Queer thinkers announced

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) has announced the line-up for Queer Thinking, an event presented by Google as part of Sydney Mardi Gras 2012.

A series of talks and seminars with a queer focus, the event will take place at the Seymour Centre on February 25 from 12pm-8pm and bring together some of the world’s most influential academics and creatives to discuss their work, passions and communities.

Speakers on the day include Professor of Race and Cultural Studies Sara Ahmed, who will appear at Wilful Queers exploring queer history of ‘the will’, while founder and founder and co-facilitator of Queer Muslims in Australia, Alyena Mohummadally, will talk about how she reconciles her religious identity with her sexual identity.

Other sessions include a discussion of 30 Years of the Bookshop Darlinghurst, showcasing some of the significant books that The Bookshop Darlinghurst has sold over the past three decades.

International Sydney-based artist Gary Carsley will give a performance and lecture at What’s Drag Got to Do With It, while the Growing Up Other session will see adult children reflect on growing up with same-sex parents.

Do You See Me? Behind the Mask of the Asian Gay Man will seek to explore the conflicting worlds of being Asian and gay, posing the question ‘Can sexual and cultural identities co-exist harmoniously?’

Google will present two sessions on the day, addressing the role of the social web and borderless communication channels in Activism in the Internet Age, and Queer Career will feature leading executives from Australia and around the world reflect on what it means to be a LGBTQI business leader.

There will be plenty more food for thought at Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation, which will see a panel consisting of Dr Sue Wills, Lex Watson and Professor Dennis Altman discuss Altman’s ground-breaking book – Homosexual: Oppression & Liberation. Published in 1971, this was one of the important events that placed the notion of gay liberation into the public discourse. This session is organised by the Pride History Group.

In addition to this line-up, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will a introduce a series of satellite Queer Thinking events that will take place to complement the full program.

The satellite Queer Thinking events will begin on Saturday, February 18, with a session at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre. In this event, distinguished British sociologist, Jeffrey Weeks, speaks about ‘The World We Have Won’, the theme of one of his latest books. This session is presented by the Pride History Group.

On Friday, February 24, a free one-day work-shop will take place at the University of Sydney, titled Researching Intimacy, Sexuality and Space. Run by the Sexuality and Space Working Group, Department of Gender and Cultural Studies, and University of Sydney in conjunction with Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, sessions will explore queer style, transnational flows, why gender matters and more.

Queer Thinking at the Seymour Centre takes place on Saturday, February 25 from 12pm-8pm and is a fusion of academia, literature and ideas.

For more information, visit www.mardigras.org.au