Kutztown University to host 'Gender and Sexual Minorities' conference despite federal cutbacks
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is hosting a conference on “Gender and Sexual Minorities” in October.
The school will hold the identity-based event despite many cutbacks to such programming as a result of the Trump administration's policies.
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is hosting a conference on “Gender and Sexual Minorities” this fall.
The school will hold the identity-based event despite many cutbacks to such programming as a result of the Trump administration’s policies.
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According to a description page, the conference “serves as an educational forum for all community members to come together to explore topics surrounding struggles, progress, and movements towards gender equity, visibility, and cultural change.”
The conference theme is “Honoring Our Past, Present and Future,” and is scheduled for Oct. 1–3, which will be the ninth iteration of the event.
The LGBTQ+ Resource Center announced the conference keynote speaker as Chloe Davis, the author of The Queens’ English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases.
A summary describes the book as a “landmark reference guide to the LGBTQIA+ community’s contributions to the English language—an intersectional, inclusive, playfully illustrated glossary featuring more than 800 terms and fabulous phrases created by and for queer culture.”
“The Queens’ English is a comprehensive guide to modern gay slang, queer theory terms, and playful colloquialisms that define and celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture,” it states. “This modern dictionary provides an in-depth look at queer language, from terms influenced by celebrated lesbian poet Sappho and from New York’s underground queer ball culture in the 1980s to today’s celebration of RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
The book also introduces readers to terms such as “kiki,” “polysexual,” and “transmasculine.”
Last year’s conference at Kutztown included discussions on “Breaking the Binary: Living Authentically as a Trans Man in College Athletics,” “Safe Space Training,” and “Madres Radicales: Queering Art & Motherhood.”
Other topics included “WTF is a Healthy Relationship?” and “What’s at Stake with the Election.”
The keynote speaker for the 2023 conference was Kat Blaque, who “playfully refers to herself as ‘intersectionality salad’ as she embodies various identities and experiences,” an event description read.
Other colleges and universities have hosted identity-based conferences. In March, Boston University sponsored the “Pre and Early Modern Trans Studies Symposium.”
“This conference brings together scholars working at the intersections between the fields of trans studies, medieval studies, and early modern literary studies,” a description said.
Campus Reform contacted Kutztown University and the LGBTQ Resource Center for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
