Queer Coll(i/u)sions

QUEER COLL(I/U)SIONS Sadleir House Conference Blends Academia, Activism, and Art

It’s a cold March evening in Peterborough, but a Victorian mansion on George Street is full of life. On stage, a number of burlesque performers dance provocatively with a puppet that may or may not be anatomically correct. The crowd eats it up and the chill in the winter air is completely forgotten. The Queer Coll(i/u)sions Conference (QCC) has arrived home for another year. Sadleir House was formerly the home of many of the offices of Peter Robinson College and is now the property of the P.R. Community & Student Association, where more than a dozen organizations rent office space and many more hold events. On March 3–5, this studentrun centre was the host of the second annual QCC, a conference aiming to bring together academia, activism, and art.

While a wide variety of students and faculty from all over the world took part in the event, community members formed at least half of the participants over the three days. It was decidedly not just another academic conference. Its mission, after all, was to “provide the space for the collision of different queer discourses and [to] push the boundaries of the traditional conference by allowing for different modalities of expression and examination.” In practice, that meant seeing the collision of worlds.

One room, for example, featured presenters discussing what it meant to manage multiple marginalized identities, including racialization. Trent professor Momin Rahman presented a paper examining the presumed dichotomy between Islam and queerness and how it wasn’t as cut and dried as one might think. In a second room, a workshop guided participants through writing their own stories of sexuality and experience.

The conference had an undeniably Trent feel, which conference co-organizer (and current Trent Ph.D. candidate) Derek Newman-Stille ’98 remarked upon: “During my time at Trent, I learned that everyone has the right to learn and that learning can come from multiple sources. It is one of the reasons that Cait P. Jones ’07 and I decided to create the QCC as a space for the intersection of multiple different ideas and multiple different means for expressing ideas. Trent taught me the value of multiple different voices and this conference allowed us to intertwine those voices and strengthen them through our mutual love of learning and activism.”

Throughout the weekend, participants had the opportunity to see the many ways in which queerness can be held, performed, and embodied. Panel discussions on queer parenting and queer tabletop gaming allowed participants to casually discuss the ways in which their sexualities impacted activities otherwise seen as mundane. These topics were filled with comedic moments and laughter. The pain and struggle many participants spoke openly about throughout the three days was frequently interrupted with a joy—no matter how dark and challenging the topic, it was clear that the participants drew strength from researching, writing, and sharing the information.

“The conference is a great reflection of our mission,” said Alissa Paxton ’01, Sadleir House steward. “It’s a meeting place for arts, academics, students, faculty, and community members. In organizing the conference, we worked hard to hold these elements in balance.”

The community and Sadleir House have blossomed into a welcome home away from home for students and alumni alike. An ode to the history of Trent adorns the walls in nearly every room, and during the conference these rooms also hosted multiple exhibits by queer artists. The “then and now” of Trent rippled through every aspect of the weekend.

According to conference organizers, Sadleir House was an ideal place to hold QCC. “We wanted the conference to be free to make sure that people could access it regardless of income. Fortunately, Sadleir House was willing to provide space and an incredible amount of support for the conference. It was the perfect place for the conference given its history of bringing together town and gown and being a hub for the community.”

QCC was the first major event held in the building since stewardship of the House passed from Dwayne Collins ’01 to Ms. Paxton in February. She is no stranger to Sadleir House, however. “I spent nearly nine years there as the convenor—a role that is very focused on the day-to-day happenings in the building. My new role is an exciting chance to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. I can now work on longer term planning for the facility, both in terms of the building and our programming.”

Students, alumni, and community members are always welcome to pop by, visit the library and artwork, chat with staff, and feel at home.

SADLEIR HOUSE

751 George Street North, Peterborough Academic year: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Summer: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m.

Jess Grover ’02

jessalynngrover@gmail.com