Building
upon the successes of Bent On Change 2000: Rethinking Queer Issues on Campus
and in Communities, the Bent On Change II conference steering committee
is pleased to announce Beyond Tolerance: Rethinking Queer Issues on Campus
and in Communities for November 1 & 2, 2002.
Bent
on Change II seeks to move beyond tolerance because tolerance implies reluctant
and limited acceptance, acceptance granted by those in power, acceptance
conditioned on good behaviour, rather than full, unconditional participation
negotiated on principles of justice and equity. Contemporary debates in
LGBTQ communities often focus on strategic questions about winning acceptance,
yet many today reject change that results only in tolerance. What makes
the debate about LGBTQ tolerance even more complicated are the diverse
ways in which different constituencies within our communities relate to
it. And since all of us have multiple identities, we are all potentially
in the dangerous position of being intolerant, tolerating or being tolerated.
The
Bent On Change II conference program committee looks forward to presenting
a dynamic program of papers, presentations and workshops that will bring
together students, staff, faculty and community members to discuss the
various environments in which LGBTQ individuals study, work, play and live.
The
conference will look at university policies, academic programs, scholarly
research, campus equity initiatives and community projects designed to
address exclusion, discrimination, prejudice, and harassment. As well,
the conference will explore lived experiences of intolerance and tolerance,
responses to those experiences, and strategies for moving beyond tolerance
in universities and communities.
The
program will place particular emphasis on discussions that consider the
conference theme in relation to intersections of sexuality with race, ethnicity,
class, sex, gender, gender identity, faith, size, and abilities. The conference
aims to forge connections within and between universities, between universities
and other educational institutions, and between universities and communities.
In light of this, the program committee seeks proposals for papers, presentations
and workshops that will appeal to both academic and non-academic audiences.
We
encourage students, staff, faculty and community activists to submit proposals.
Bent on Change II: Beyond Tolerance is an opportunity for LGBTQ individuals
and allies to come together and discuss the challenges of and possibilities
for fighting for change that results in acceptance and recognition for
all LGBTQ people, in all of our diverse expressions.
Submissions
should include a proposal title and abstract (one-page), as well as the
name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of the applicant. Limited
travel subsidies are available.
Please
send proposals by June 30, 2002 to:
Bent
On Change II,
c/o Jude Tate University of Toronto
Suite 307, 214 College St.
Toronto, Ontario M5T 2Z9
e-mail: lgbtq.resources@utoronto.ca