Day Long Institutes • Thursday, January 25 Please check the grid schedule for room locations.
Day Long Institutes 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Balancing the Bi: Wrestling with Multiply Marginalized Identities in Nonmonosexual Spaces Every year at the Creating Change Institutes, multiply marginalized bi+ (plus) people face the difficult choice of splitting their identities among the many lived experiences they carry with them. At times, it can be hard to justify picking bi+ (plus) spaces when we’re heavily weighed down by white supremacy, class oppression, gender violence, and ableism, among other things. “How is bi+ (plus) identity even relevant today?” In this year’s Bi+ (plus) Institute, we will discuss what it means to be the largest, yet often ignored, group within the LGBTQIA community. In morning group sessions and tailored afternoon breakout programming we will investigate how our Bi+ (plus) identities tie directly to the oppression and liberation of Black, trans, undocumented/immigrant, indigenous, disabled, poor, etc. communities at the local and national levels. Whatever your intersections and identifiers may be, come prepared to challenge monolithic notions of “the bi+ (plus) experience” and welcome the complexity of our vast community – bi+(plus) space IS your space. Breakfast and lunch will be provided for attendees. Presenters: Eliot Sutler, founder, Bisexual Women of Color Collaborative (BiWoCC); Denarii Monroe; Apphia Kumar; Shervon Laurice, Sam Ames
Facing Oppression Head On: Intersections of Race, the War on Drugs and Queer Identities Racialized drug policies perpetuate a system of oppression and disempowerment for marginalized communities. LGBTQ+ People of Color are especially vulnerable to the harms of criminalization, stigma, and shame. Yet alcohol and substance use can also play significant and complex roles in LGBTQ+ cultures and communities, both facilitating connection, exploration, and intimacy, as well as potentially fostering isolation and alienation. Higher rates of alcohol and substance use among LGBTQ+ people heighten vulnerability to the 76
NATIONAL LGBTQ TASK FORCE • CREATING CHANGE 2018
harms of racialized drug policies. This Institute will apply a harm reduction lens to drug use across the intersections of race, class, and oppression in LGBTQ+ communities. Areas of focus include the opioid crisis and overdose prevention, harm reduction strategies for LGBTQ+ people involved in street economies, and options for increasing harm reduction services and syringe access in LGBTQ+ spaces. The Institute will also offer insight into the application of harm reduction principles and tools in LGBTQ+ programs and advocacy, and explore the intersections of drug policy and critical LGBTQ+ issues (including class, race, and privilege) in order to turn advocacy into action. Presenters: Christopher Collazo, MHS, Capacity Building Services Program Coordinator, Harm Reduction Coalition; Kacey Byczek, Capacity Building Services Manager East, Harm Reduction Coalition; Tanagra Melgarejo, MSW, Capacity Building Services Manager West, Harm Reduction Coalition; Kiefer Paterson, Government Relations Manager, Harm Reduction Coalition; Charles Hawthorne, Capacity Building Coordinator Harm Reduction Training Institute and Outreach Project
Brave Space and Beyond: Navigating Anti-Oppression Dialog in LGBTQ Youth Spaces The current political climate and recent events has brought language once confined to social justice circles to the mainstream, particularly via social media, where it is not uncommon to come across terms like white supremacy, anti-black racism, misogynoir, and transantagonism, among others. Because they are disproportionately impacted by these forms of oppression, communities and people of intersecting, marginalized identities are ahead of the curve when it comes to identifying and deconstructing these topics, with queer and trans youth of color often leading the way. Yet not everyone is equipped to talk about these and other complex subjects and a number of factors can complicate productive conversations about power and privilege. After introducing an emerging facilitation framework that decentralizes dominant voices and shows how common “safe” space ground rules can recreate systems of oppression, this Institute will explore transforming LGBTQ youth programs into “brave” spaces, giving practical examples of how the framework can begin to create a culture shift in organizations that allows for critical dialog regarding issues like freedom and justice.