Nerd Nite Gay

To celebrate Mardi Gras and nerdery we’ve (legally) married the two for a very gay edition of Nerd Nite!

Activist Tiernan Brady (the man who helped make Ireland Gay again) explains how a minority can win a majority. Academic Victoria Rawlings tells us why we shouldn’t call school kids ‘gays’ or ‘sluts’, and ‘Queer Wars’ writer Jonathan Symons muses on the international polarisation of gay rights.

BUY TIKS HERE

victoria rawlings | usyd lecturer | “that’s so gay”: gender, sexuality, ‘bullying’ and schools

Schools are supposed to be a place where all students feel safe. Unfortunately, the reality is that they are often places where ‘fitting in’ means avoiding being ‘different’ at all costs. In this talk, Victoria Rawlings will talk about the integral part that gender and sexuality play in the social lives of young people- particularly at school. We’ll discuss moments of gender ‘regulation’, including insults like ‘gay’ and ‘slut’ at school- and what these moments mean and achieve.

Dr Victoria Rawlings teaches in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Sydney, lecturing and tutoring students on education, gender, sexuality, pedagogy and research methods. She continues to research the intersections between curriculum, schooling, gender and sexuality and has a new book that (according to her) is definitely worth purchasing or requesting for your library: Gender regulation, violence and social hierarchies in school: ‘Sluts’, ‘Gays’ and ‘Scrubs’.

 

tiernan brady | activist | marriage equality, australia and ireland – how a minority wins a majority

Tiernan Brady is the Executive Director of Australians for Equality. Previously he was the policy officer of GLEN – The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, Ireland’s leading LGBTI organisation. He was the Political Director of Yes Equality, which led the referendum campaign for civil marriage equality in Ireland. He designed and implemented the political strategy of the campaign that made Ireland the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in its constitution by referendum. He led the delegation in favour of equal civil marriage to the Irish Constitutional Convention which led to the referendum being established. In GLEN he devised the political strategy to secure and build the broadest possible political support for Civil Partnership in Ireland which ultimately passed with the support of every political party in 2011. He previously served as the Director of Organisation for the Deputy Prime Minister (Tanaiste) of Ireland, Mary Coughlan from 2000 to 2007 as well holding the office of mayor of his hometown, Bundoran for 2 terms.

 

jon symons | international relations mqu |the great gay divide: international polarisation of gay rights

Is the world increasingly polarised between countries that support gay rights, and countries that oppose them? If so, how should advocates of gay rights respond? Jon Symons shows how despite a strong long-term trend toward liberalisation, national laws, positions on ‘gay rights’ and even public attitudes toward homosexuality have become increasingly divided over the last decade.

Academic and ‘Queer Wars’ coauthor Dr Jonathan Symons is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Macquarie University. His research explores international relations theory, climate politics (especially the global governance of energy, geo engineering and innovation policy) and the treatment of sexuality within international human rights practice.

 

WHEN: Tuesday 21st March. Doors open at 6:30 for a 7pm start. Sorry no seat reservations this time, it led to more chaos than we could handle!

WHERE: Friend In Hand Pub 58 Cowper Street, Glebe. They do a great $15 parmy special. Seating will be in rows so it’s probably easiest to get some grub downstairs before the show starts.

TICKETS: General entry is $12, buy tickets here, limited (but available) tiks on the door.

 

Be There. Be Square.