MILWAUKEE – The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee LGBT Studies Program presents a conference, “Sex and Gender Spectra,” Nov. 28-Dec. 1 on the UWM East Side campus. All of the sessions are free and open to the public.
This three-day event includes presentations, panel discussions, film, and exhibits of art and artifacts. The conference will address a variety of topics related to sexuality and gender variance, including intersexuality, androgyny, gender transition, the multiplicity of sexes and sexualities in world cultures, gender policing, Milwaukee’s LGBT history, gender-variant youth, the medical treatment of intermediately-sexed bodies, DIY queer media and anti-discrimination laws protecting transgender people.
The conference opens on Thursday, Nov. 28, with a 7 p.m. showing of “Mohammed to Maya” at the UWM Union Theatre, second floor of the student union, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. The film explores the spiritual, emotional and social experiences of Maya Jafer, a transgender Muslim woman from India. The screening will be followed by a discussion with filmmaker Jeff Roy and Maya Jafer, moderated by Carl Bogner, organizer of the LGBT Film/Video Festival.
The events continue on Friday, Nov. 29, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the fourth floor Conference Center of the Golda Meir Library, 2311 E. Hartford Ave. Highlights include an art exhibit by Milwaukee queer artists, curated by Noel Mariano, and panel discussions on trans-feminism and body modification, community influences on sex and gender spectra, and anti-discrimination protections for transgender people. Keynote speaker at 4 p.m. is Katrina Karkazis, author of “Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority, and Lived Experience.”
Saturday’s conference events begin at noon and run until 5 p.m, also in the library’s Conference Center. Featured will be exhibits and presentations exploring Milwaukee’s LGBT history, the science of sex and gender variance, the Milwaukee Transgender Oral History Project, cross-dressing in musical theatre and gender-variant youth in public schools.
The conference is presented in conjunction with the Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival, the UWM LGBT Resource Center, and the UWM Libraries. Funding was provided by the Challenge Group and Joseph Pabst.
For more information, go to http://www.aux.uwm.edu/lgbt/pages/calendar.php.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Cary Gabriel Costello, costello@uwm.edu.