Los Angeles Queer Studies Conference
Today, 1 p.m. ““ 7 p.m. Saturday, 9:30 a.m. ““ 5:45
p.m. Royce Hall
Speakers from various disciplines will be on campus today to
speak on a wide spectrum of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
issues, ranging from identity to representation in art.
UCLA’s LGBT Studies Program will host the Los Angeles
Queer Studies Conference, where graduate students present their
research on LGBT history, art and culture. “The conference
draws graduate students from UCLA, but also from all over the
U.S.,” said Sandra Harding, chair of the Faculty Advisory
Committee for the LGBT Studies Program and professor of education
and women’s studies.
“It’s one of the few graduate student conferences,
and gives graduate students the chance to network and talk with
each other (and) hear about the newest research going on,”
she added.
The UCLA Williams Institute, a think tank that focuses on sexual
orientation law and public policy, is also involved in putting on
the conference.
In May, a faculty team put together for the Los Angeles Queer
Studies Conference began planning the conference by choosing the
speakers. Many of those selected are at the top of their fields,
Harding said.
She added that the conference is open to all people regardless
of sexual orientation, and its purpose is to educate the public on
the newest research regarding LGBT issues.
According to Holning Lau, a William’s Institute spokesman
who will speak at the conference, the objective of the Los Angeles
Queer Studies Conference is to help make LGBT research accessible
to anyone who is interested in learning more about the field.
“For the Williams Institute, the goal is to highlight
issues about sexual orientation equality, to get people to think
critically about these issues and to search for solutions,”
Lau said. “We want to take the dialogue to the next
level.”
Lau said conferences generally focus on familiarizing attendees
with basic concerns of the LGBT community and debunking myths. This
weekend’s conference also aims to advance stronger arguments
for LGBT rights.
“Lots of times the arguments are based on different
visions of morality. Maybe we can move a step beyond that,”
he said.
The conference is one of the few interdisciplinary discussions
that allows comparisons and connections to be made between the
various fields, Lau said.
“The most creative ideas come from these interdisciplinary
conferences because they allow a greater exchange of ideas,”
he said.
Researchers from across the United States will attend, said
Courtney Johnson, program assistant for the LGBT Studies
Program.
“People fly across the country to talk for 20
minutes,” Johnson said.