Queers and the civil rights movement * Is the south queer? * queer rednecks, trailer trash, queer debutantes, queer mall rats * WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE QUEER IN THE SOUTH? * carson mccullers * donald wyndam * Flannery o'conner * tennessee williams * lillian smith * WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE QUEER IN THE SOUTH? * blanche mccrary boyd * joey manley * jim grimsley * shay youngblood * dorothy allison * minnie bruce pratt * mab segrest * james baldwin * bayard rustin * WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE QUEER IN THE SOUTH? * rita mae brown * bertha harris * june arnold * becky bertha * luisah teish * bessie smith * ma rainey * michael stipe * anita bryant * newt gingrich * bowers vs. hardwick * jethro * miss jane * elvis * jim nabors * suzanne pharr * mandy carter * (in)visibility * alternative spiritualities * radical fairies * southern drag * the military and southern queers * institutional heterosexism * idgie and ruth * gospel girls * lady chablee * ru paul * queer journalism * fighting the right * religious right / religious wrongs * christian queers * queers and the neo-confederacy * rural organizing * WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE QUEER IN THE SOUTH? * outness / closets * butch / femme * southern style * s&m * the south and AIDS

* Q U E E R I N G T H E S O U T H *

a gathering of lgbt activists, academics and artists

What does it mean to be queer in the South? What particular challenges does living in the South pose for queer political organizing? Is it contradictory to be both queer and southern? How has living in the South shaped queers, individually and as communities? How do power and privilege shape definitions of 'southern' and 'queer'? How are definitions of 'southern' raced?

This three-day gathering seeks to explore how sexuality, race, religion, region, class and gender shape our relationship to the South and southern identity. We will begin the gathering with the analysis of our past and present experiences as bisexuals, lesbians, gays, and transgendered persons in the South and then move into workshops and panels which offer how to's for organizing, coalition building and creating practical strategies for challenging the various institutions and practices which threaten us as individuals and as communities. This gathering will be held in Atlanta, GA, June 25-27, the three days before Pride Weekend.

We are looking for presentations, workshops, papers and panels -- academically, politically or artistically oriented --which address any aspect of this broadly-conceived theme. Proposals should be attentive to the specifics of race, class and gender, and be presented in a language which is accessible to a wide audience. Additionally, workshop proposals will be chosen for how clearly they are conceptualized, including plans for audience participation. Financial assistance may be available, including reduced rate housing, free housing, and registration fee waivers.

For more information, or to submit an abstract, write to:

Queering the South
P.O. Box 15470
Atlanta, GA 30333

qtsmail@learnlink.emory.edu
voice mail: (404) 727-4367
http://www.atlantapride.org/qts.html

Abstracts should be 1-2 pages and are due March 15, 1997.
Email submissions accepted.