REVOLUTION, PROTEST AND PERSONAL STORIES: Mardi Gras’ Queer Thinking Program announced.

Leading thinkers and thought provocateurs will converge on Carriageworks on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 February, for two exhilarating days of ideas, discussion and debate for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’ Queer Thinking program.

With a focus on social justice, Queer Thinking features seven exciting panels and over thirty insightful speakers dealing with issues faced by LGBTQI people today. Media personalities, activists, 78ers, academics, performers and writers will discuss what we should set our sights on next in the fight for equality for all LGBTQI people: from the acceptance of queer Muslims, to the visibility of queer refugees in Australian society, the future of feminism in the LGBTQI movement, and much, much more.

Mardi Gras CEO Terese Casu said “As we celebrate 40 years of Mardi Gras, from its early revolutionary beginnings through to its evolution to becoming one of the leading LGBTQI celebrations in the world, this year’s Queer Thinking program brings together leaders, activists and artists to share their stories and challenge the current status quo.”

Special guest speakers include broadcaster and 78er Julie McCrossin, LGBTQI activist Sally Rugg, Australia’s first openly gay Imam Nur Warsame, media personality Nell Schofield, artist Cherish Blood (CAN), screen writer Philippe Mangeot (FRA) and many more.

The program for  MARDI GRAS’ QUEER THINKING, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 February, 2018 at  Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh  is below or more information and tickets at Mardi Gras. 

FULL PROGRAM

SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY

Koori Gras' Speakers Platform
 Featuring Indigenous Research Fellow Dr Sandy O’Sullivan and artists Jacob Boehme, Cherish Blood and Brian Fuata, this panel comes together to discuss queer performance from First Peoples’ perspectives.

Activists Show & Tell: How to Change the World Panel + Q&A with 78er Julie McCrossin
 Journalist and 78er Julie McCrossin takes a look at LGBTQI activism in Australia from radical liberation and protest in the 70s to the battles we’re fighting today. Hosted by McCrossin in conversation with activists including Imam Nur Warsame, Australia’s first out gay Imam who is leading the charge for acceptance of LGBTQI Muslim Australians. Other panelists include Betty Hounslow, Sally Rugg, and Teddy Cook.

Change for All? Feminism and the LGBTQI Movement
 From the gay liberation movement to the queer politics of today, this panel examines the intersections of feminism, queer, trans, race, age and Indigenous sovereignty and will explore the role of women and feminist politics in building the LGBTQI rights movement in Australia. This talk is moderated by writer and academic Sarah Maddison, with panelists Robyn Laverack, Nayuka Gorrie, Katherine Wolfgramme and Anna Hush.

Trans Stories – 40 Years
 Co-presented with Trans Sydney Pride, a diverse range of transgender people will share their personal truths and inner worlds in an evening of storytelling. Trans Stories features speakers Mama Alto, AJ Brown, Karen Chant, Chrissy Doyle, Lisa Freshwater, Peta Friend, Katherina Maver, Kaya Wilson and Colleen Windsor.

SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY

Queer Refugees: Building the Bridges and Bridging the Gaps
 In Australia, LGBTQI people from refugee backgrounds are almost absent from the overall refugee debate, and rarely do we focus on those LGBTQI individuals who are granted a protection visa and what happens after. Moderated by the Institute for Social Justice’s Tina Dixson who has reported on human rights violations of LBT women at the level of United Nations in Geneva and UNHCR, this panel looks at the lives of these individuals and what it means to live in Australia as a queer refugee. Tina will be joined by panelists including asylum seeker advocate Roj Amedi, artists Kathryn Clark and Renee Dixson, and CEO of Arab Council Australia Randa Kattan.

The ‘Transgressive’ Body: A Fucking Protest
 ‘Transgressive’ sexual bodies are often the target of stigma, discrimination and regulation. Drawing on experiences with disability, HIV-positivity, sex work and queer porn, the panel explores the protest of fucking and how body and sex-positivity advance understanding and advocacy in our communities. Moderated by Dino Dimitriadis, the panel includes artist and scholar Zahra Stardust, HIV advocate Dai Aoki and actor Daniel Monks.

Activism and Radicalism from the AIDS Crisis to Today
 When the AIDS crisis hit, LGBTQI communities around the world were changed forever. This panel will bring together Australian and French perspectives on the AIDS crisis, and how the lasting effects of AIDS activism is still felt today in fighting for the rights of all LGBTQI people.

Moderated by Nell Schofield, the panel features international guest Philippe Mangeot, co-writer of the film BPM (Beats Per Minute) which won the Grand Prix at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Mangeot will also share his stories of his time as President of ActUp! Paris in the 90s. Also joining the panel are Maxime Forest, composer and ActUp! Sydney activist in the 90s Lyle Chan, and Bridget Haire, President of the Australia Federation of AIDS Organisations.

A ticket to Queer Thinking on Saturday 24 February includes the panels Activists Show & Tell: How to Change the World and Change for All? Feminism and the LGBTQI Movement.

A ticket to Queer Thinking Sunday 25 February includes the panels Queer Refugees: Building the Bridges and Bridging the Gaps, The ‘Transgressive’ Body: A Fucking Protest, and Activism and Radicalism from the AIDS Crisis to Today.

Koori Gras’ Speakers Platform is free to attend and Trans Stories – 40 Years is separately ticketed.