LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY HOSTS CONFERENCE ON GAY AND LESBIAN 
STUDIES--
 
Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, will be the sight of 
"Sexuality in the Academy: A Conference on Gay and Lesbian 
Studies," on January 29, 1994.  This will be the third 
annual B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, and Lesbian Awareness Day) 
conference hosted by Lawrence University's Bisexual, Gay, 
and Lesbian Awareness.  Speakers will include Lawrence 
University professors and professors from University of 
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Yale University.
 
Professors from Lawrence University will deliver informal 
presentation on the influence that Gay, Lesbian, and 
Bisexual issues have on their fields.  Topics will include, 
"Homosexual Elitism in James Merrill's Epic Trilogy," " 
Constructing and Deconstructing the Visual Language of 
Homosexuality: the Art of Charles Demuth and Robert 
Mapplethorpe," "Perceptions of the Masculine and Feminine: 
Accepting and Dispelling the Myths," "Sexual Orientation and 
the Curriculum: It's Time for Heterosexuals to Come Out of 
the Closet," and "Homosexualities in French Literature."  
These topics will be presented in the late morning and early 
afternoon.
 
Christopher Lane will be speaking on "Controversies of the 
Sexual."  He is an Assistant Professor of English and 
Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee.  He received his BA. in English Literature and 
Contemporary Philosophy from the University of East Anglia, 
Norwich, his MA. in Critical Theory from the University of 
Sussex, Brighton, and his Ph.D. in Modern British Literature 
from the University of London.  He has published 
extensively, and his book, "The Ruling Passion: British 
Homosexual Allegories and the rhetoric of Colonial Fantasy" 
will be published by Duke University Press in 1995.  He is 
the Curriculum Coordinator for the UWM Task Force on 
Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues, and the Chair of the UWM 
Gay and Lesbian Studies Certificate Program Committee.  Mr. 
Lane will be speaking in the late afternoon.
 
Jonathan Weinberg will be delivering the keynote address, 
"Making It Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Presence in Art 
History."  He is currently an Assistant Professor in the 
Department of the History of Art at Yale University.  He 
received his BA. from Yale College and his Ph.D. from the 
Department of Fine Arts at Harvard University.  He is a 
member of the College Art Association, Gay and Lesbian 
Caucus.  He is also an associate editor of "Genders" 
published by the University of Texas Press.  He has lectured 
widely and published in journals such as "Journal of 
Homosexuality," "Art in America," "Genders," and "Arts."  
His book, "Speaking for Vice: Homosexuality in the Art of 
Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, and the First American 
Avant-Garde," was just published by Yale University Press.  
He is also a practicing painter, and his work has been 
exhibited in the Yale University Art Gallery, the Montclair 
Art Museum, the Marissa del Rey Gallery in New York, and an 
exhibit curated by Henry Geldszahler at the Dia Foundation 
in Bridgehampton, Long Island.
 
We will also present the movie "Poison."  Inspired by the 
writings of Jean Genet, "Poison" deftly interweaves three 
tales--"Hero," "Horror," and "Homo"--and builds toward a 
devastating climax.  "Hero," shot in mock TV-documentary 
style, tells a bizarre story of suburban patricide and a 
miraculous flight from justice; "Horror," filmed like a 
delirious '50s B-movie melodrama, is the gothic tale of a 
mad sex experiment which unleashes a disfiguring plague; 
while the lushly photographed "Homo" explores the obsessive 
sexual relationship between two prison inmates.  A runaway 
theatrical hit, which made national headlines and the 
network news when it was attacked by right-wing minister 
Donald Wildmon, "Poison" is unsettling, unforgettable, and 
thoroughly entertaining.  "Poison" was directed by Todd 
Haynes.
 
Due to the generous support of Lawrence University, the 
conference will be free and open to the public.  Lawrence 
University has a limited number of guest-rooms available for 
those who wish to stay overnight.  For more information on 
the conference, call (414)832-7170, fax (414)832-7695, e-
mail: 90195@lawrence.edu, or write to: BGLA, c/o The Info 
Desk, PO. Box 599, Appleton, WI 54912.