Saturday - March 10, 2012 - at Cincy GLBT Center

This was an open, beginner/intermediate workshop structured to cover a wide array of topics relating to gender diversity. It is primarily directed towards participants who have no background in trans* and gender topics but also discusses concepts that would be of interest to people with stronger backgrounds in gender theory.

Bio:

JAC Stringer, also known as Midwest GenderQueer, is a transgenderqueer femme radical activist, writer, and performance artist from Cincinnati, Ohio. JAC has lectured and performed across the USA and Canada with his work focusing trans* and queer education, social justice, femme identities, (dis)ability, and trans*/queer artistry. JAC is the founding director of The Midwest Trans* and Queer Wellness Initiative, is a leading activist in the gender identity disorder removal movement, and is a strong advocate for health care reform, sexual assault awareness, and comprehensive sex education. JAC has founded several projects including Cincinnati Trans* Community Group, GenderBloc, and the Queer Canon Zine, and is member of several organizing boards including TransOhio, The Philadelphia Transgender Health Conference, The Greater Cincinnati Youth Summit, The International Femme Conference, and The International Drag King Community Extravaganza. As a performer, JAC has done genderbending dance, music, drag, and spoken word as a solo artist and as co-manager of nationally recognized drag cabaret troupe, The Black Mondays. He is a national gender performance showcase producer and is the founder of the Gender Queeries Tour. JAC is a life-long dancer, poet, musician, and rabble-rouser whose work’s purpose is to generate unity, action, and empowerment and achieve rights and recognition for trans* and queer communities through education, art, and other various forms of revolution.

Gender is connected to every aspect of our lives; our identities, our sexualities, and how we experience the world. This workshop sorts out the mass of labels, terms, and theories surrounding gender through the experiences and language of trans* / gender non-conforming communities. We will ask why we think about gender, how culture and practices interact with and affect trans* people today, and find commonalities that will help us build a more inclusive, just community.