Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 12:37:35 -0400 From: navarun gupta Subject: Queering the South Conference listserv (fwd) Please join the listserv QUESOC if you are interested in discussions about this conference. Some information about this conference is added at the end of the instructions. Instructions to join the listserv QUESOC (Queering the South Conference) 1. send mail to listserv@dekalb.dc.peachnet.edu 2. the subject line is ignored 3. have one line of text in the body of the message: sub quesoc firstname lastname To unsubscribe: 1. same as above 2. same as above 3. have one line of text in the body of the message: unsub quesoc To get a list of available commands: 1. Same as above 2. Same as above 3. Have one line of text in the body of the message: help To post an article to the listserv quesoc: 1. send mail to quesoc@dekalb.dc.peachnet.edu 2. enter the subject line 3. type in the text 4. send it... ___________________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: "QUEERING THE SOUTH" GATHERING This gathering is broadly conceptualized as for and about queers in the South. We want to emphasize that one need not identify as "southern" or have been born and raised in the South to participate. Because factors of race, religion, region, class and gender shape our relationship to the South and "southern" identity, and affect our lives as profoundly as does our sexuality, this gathering will focus on how these factors intersect in our experiences as queers in the South. If you are interested in exploring how region constructs our experiences as bisexuals, lesbians, gays and transgendered persons from a variety of perspectives, and want to create more useful strategies for effecting social change here, you should come to this gathering! FOCUS and ORGANIZATION: Currently, we envision this gathering incorporating two overlapping themes: reflection and action. The first half of the 3-day gathering will be used for analyses of queer experiences in the South, while the second half will use these reflections to create more effective strategies for challenging the oppressive power structures which we experience here. Keynote speakers will be selected who can highlight these themes, and plenary sessions will provide an opportunity for us to meet as a body of representatives from various queer communities in the South and voice our concerns and ideas. REFLECTION: This part of the gathering will be a space for scholars, activists, and cultural workers of all kinds to analyze our experiences in the South, in order to better understand how the history of this region, and the history of queers in the South, effects our lives today. The following are a few general themes which have been suggested for panels and workshops during this section of the gathering: -queering southern history: identifying/analyzing queer lives and experiences in the South -queer influences in radical social movements in the South, such as Feminist Movements and Civil Rights movements -the South as "Queer": ways in which the South is the nation's "Other" -queers and religion in the South -class issues in queer communities, and in political organizing, etc... -race/ethnicity and queers in the South: how does ethnicity shape our relationship to the South and each other? -queers and the law in the South: the history of the criminalization of same-sex acts in southern states -queers in southern literary traditions such as the "southern gothic," e.g. Tennessee Williams, Carson McCullers, Truman Capote, Donald Wyndam, Flannery O'Conner -invisibility/visibility: analyses of the history of the "closet" and "outness" in the South -sexual Practices: does region effect changes in S/M practices, butch/femme representations -queers and southern stereotypes: what is our relationship to myths and stereotypes about the South? -regional variation in queer political strategies/organizing/the history of.... -queer southern subcultures, such as the southern queer influence on the alternative music scene ACTION: During the second half of this 3 day gathering, we hope to see multiple plans of action emerge. Some of the proposed workshop and panels within this theme are as follows: -networking: creating specific networks of support in order to better organize queers in the South, e.g. networks of artists, social workers,teachers, college students, ministers, etc... "how to" workshops: -how to successfully organize in rural areas, led by rural activists -how to effectively challenge the rhetoric and tactics of the Christian Right -how to build coalitions between various progressive movements in the South -how to create effective direct-action protests, e.g. how to use the press, etc... - challenging the racism/sexism/classism within queer organizations -how to best challenge heterosexism within institutions, i.e. universities, religious denominations, city governments, the military, etc... COMMITTEE PROPOSALS: -logistics: group focused on deciding the time and place of this gathering, doing comparative scheduling, comparative shopping for the best space > -fund-raising group: work on soliciting tax-free grants for the gathering, or support for specific events, such as persons/organizations willing to host receptions, dances, to volunteer labor for specific tasks such as mailings, etc... -budget committee: estimating the cost of this gathering through examining the budgets of similar conferences, such as NGLTF's "Creating Change" conference, and preparing an estimated budget for our grant proposals -grant-writing groups: broken down into groups focused on completing the applications for two or more grant proposals > -publicity groups: broken down into groups focused creating promotional materials, distributing this material via the net, or by mail -registration logistics: group focused on sending and receiving registration materials