CALL FOR PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS & WORKSHOPS:

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