Anderson Hall 313) Queer organizations are frustrating to run. It’s hard to get people to come to meetings, and then to keep them coming back. It can also be difficult to build and sustain leadership from one year to the next. This workshop will address these issues in a fun and constructive manner. We'll talk about tangible, practical ways to increase membership, create new leaders, and build a strong queer community on your campus. Voop de Vulpillieres wrote her Harvard senior honors thesis about creating strong undergraduate queer organizations. She has faced these issues when leading her own queer organizations and has presented many successful workshops on this topic. Anti-Racism for White Queers (Anderson Hall 210) Beginning with a breakdown of the terms “power”, “oppression” and “privilege”, we will have an open dialogue on white privilege, anti-racism processes, and supporting people of color and each other in the struggle for racial justice. Bring your experiences and reflections on anti-racist work within or outside of queer movements. Come with an open mind and a willingness to be challenged. This is a workshop geared specifically to white people, but open to all who are interested. Taryn Levitt is a pansexual, transgender, genderqueer activist who lives in Boston. Taryn leads workshops and trainings on queer activism, dismantling oppressions, youth empowerment and leadership, transgender/genderqueer identities, and working towards social change. Taryn enjoys writing, playing the drums, bending gender, stomping out oppression, speaking out against injustice, and changing the world. James Hoagland is a 22-year-old trans and genderqueer pansexual who has been working as a queer youth activist for the last 4 1/2 years. Are you SCUM? (Anderson Hall 306) According to Phillip Morris, the LGBTQI community is SCUM, the target market of their Sub-Culture Urban Marketing plan. Learn more about how tobacco companies court queer communities and queer youth and how tobacco money is affecting our community in this workshop led by Tobacco Education for Gay and Lesbian Youth. Tobacco Education for Gay and Lesbian Youth (TEGLY) is a paid youth peer leadership program designed especially for queer youth in Boston and the surrounding area. The purpose of the program is to help LGBTQI youth avoid the habit of smoking altogether, and to help queer youth smokers take steps toward quitting. Queer youth smoke as a result of the stigmatization they face in society – TEGLY helps provide a voice and a platform to counteract society’s influence. We are committed to helping queer youth avoid tobacco use and creating a healthy community one person at a time. TEGLY is a program of The Home for Little Wanderers and is funded by the American Legacy Foundation. Peaceful Power Self-Defense (Robinson Hall 153) How can we claim our power and simultaneously promote world peace? This workshop offers the chance to reflect on the ways we use our voices and our bodies as we move through the world and to explore a set of practical self-defense skills for encounters at the visual, verbal, and physical levels. How can we approach our ordinary and extraordinary interactions with increasing self-confidence, awareness, centeredness, and peace? Gina Siesing practices peaceful warriorship in her martial arts practice and in everyday life. She holds a black belt in kyokushin karate and enjoys the ongoing journey of learning and playing in the martial arts. Gina is a volunteer self-defense instructor at Boston GLASS Community Center. The Still-Persistent Desire: Butch and Femme Today (Anderson Hall 312) Stone femmes and bulldaggers, high femmes and stone butches, power femmes and soft butches. Butch and Femme as lesbian and transgender identities have a rich history and promising future. This workshop will explore where we have been and where we might be going. Come to this interactive workshop to learn from others and share your own experiences. Kath Poehler is the Financial Manager and State-wide GLBT Youth Group Coordinator for BAGLY, Inc. Originally hailing from nowhere and everywhere, Kath is actively involved in the state-wide GLBT and social justice movement. Although supremely busy trying to make the world a better place, she still finds time to get to the gym and continue the search for the perfect cup of coffee. Will There Ever Be an HIV Vaccine? (Bromfield-Pearson Hall 02) Imagine a vaccine that would make you immune to getting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Sound like science fiction? There are in fact numerous studies going on testing potential vaccines. What are they? Will any of them work? Will condoms ever be made obsolete? These are just a few of the questions this workshop will cover. With the AIDS epidemic continuing to explode around the globe, the search for an HIV vaccine is a story of hope and frustration. Carl Sciortino, Jr. coordinates an HIV vaccine study and is Manager of Research Operations at Fenway Community Health. He is also co-chair of OutSomerville and is an alumnus of Tufts University (LA '00). Erotic Theology: Sex, Spirit and Prayer (Bromfield-Pearson Hall 03) Most of Christian tradition teaches that the body and spirit are separate entities. We learn “spirit=good” and “body=bad”. How does that theology affect us? How does it undermine our self-worth as queer people? How can we be queer and still affirm our sex-having and sex-wanting? In this workshop we will discover, reclaim and celebrate the long-standing traditions that affirm and honor our sexualities. Through conversation and unconventional worship, we will begin to heal the divide between our spirits and our bodies. People of all faith traditions and experiences are welcome to join. Gregory Morisse is a third-year student at Harvard Divinity School pursuing ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ. His current projects include queer and body theologies, queer and subversive worship, young adult ministry and even a little bar ministry. (Hey, Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine, right?) Greg is also a coordinating committee member for Witness Our Welcome 2003, an international conference of Christian queers seeking healing and justice in the church. Trans Organizing on Campus (location TBA) Participants will share and learn about transgender and genderqueer people, issues and strategies for outreach, education and activities to include trans folks. The workshop will provide a networking opportunity for student activists addressing such trans-related issues as discriminatory admissions policies, uncomfortable/unsafe housing, hate crimes and an overall lack of institutional support. Additionally, this workshop will provide skills to strategically organize to win victories which will improve the lives of trans students on campus. All people who are interested are encouraged to attend, regardless of previous experience with either trans issues or campus organizing. Paige Kruza is passionate about social justice and all the theory that goes with it. Ze is currently investigating gender and sinking in schoolwork while reading theory that is far more interesting and staying awake on cups and cups of coffee. Involved in local, state, and national queer activism and social justice work, ze spends whatever time remains reading, making visual art, frequenting indie coffee shops, walking around Boston, and hanging out with friends. In the fall ze will enter Wesleyan University. |
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