Saturday: Facing Racial and Ethnic Barriers panel at the 2008 Unity Conference

On Saturday I will moderate the panel "Still Crossing Those Bridges: Facing Racial and Ethnic Barriers" at the 2008 Unity Conference, held at UNC Chapel Hill (more info here). This panel was originally developed for the EqualityNC conference last year, and it was so popular that the organizers of tomorrow's event wanted us to expose it to a larger audience.

The topics are particularly relevant in new ways, in the wake of Barack Obama's speech on race:

* Coming out on in communities of color on NC/Southern Campuses-- identifying the challenges
* Effect of religious-based bigotry coming from the pulpit
* Finding LGBT cultural common ground between different communities of color (black, brown, white) on campuses -- what are those barriers?
* How do we create a safe space online and offline to discuss race relations?
* Are separate racial/ethnic social spaces essential for LGBT communities of culture on campuses and why?
* If so, how, as a movement, can these groups come together to on initiatives to move LGBT rights forward -- what tools and approaches work, what have been the frustrations?
* How do class and culture factor into the equation?

Serving with me:

(just learned that Allan, unfortunately, won't make it this time)

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The theme of the conference is "Are You Being Served?: LGBTIQ Representation in the Media." From the site:

Over the past couple of decades, mainstream media in the U.S. has seemingly become more queer-friendly. With the popularity of television shows like The L Word and Queer as Folk and increasing visibility of publications like The Advocate, one could argue that America is warming up to non-normative sexual identities. But is it really? Does mainstreaming sexual minorities run the risk of perpetuating stereotypes and re-enforcing already existing social norms?

On the weekend of April 4-6, 2008, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender-Straight Alliance’s sixth annual Southeastern Unity Conference will tackle these questions. The conference, which takes place at UNC-CH, draws hundreds of LGBTIQ people and their allies from across the country to discuss intersections of identity and oppression through workshops, speakers and performers.

This year's conference theme is "Are You Being Served?: LGBTIQ Representation in the Media." Images of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people in media can positively shape public opinion and improve the health, safety and social conditions of non-heterosexual people; however, these images must include all members of our community to be truly progressive. Art can be a tool for education and advocacy, but it can also fall subject to the constraints of living in a heterosexist, racist and capitalist society. This year's workshops, speakers and performers will celebrate and criticize LGBTIQ representation in various media including (but not limited to) television, films, magazines, music, theatre, literature, advertising and journalism. The conference will raise a number of questions, including:

-What standards of beauty do mainstream "gay media" reflect? How are LGBTIQ people of color unrepresented in popular television shows and magazines? What do these media say about attractiveness in regard to age, body size and physical ability?

There's much more, so surf over and take a look. Better yet, if you're in the area, come to the panel - it starts at 11:15 AM.