Five College Queer Sexuality and Gender Conference

= About =

The 5th annual Five-College Queer Gender and Sexuality Conference will take place March 7th and 8th in Franklin Patterson Hall at Hampshire College. The conference aims to offer an accountable and supportive environment in which to further explore a wide range of topics, and their intersections, such as race, genders, sexualities, ability, class, kink, survival strategies, and many more, in a specifically queer context. We strive to provide a safer space for engaging, learning, and fostering community with a wide range of workshops, panels, performances, and lectures by student leaders, Five-College faculty and staff, and off-campus educators. This open and inclusive conference is FREE and organized by a volunteer committee comprised of students from the Five Colleges and a staff advisor, Emily Rimmer (Director of Women’s and Queer Services at Hampshire College). Due to high attendance rates in the past three years and community feedback suggesting we address more topics, we have decided to expand our conference to two days this year. The conference officially begins on Friday, March 7th. The first day will showcase thesis work and academic panels presented mostly by five college students in three workshop slots. The evening will feature a performance and dance party in the Red Barn. On the morning of Saturday, March 8th, participants will pick up name tags, preferred pronoun pins, and event programs, while enjoying a low-key, continental breakfast. After a brief welcome and introduction, participants will be able to select from one of many workshops (workshops and panels will run simultaneously, with up to ten in each slot) before a conference-provided luncheon. Following lunch is a second workshop slot and the keynote address (in previous years we have had nationally known speakers’ Robyn Ochs, Michelle Tea, Rev. Irene Monroe, and José Esteban Muñoz). After the keynote address there are two more workshop slots. By expanding the conference to a second day, we are able to offer a wider range of topics and reach an even larger audience of students, faculty, and community members who may not be able to attend or present at this event otherwise.

= Accessibility =

The Five College Queer Gender and Sexuality Conference takes place in Franklin Patterson Hall, which is wheelchair accessible throughout.

There are wheelchair-accessible bathrooms throughout Hampshire College campus, as well as elevators. Some doors in Franklin Patterson Hall are non-automatic; if you would like a remote for these doors, or if you need assistance navigating conference spaces, please notify us in our pre-registration form by February 14, 2013. It takes 5-10 minutes to move between buildings in a wheelchair. All lecture halls in Franklin Patterson Hall (Main, East, and West) have stairs, but are accessible by the ground level. If you require ASL interpretation, or have other access needs, please register for the conference by February 14 and indicate your access needs in the registration form.

• We will maintain clear pathways for folks who use wheelchairs and other access devices in our conference spaces. • The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA), our local public transportation system, has several area buses that are free to the public. Conference organizers wearing staff T-shirts are happy to help you read maps and schedules. • There are wheelchair-accessible bathrooms available for use by people of all genders. There will be a quiet space available throughout the conference, located in the Merrill living room, located 20 yards from Franklin Patterson Hall, which is a fully accessible space. • Because flashing lights can trigger seizures or other symptoms, we ask that you avoid wearing or carrying decorative flashing lights and refrain from taking flash photography. • Please be aware of community members with chemical sensitivities, and remain scent/fragrance-free to the extent that you are able to. If you smoke (or hang around people while they smoke) please do so at least 25 feet from buildings and away from walking paths. • Service animals are welcome in Hampshire College buildings, but unfortunately, we cannot allow pets or other animals.

Please help us to diminish access barriers at the conference and continue to work and build with us so that the conference is more accessible to more people each year. If you have feedback, questions, or suggestions, or want to volunteer or help organize around access, please email queerconf@gmail.com

This access needs list has been adapted from the CLPP Conference website

= Media Policy =

• Photographers will be clearly designated as such. If participants do not want photos that they are in to be published, they are asked to see a conference organizer or the photographer. • We will ask that all participants attach a colored sticker on their nametags that will signify if they are comfortable having their pictures taken for internal use, for external use, or not at all, and we will strive to respect these. • We will only publicly share photos in which participants have visual consent, meaning that they are clearly aware that their photos are being taken (i.e. smiling and looking at the camera). • We will not take photos or videos in workshops. • Whenever possible, we let participants know if their images will be used in external publications.

= Past Conferences =

Keynote Speakers
2010 Keynote Speaker: Robyn Ochs 2011 Keynote Speaker: Michelle Tea 2012 Keynote Speakers: Rev. Irene Monroe and Qwo-Li Driskill 2013 Keynote Speaker: José Esteban Muñoz

Workshops
A sampling of previously offered workshops and panels:

Ace and Grace Space Anti-Racism in the Queer Community BDSM 101: Whip Yourself Into Shape! Beyond Binaries: Identity and Sexuality Bisexuals Creating Fabulous Relationships Body to Body Impact Play (Room 108) Creating Safe Classrooms for Youth Crip Sex Day-to-Day Poly The Digital Bathroom Wall: LGBT Students’ Experiences with Electronic Aggression Double Edge: Transgender and BDSM Explorations in Nonmonogamy Fat and Queer Fem(me)inism; Politics/Theory/Art Five College LGBTQ+ Student Group Leader Caucus Forging Your Radical Trans Identity/Know Your Trans Rights Gender Non-Conforming Therapy Clients: Assisting With Transition in the Shadow of the DSM Gender Non-Conformity Within Trans Communities Caucus A Healthy Queer is a Happy Queer: Getting the Care You Deserve...Down There High School Student Caucus Honey I'm: Coming Out to a Romantic Partner How to be a Great Ally How to Holla Back: An Introduction to Combating Street Harassment Intersections of Kink, BDSM, and Radical Politics Intersex 101: Similarities and Differences with Intersex And Trans People Intro to Creative Rope Play Intro to Queer Poetry Laughter is a Revolutionary Gesture: Using Humor As Self Care Let's Talk About [Safe] Sex Mapping the Intersections of Sexuality and Spirituality Navigating Poly Names We’ve Been Denied: Queer Diaspora and the Search for Home On the RACK: Risk Aware Consensual Kink and Kink Sensitivity One in a Minyan: A Queer Jews Caucus “One of the Boys": The Tomboys of Tween TV Performing the Queer Revolution: Theatre and Queer Activism Poly BDSM Qs About the T Queer and Trans Parenting Queer Bodies Queer Consent Queer Ecology, Intersecting Environmental Justice, and Queer Theory  Queer International and People of Color Caucus Queer Open Mic Queer Science Queer Spirituality Queering Education for Teachers, Instructors, and Activists Queering Masculine Genders: Addressing Trans-Masculinity in Queer Culture Queering the Page and the Stage Radical Mental Health Radical Mental Health Qs About the T Rope Basics: A Beginners’ Knot and Bondage Workshop Safely Queer Sex Ed Sexpert Caucus Struggle and Solidarity in Queer Interracial Relationships Tel Aviv Clubs and West Bank Checkpoints: The Politics of Being Fabulous in the Holy Land Transitioning Gender Transitioning With A Third Gender Identity Trans 101 Visualizing Sexual Self-Identity: Gender’s Big Bang Younger Queers and Today’s LGBT Older Adults: Language and Life Experiences

= Contact =

Website • Email: queerconf@gmail.com • Facebook