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QC Video follow up
Jul. 3rd, 2012 05:49 pmLast year I was asked to talk about QC. The video below was the result:
...and this is my rely, one year on:
...and this is my rely, one year on:
Or Differences Make Us the Same II
Jun. 27th, 2012 11:48 pmThe artwork I'm making for the Queer Collaborations 2012 Art Show.
Constructed using queer symbol tiles to create a mosaic. This was then printed in 9 A3 sheets and attached together with glue and tape. This photo has been taken just after the glue and tape has been applied. There are a couple of further adjustments to be made before it can be posted to Flinders Uni.
A section of the work showing a sample of the tiles used. They are not consistently or evenly applied in colours or symbols., Light Grey male, female and marriage symbols outnumber everything else.
Constructed using queer symbol tiles to create a mosaic. This was then printed in 9 A3 sheets and attached together with glue and tape. This photo has been taken just after the glue and tape has been applied. There are a couple of further adjustments to be made before it can be posted to Flinders Uni.
A section of the work showing a sample of the tiles used. They are not consistently or evenly applied in colours or symbols., Light Grey male, female and marriage symbols outnumber everything else.
Minimising stuff
Jun. 7th, 2012 10:12 amI'm semi-retiring Elsie (again) and most of my other alts in SL. Apart from attending support groups and posing for webcomics/graphic novels they won't be in-world much at all. I'm not abandoning Second Life (tried that before, doesn't work) but every thing's in a state of flux right now and I need to sort that out. Also, SL is a lot emptier with certain friends who used to be there not being lately. If I'm not exploring or making a webcomic or building something, I'm getting bored in there.
When I injured my leg earlier this week I went online in the hopes of finding a little support, but it wasn't there. If I'm thinking in such terms, it's time to get off for a bit, otherwise I'll end up like I did with Facebook. I'm actually enjoying that now in a much reduced role. Maybe this'll be the same.
As I write this I wonder if this is the case with a lot of things in my life. I mean, I used to support the notion of both a trans and queer community, but I'm thinking that that is more an illusion than reality. Beginning to think that the "Queer/LGBT* community" is really the LG community extended, with hangers-on from other interest groups who mix because it's the most viable game in town. Another reason I'm not going to the annual queer student conference this year (other reasons being health, and the fact I said I wouldn't go if I couldn't get there under my own financing).
But this is not a matter of burning any bridges, it's more about being realistic about what I get back socially and emotionally, compared to any hopes I have. In that respect I suspect a law of diminished returns is starting to apply. When it comes to such things. Most events assume that you have your own transport, have no disabilities, money, and a sex drive. Guess what I don't have.
When I injured my leg earlier this week I went online in the hopes of finding a little support, but it wasn't there. If I'm thinking in such terms, it's time to get off for a bit, otherwise I'll end up like I did with Facebook. I'm actually enjoying that now in a much reduced role. Maybe this'll be the same.
As I write this I wonder if this is the case with a lot of things in my life. I mean, I used to support the notion of both a trans and queer community, but I'm thinking that that is more an illusion than reality. Beginning to think that the "Queer/LGBT* community" is really the LG community extended, with hangers-on from other interest groups who mix because it's the most viable game in town. Another reason I'm not going to the annual queer student conference this year (other reasons being health, and the fact I said I wouldn't go if I couldn't get there under my own financing).
But this is not a matter of burning any bridges, it's more about being realistic about what I get back socially and emotionally, compared to any hopes I have. In that respect I suspect a law of diminished returns is starting to apply. When it comes to such things. Most events assume that you have your own transport, have no disabilities, money, and a sex drive. Guess what I don't have.
Last Week in Review: Gender Issues
Jul. 13th, 2011 08:41 pmI seemed to get my nose rubbed in things when my sister-in-law referred to me as "he" when ordering at a cafe and the waiter called me "sir" afterwards when delivering the meal. And that was within 2 hours of arriving. Mind you, there were other reminders about the issues for me in Perth.
Still no update that i know about the status of the High Court appeal over the gender recognition of AB and AH in Western Australia. . The Trans plenary on Friday was however very informative, especially the talk given by Zoe. I hadn't realised that apart from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), that there is another reference for medical use out there produced and maintained by the World Health Organisation (WHO) , the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). That means we can quite easily delete certain offending sections of the DSM that pigeon-hole trans folk as mentally ill if we use the ICD.
There may be be some progress in human rights in W.A. as well. At the the moment you have gender reassignment before granted gender recognition which changes one's birth certificate. And only those with gender recognition get anti-discrimination protection! However, this maybe changed soon.
The incident at the Court Hotel just reinforces my opinion about Western Australia being a parochial and conservative state. Am glad that I don't intend on living there again, any time soon.
Last Week in Review: Issues with QC
Jul. 13th, 2011 01:27 amMy experiences at Queer Collaborations last week highlighted my need to (probably) make this one the last QC I attend.
Why so? Well for one I've been to seven QCs, and overall although the individual events vary greatly, overall they are a repeating pattern that doesn't change much. At an average QC there will be at least one issue of great contention fought bitterly on the floor which upsets the noobs; there will be a good deal of socialising outside the official events; there is a certain "on tiptoes attitude" which while well intended obscures issues affecting sub cultures within the attending Queer Community; and for me, there tends to be something that "triggers" me. This year's was no exception.
When I look back at the QC, more often than not something there triggers me. Brisbane in 1997 didn't though I did feel a little overwhelmed. Newcastle in 2001 induced a huge panic attack after tensions on the floor got out of hand (read about it here) and I had to be driven home. For Perth 2005 it was the Kiss-in at the Red Lion that triggered me (guess who never gets kissed) and I was walked to Perth Station by Thom. Never happened in Sydney for 2006 but others did get triggered. In Canberra 2009 I was too cold to notice, and sooner or later everybody who stayed at the hostel in Dixon was sick anyway. At Wollongong in 2010 I got triggered in the Woman's Caucus and later at the first nights meal over issues of isolation and alienation - later I almost choked on pretzels.
This year's trigger was someone using my laptop to check a pornography DVD for their workshop related to a trans porn star. I had thought that I wouldn't be affected by this, but I was (I have problems saying "NO"). I don't think of myself as a prude but how on earth is a scene where one of the actors pees while sitting in a sink sexy? After it was checked I had a huge anxiety attack, no doubt related to anxieties surrounding lack of sexual and physical contact. Thing was, I can't predict what will set me off so that means in effect that as a whole QC is not a "safe space" for me.
And I seem to be getting diminishing returns. I hate to admit it but last year I was mostly bored at QC. It was hard for me to whip up enthusiasm for much of it. This year I spent more time hanging out in the queer space than not. I met some interesting people there and watched more than a few films and TV shows. But it says something when the most memorable stuff was what's on TV! Not that there weren't interesting panels and workshops. For me the issues over Gender Recognition legislation (which I'd helped draft) were important and it was helpful to meet Zoe again. Also realising that pansexual was a useful label for me was good thing. Though I felt discounted in the woman's caucus I was glad to volunteer for the Plenary on Mental Health and share my experiences as a client in that area. A pity then that the thing was on Saturday and barely 20 attended.
More over, my current issues related to heath and fitness affected my capacity to enjoy or participate in the conference. At 136 kg I am obese by any definition and this affects my asthma, and the arthritis in my right leg. The result was that by the end of the conference that leg in general and the knee in particular were hurting almost continuously. Got to do something about these problems, but losing weight is easier said than done when there are difficulties exercising. This is also the reason I didn't go to the clubs and pubs much. The events there were geared towards the young and/or the fit, of which I'm neither. When I did the tourism thing on Monday (by visiting the W.A. Art Gallery and Museum) I felt tired and hurting by the end of it.
I am glad I ran the QC: Is it worth it? workshop. This addressed the issues of how people return value from QC to others at their universities, but what came out of it was also the varying levels of funding and support that each collective gets on an annual basis. When you only have a $1000 dollars for a whole year's budget sending more than one person to QC in another state becomes problematic.
That being the case, I probably won't be going to QC in Adelaide next year. I do have a couple of ideas for workshops - one on Mental Health and another on virtual queers (in SL and elsewhere) - but I feel uncomfortable going to any more QCs and being subsidised for that. If I go (about a 25% chance at the moment) it will be under my my own funding, representing myself only. However, the other thing is that I've been thinking of going to other events on around the same time. NOWSA (feminist conference) might be more interesting for me, as might SOS (ecological). Maybe I should look for a Fine Arts conference instead?
Last week in Review: Venues and Places
Jul. 13th, 2011 12:36 amI still seem to be on W.A. time so I thought I'd do a post. Having it in Perth however complicated things. Why? Because Perth is my old home city.
Now when I went to the previous QC in Perth back in 2005 this didn't seem to be an issue in the same way. It'd been a few years since I'd been there before and the biggest shock I had was the result of "Perth CBD's war on cinemas" - out of 10 cinemas that existed in the CBD when I left, only two remained in 2005, and now it's only one! I was an avid film goer when living in Perth so that was a big shock - especially the cinema replaced by a Woolworths! This time around I found that Mr Samurai in Barrack street was gone, replaced by another Japanese food place. Also in the process of demolished (or downscaled) was Governor Stirling Senior High school (Gubbo) where I went as a teenager. If only I could have pressed the plunger on the dynamite, but I guess it's not that sort of demolition.
But other venues and places were significant in my stay. One of the conference's venues for social events was the Court Hotel. There was a performance night planned for the Wednesday but that was problematic. Despite flying a rainbow flag the place is actually a mixed venue that caters for gays and lesbians and on the whole not a Queer or Trans friendly environment. Trans people had been bashed there and otherwise discriminated against in the past. There was a hotly debated motion to ban going to that venue which got passed. I wasn't on the floor at the time that happened, because after being "triggered" on Tuesday I didn't go to anything on the floor for the rest of the event. And frankly whether there was a ban or not, I had no plans of going to the court for any reason.
Shortly before I had a death threat at my workplace, and on the way home from a Star trek club (both in Perth) I'd almost been bashed by a patron at the Court (I outran them), so I wasn't going in there for any reason. I heard one of the organisers reasons for using that venue (a way of changing their behaviour apparently) but to my way of thinking it isn't the management that's the problem, it's the patrons. This was born out later in the week when I met a trans woman who had gone to the event only to (allegedly) cop trans-phobic remarks from someone there (particularly revealing when I heard who it was from, but I'm not repeating that without confirmation). There was an alternative venue for that event at the Tavern at Uni of W.A., but it was broadcast very clearly that there was no security at the venue. Considering that there'd been a couple of stabbings at UWA in the last two months, and that transport from there was less frequent, I skipped that as well.
Travel around Perth was a bit of an issue in contradictory ways. Overall I had little trouble getting to Curtin and back home to Mum's all week. The most I had to wait for a bus or a train was 18 minutes and that was at Murdoch Station at night. On average it was between 2-8 minutes, and express travel sped the journeys further. Perth has improved its public transport network significantly since I' lived there. However its also increased security significantly as well. When I went in 2005, waiting for the last train home was a scary experience - what seemed like gangs of youths hung around central station eyeing each other and there was a tension about it all. On this visit often there seemed to be more guards than passengers at that Station and pairs of transit police rode the trains most times.
At Midland station there were additional guards and once a guard rode the bus I took, which was followed by a car of additional guards ready to jump out an assist if needed. While that might have made me feel safer, it also made me think that the underlying problem here hadn't been resolved, merely "fixed". One time I waited for the bus at Midland station I listened to two adult men (mostly drunk) who were debating whether or not to pick up some 12 year old girls! Uh, right.
Even so, travel was an issue. In the previous two QCs (Canberra and Wollongong) I'd stayed at the same hostels/motels as the rest of my group, and late night sessions were the rule rather than the exception. Stay at my mother's at Midland instead of the hostels in the Perth CBD, I chose not to go to most events because it was awkward to get home when they finished. Mum had a stroke scare while I was there, averted by a tablet under the tongue, and I didn't want to aggravate that further. Also, I had trouble with my right knee and leg, and was limping towards the end of the conference. Doesn't inspire going out to nightclubs or bars much.
I found it funny that a number of "Eastern Staters" were amazed at just how clean Perth (and public transport) was. I used to think that when tourists came back and said that Perth was "very clean" that they meant it was dull. However, comparing Perth to cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Newcastle (and their respective public transport) it IS really clean. "They have carpets on the trains!" was an observation I heard more than once. Even so there was a price for that. In Perth CBD (in a city of over 2 million now) the Woolworths closes at 9pm. In Newcastle (a city of maybe 400,000) The Woolworths in Glendale is open until Midnight! Go figure.
...back home again!
Was going to stay a day in Sydney with a friend, but when I got off the plane I just wanted to go home. Slept for a bit, picked up dog and cat poo in the house (inevitable but manageable), said Hello to Bobby (who seemed VERY glad to see me), fed him and the cats, and went through my mail just now.
It's good to be home. More details later.
Leaving Today
Jul. 2nd, 2011 09:28 amToday I finish packing, and cleaning up, and leaving for a friend's place in Islington. The idea is that a lot of us (the Spectrum folk going to Perth) will stay there and catch a 2:30am train tomorrow morning at Hamilton Station, which is only a few blocks away. That will take use down to Central where we'll catch a connecting train to the Domestic Airport and fly to Perth via Virgin.
Having checked the timetables, I don't have to leave here until abot 4:20pm this afternoon. In the meantime as well as packing, I'm going to clean-up up my place, do the dishes and make my bed. When I get back it won't be like a disaster hit!
Anyway, busy day today, and at least I can spend time with the pets and make sure they're fed this arvo.
Photos from yesterday
May. 22nd, 2009 11:33 amJust some photos from the bake Sale at NUSA yesterday. Proceeds go towards sending us to Queer Collaborations '09 which takes place this year at the Australian National University, Canberra.
This is a group shot of the Queer Collective after the event
(yours truly looking like a mad hag at middle rear).
Angel Kirk
Jun. 18th, 2008 07:42 pmI came across this image which I drew back in 2006 just now, looking for something else.
This was of Kirk, who I met at Queer Collaborations in 2005. He had an entire wall of angel posters and he seemed like the right person to pose for the Angel of Death in my Trans Tarot Deck. I sometimes wonder what happened to Kirk.
Coming Home
Jul. 9th, 2006 10:57 amGot home yesterday from Sydney.
Woke up at 5am, and couldn't get back to sleep so I went down to the lounge. Amanda was down there, waiting for her shuttle to the airport, so I said goodbye to her.
Had a big breakfast at 7, and got dressed and packed by 9am. Everyone else seemed to be waking up and the place was packed. There was a huge pile of pillows and blankets in the lounge. Then I waited outside for a bit (another collection of people saying goodbye and waiting for transport). Then I left for King's Cross Station and waited for the rest of the Newcastle crew. By the time we got to Central, we missed our train by one minute (!) but that was OK because we were able to just rest and eat (Hungry Jacks).
I got home about 4pm. Pegasus and the cats were keen to see me, and later I walked Peggy to the chips shop and back. Had a quiet night watching ABC TV like the new Dr Who. Went to bed and slept like I hadn't for six days. I have a cough and am a bit headachey, but nothing like what I had last year.
Yahoo - that was a good QC! 
Friday Night
Jul. 8th, 2006 01:02 amWent to the Protest at the pub, and later to the dance at the Manning Bar.
The protest did what it was meant to do. We all sat down on the floor and chanted slogans to draw attention it. The police were called and they had batons and there were paddy wagons waiting for us if we resisted. But we didn't - we left we we were asked to by the police. The protest however, had succeeded in its objective. The young woman who'd been told to leave no longer felt like she was all alone on this - she now knew that she had support. At least that's what she told me later as we went to the bar.
The dance was the usual Queer Dance thing - only about one track in five that I felt like dancing to (which is one reason why I go to Goth clubs) and I left with Amanda after about an hour there. I did however watch (and play) an XBOX 360 game that was installed in an adjacent room. It was one of those first person shooter things where you shoot robots and people. Sort of fun - the graphics were incredible (especially the female avatar's outfit) but that just isn't my sort of game.
Amanda and I walked back to the Broadway and caught a taxi to the hostel. A good night.
QC Stuff : Friday
Jul. 7th, 2006 04:56 pmGlad I didn't go out last night.
There was a bit of a party in our room even though Amanda was trying to nap. Eventually Dion kicked them out when he wanted to crash. I was down in the lounge waiting for someone but they didn't show. Fell asleep watching some dopey pop idol show called "Supernova" where everybody seemed plastic.
Woke up, went back to the room and went to sleep. Slept until 3:00am, went to the toilet and tossed and turned for an hour before deciding to go back down to the lounge and wait for the kitchen to open at 7am. Had some cool conversations that time of morning while watching the "fashion channel". Had a good breakfast, watched a "dopey" (but cool) film called Thunderstruck and then left with Amanda.
We didn't go to the business session. Seen these before and they are dull, and we figured that they could survive without us. I took Amanda to the Gender Centre where someone asked if Amanda was my daughter - heh heh - I loved it! Later we went to the Monster Olympic Park where Amanda did some skateboarding on the ramps (yes, she's a lot younger than me).
We've come back to King's Cross for some food. Later tonight we'll probably go to a protest at 7 and a party at 8pm. The protest is at a bar at which a Lismore attendee (in a wheel chair) was told to leave. Bit like the "kiss-in" last year.
There was a bit of a party in our room even though Amanda was trying to nap. Eventually Dion kicked them out when he wanted to crash. I was down in the lounge waiting for someone but they didn't show. Fell asleep watching some dopey pop idol show called "Supernova" where everybody seemed plastic.
Woke up, went back to the room and went to sleep. Slept until 3:00am, went to the toilet and tossed and turned for an hour before deciding to go back down to the lounge and wait for the kitchen to open at 7am. Had some cool conversations that time of morning while watching the "fashion channel". Had a good breakfast, watched a "dopey" (but cool) film called Thunderstruck and then left with Amanda.
We didn't go to the business session. Seen these before and they are dull, and we figured that they could survive without us. I took Amanda to the Gender Centre where someone asked if Amanda was my daughter - heh heh - I loved it! Later we went to the Monster Olympic Park where Amanda did some skateboarding on the ramps (yes, she's a lot younger than me).
We've come back to King's Cross for some food. Later tonight we'll probably go to a protest at 7 and a party at 8pm. The protest is at a bar at which a Lismore attendee (in a wheel chair) was told to leave. Bit like the "kiss-in" last year.
Syncronicity
Jul. 6th, 2006 06:02 pmI used those bloody cards again yesterday.
The oracle ones, I mean. One of them was "SYNCRONICITY - follow up coincidences and chance meetings". Well I had a day full fo coincidences.
I look Win to the Gender Centre in the afternoon. I met Stef there who's also "a reader" and in to a bit of comics. She suggested I come back at the dorop in session that they had that night, and she'd show me some of her drawings. Quite keen to do this. Been real lonely lately and I thought of the card.
So - I went back to the hostel. Changed, and hopped on some trains (no waiting) and went to petersham again. Stef was there with her stuff and I was going to talk to her further but she disappeared while I was saying goodbye to Tanya, who also comes from Newcastle way. I was a bit upset about that, after all the travelling I'd done.
Went back to the station but just missed the train back. A bus pulled up next to me immediately, going into the City. I took it to Town Hall where I chanced to meet some people from QC who were going to a venue in Newtown. I was obviously more than a bit upset (crying) when I met them and they convinced me to go with them.
As it happened, the venue was the Sly Fox which I'd been to (and felt really uncomfortable at) when Ascension was held there (and the last one on was just last Saturday), so I was quite familiar with it. It was a lot less packed than before. Still very noisy. And I was justr plain ol' upset. Guess I thought there might have been a "spark" there with Stef but it wasn't the case. Guess I've been so so lonbely lately, and running around for the merest hint of some sort of friendship is perhaps not the best thing to do.
Someone invited me to sit at their table. Had a "shandy" and I was overcome with an urge to to write poetry, so I pulled out my pen and notebook and started writing. This kept on for 5 minutes until it was all done. It was just like an utter compulsion, and while I was writing I ignored all the noise and glare and distraction around me.
Now the funny thing is that there was this guy sitting at my table too, who seemed incredibly out of place - he had shaggy hair and wore a woollen poncho. He commented on what I was writing (he'd done the same thing in the same place) and, and well he was just the person I needed to talk to right then. It helped - it helped a lot. Won't go into details except to say: just what do I expect of myself?
Anyway, I felt better but I was dead tired (and slightly drunk, even) so I left. As I was walking back to the Newtown Station, I met two more QCers, and together we took the bus into the city and they gave me a lift to the hostel when they took a taxi to another venue.
- - -
Now here's the thing - I thought that the suyncronicity involved was meeting Stef, but it wasn't. On my trip out there I happened to talk to Win about Syncronicity, after drawing that card earlier in the day. I find that when I'm doing the "right thing" and travelling, all my travel connections get made in the minimum ammount of time.
That was the case on the trip to the Gender Centre earlier in the day, and also on the trip back. No sooner did I arrive at the station than the train was there! On the trip to Petersham again, it was also the case. Then I missed the train back and the bus turns up. If I'd caught thebtrain instead of the bus I wouldn't have met my friends from QC and not gone to the Sly Fox where I met Malcolm. And then on leaving I immediately met people travelling back my way and got there in a minimum of time!
See - I thought meeting Stef had been the bit of Syncronicity, but it wasn't - meeting Malcolm (and the amasingly efficient travelling) was!
Go figure.
Malcolm suggested that I go back to that venue. Wednesday at t5he Sly fox is Kinki Kingdom which I wouldn't have thought of going to. Maybe I should - maybe I need to follow up on this. Who knows...
The oracle ones, I mean. One of them was "SYNCRONICITY - follow up coincidences and chance meetings". Well I had a day full fo coincidences.
I look Win to the Gender Centre in the afternoon. I met Stef there who's also "a reader" and in to a bit of comics. She suggested I come back at the dorop in session that they had that night, and she'd show me some of her drawings. Quite keen to do this. Been real lonely lately and I thought of the card.
So - I went back to the hostel. Changed, and hopped on some trains (no waiting) and went to petersham again. Stef was there with her stuff and I was going to talk to her further but she disappeared while I was saying goodbye to Tanya, who also comes from Newcastle way. I was a bit upset about that, after all the travelling I'd done.
Went back to the station but just missed the train back. A bus pulled up next to me immediately, going into the City. I took it to Town Hall where I chanced to meet some people from QC who were going to a venue in Newtown. I was obviously more than a bit upset (crying) when I met them and they convinced me to go with them.
As it happened, the venue was the Sly Fox which I'd been to (and felt really uncomfortable at) when Ascension was held there (and the last one on was just last Saturday), so I was quite familiar with it. It was a lot less packed than before. Still very noisy. And I was justr plain ol' upset. Guess I thought there might have been a "spark" there with Stef but it wasn't the case. Guess I've been so so lonbely lately, and running around for the merest hint of some sort of friendship is perhaps not the best thing to do.
Someone invited me to sit at their table. Had a "shandy" and I was overcome with an urge to to write poetry, so I pulled out my pen and notebook and started writing. This kept on for 5 minutes until it was all done. It was just like an utter compulsion, and while I was writing I ignored all the noise and glare and distraction around me.
Now the funny thing is that there was this guy sitting at my table too, who seemed incredibly out of place - he had shaggy hair and wore a woollen poncho. He commented on what I was writing (he'd done the same thing in the same place) and, and well he was just the person I needed to talk to right then. It helped - it helped a lot. Won't go into details except to say: just what do I expect of myself?
Anyway, I felt better but I was dead tired (and slightly drunk, even) so I left. As I was walking back to the Newtown Station, I met two more QCers, and together we took the bus into the city and they gave me a lift to the hostel when they took a taxi to another venue.
Now here's the thing - I thought that the suyncronicity involved was meeting Stef, but it wasn't. On my trip out there I happened to talk to Win about Syncronicity, after drawing that card earlier in the day. I find that when I'm doing the "right thing" and travelling, all my travel connections get made in the minimum ammount of time.
That was the case on the trip to the Gender Centre earlier in the day, and also on the trip back. No sooner did I arrive at the station than the train was there! On the trip to Petersham again, it was also the case. Then I missed the train back and the bus turns up. If I'd caught thebtrain instead of the bus I wouldn't have met my friends from QC and not gone to the Sly Fox where I met Malcolm. And then on leaving I immediately met people travelling back my way and got there in a minimum of time!
See - I thought meeting Stef had been the bit of Syncronicity, but it wasn't - meeting Malcolm (and the amasingly efficient travelling) was!
Go figure.
Malcolm suggested that I go back to that venue. Wednesday at t5he Sly fox is Kinki Kingdom which I wouldn't have thought of going to. Maybe I should - maybe I need to follow up on this. Who knows...
QC Stuff : Wednesday - Thursday
Jul. 5th, 2006 05:36 pmWell, it's Friday now (last posted on Tuesday) and I've have a lot of fun and overall a good experience at QC.
In my previous post it all looked pretty tense and it was for a while. I was glad that I left when I did. However, after I left, another attendee did have a PANIC ATTACK and had to be carried out. I felt sorry that this had happened to her, but it confirmed that I'd done the right thing.
Later that night I went to something called "The Warehouse" in Chippendale for the Querelle launch and that was really good. They had amale belly dancers and they really knew their stuff. There was some spruiking and poetry reading, and I finally go up and announced Querelle and read a poem of my own from it.
I've had really good feedback about Querelle from people. It's not as flashy as previous years (and not as tacky as last year's) but it seems I "done right". *GRIN*
Wednesday I ended up taking one of the speakers to the Gender Centre in Petersham and that was good fun - he had no idea it existed. Later on I ended up travelling all over the place (see another posting about that) but it all ended up OK.
Thursday I gave a talk about my travel to Palenville and back earlier this year. I had about 20 attendees, and I also showed my trans tarot deck as a "backup" slide. There was another workshop about labels and exclusion - the organiser didn't show so I was roped in to chair it. Interesting but rewarding experience. Had a lot of good feedback about that too.
Didn't go out to anything Thursday night. I met someone who was a "traditional pagan" and was going to show her the presentation of my talk but she didn't show later. In any case, I feel tired and want to saty in tonight.
In my previous post it all looked pretty tense and it was for a while. I was glad that I left when I did. However, after I left, another attendee did have a PANIC ATTACK and had to be carried out. I felt sorry that this had happened to her, but it confirmed that I'd done the right thing.
Later that night I went to something called "The Warehouse" in Chippendale for the Querelle launch and that was really good. They had amale belly dancers and they really knew their stuff. There was some spruiking and poetry reading, and I finally go up and announced Querelle and read a poem of my own from it.
I've had really good feedback about Querelle from people. It's not as flashy as previous years (and not as tacky as last year's) but it seems I "done right". *GRIN*
Wednesday I ended up taking one of the speakers to the Gender Centre in Petersham and that was good fun - he had no idea it existed. Later on I ended up travelling all over the place (see another posting about that) but it all ended up OK.
Thursday I gave a talk about my travel to Palenville and back earlier this year. I had about 20 attendees, and I also showed my trans tarot deck as a "backup" slide. There was another workshop about labels and exclusion - the organiser didn't show so I was roped in to chair it. Interesting but rewarding experience. Had a lot of good feedback about that too.
Didn't go out to anything Thursday night. I met someone who was a "traditional pagan" and was going to show her the presentation of my talk but she didn't show later. In any case, I feel tired and want to saty in tonight.
History Repeats
Jul. 4th, 2006 03:45 pmI got down to Queer Collaborations yesterday, after getting up and packing at 3am, catching the 8:12 from Cardiff and getting to Central at 10:30am.
It was an OK day yesterday, and I even went to the Women's Event at night, but came back to the backpacker's hostel that I'm staying in (about 200 attendees are there, maybe) becaue I was just too exhausted.
Today was a different matter. I went to Bi workshop, and then ran my own "Coming Out" workshop after that. It had a good turn out and responce, so I must have done something right. After lunch however the shit hitthe fan at the RSL the plenaries are held at.
One of the Queer Socialist groups had put a table with pamphlets in the foyer, between the hall and the lounge. The RSL considered it a fire hazard and the the organisers asked them to remove it. Apparently there was space allocated at the other venue, atthe Collage of Fine Arts (COFA). Anyway, the student group were not happy about this. There was then a motion to allow any group that wanted to set up stalls in the lounge area. This was defeated.
The plenaries becgane and thensome of the socialist students burst in shouting that they'd been threatened with the Police (by the organisers) if they didn't remove the table, There was a lot of shouting, denials, counter accusations and shit going down (a rep from the organiser's said that they had NOT been threatened). This started to go on and on...
...been there, done that, back at 2001. I had a panic attack as a result of it.
I could feel my tension rising, so I got up, shouted "I HAVE AN EMOTIONAL DISABILITY WHERE I CAN'T HANDLE SITUATIONS LIKE THIS AND I HAVE TO LEAVE OR I WILL HAVE A PANIC ATTACK OR EPILEPTIC SEIZURE!". I walked out the room and tried to calm down. I asked someone else to get my jacket and bag, and then went back on the 'Monash Mini Bus' to the Hostel to recover.
Damage control - I have to respect my limitations or be laid low by them.
Seriously, I could feel my heart racing, and knew that I was damn close to having just such an attack. Apparently there was an autistic student who hid under a table and then ran for cover - know how he feels!
Feel better now, but dissappointed. Haven't these groups learned anything? Shouting at people to get their attention isn't going to get those people on your side. Whether or not it was victimisation, it was also an "Occupational Health and Safety" issue - if there had been a fire, it would have been a hazard, and people could have been injured and killed, and there WAS an ALTERNATIVE place for the table.
It just seemed like a big tantrum to me. Should be interesting tonight at the launch of Querelle because one of my contributions is an account of my experiences at QC 2001 - turns out it's going to be "topical" again. Good fun.
It was an OK day yesterday, and I even went to the Women's Event at night, but came back to the backpacker's hostel that I'm staying in (about 200 attendees are there, maybe) becaue I was just too exhausted.
Today was a different matter. I went to Bi workshop, and then ran my own "Coming Out" workshop after that. It had a good turn out and responce, so I must have done something right. After lunch however the shit hitthe fan at the RSL the plenaries are held at.
One of the Queer Socialist groups had put a table with pamphlets in the foyer, between the hall and the lounge. The RSL considered it a fire hazard and the the organisers asked them to remove it. Apparently there was space allocated at the other venue, atthe Collage of Fine Arts (COFA). Anyway, the student group were not happy about this. There was then a motion to allow any group that wanted to set up stalls in the lounge area. This was defeated.
The plenaries becgane and thensome of the socialist students burst in shouting that they'd been threatened with the Police (by the organisers) if they didn't remove the table, There was a lot of shouting, denials, counter accusations and shit going down (a rep from the organiser's said that they had NOT been threatened). This started to go on and on...
...been there, done that, back at 2001. I had a panic attack as a result of it.
I could feel my tension rising, so I got up, shouted "I HAVE AN EMOTIONAL DISABILITY WHERE I CAN'T HANDLE SITUATIONS LIKE THIS AND I HAVE TO LEAVE OR I WILL HAVE A PANIC ATTACK OR EPILEPTIC SEIZURE!". I walked out the room and tried to calm down. I asked someone else to get my jacket and bag, and then went back on the 'Monash Mini Bus' to the Hostel to recover.
Damage control - I have to respect my limitations or be laid low by them.
Seriously, I could feel my heart racing, and knew that I was damn close to having just such an attack. Apparently there was an autistic student who hid under a table and then ran for cover - know how he feels!
Feel better now, but dissappointed. Haven't these groups learned anything? Shouting at people to get their attention isn't going to get those people on your side. Whether or not it was victimisation, it was also an "Occupational Health and Safety" issue - if there had been a fire, it would have been a hazard, and people could have been injured and killed, and there WAS an ALTERNATIVE place for the table.
It just seemed like a big tantrum to me. Should be interesting tonight at the launch of Querelle because one of my contributions is an account of my experiences at QC 2001 - turns out it's going to be "topical" again. Good fun.
Still Home
Jul. 2nd, 2006 08:36 pmWell, it's Sunday evening and I'm still at home - and not in Sydney at Queer Collaborations.
No big disaster. I hadn't finished my Powerpoint presentation for my talk (about the Palenville Trip) on Thursday. Last year I did a talk and had another Powerpoint presentation done, but left it at home. Last year's was in Perth, so I couldn't just come home easily and get it. The talk I did wasn't quite what I wanted.
Didn't want that this time around, so I'd rather spend the day getting it ready (which I did) than go down unprepared. The official event doesn't start until 11am tomorrow - today was settling into to the hostel in King's Cross, and a booze up tonight. I'll be spending the rest of the night packing, and getting a good night's sleep.
Good trade I think.
Printing Madness
Jun. 30th, 2006 02:40 pmGasp - I'm at NUSA printing QUERELLE. It's 24 pages (+ covers) in A5 size for 360 copies.
You'd think it would be straight forward, but the card I was using for the covers keeps jamming the photocopiers. I got the inside cover printed, but the outside? And on top of that, I have colour inserts which I'm going to glue onto the cover, which is then attached to the content by a rubber band.
It sounds bizarre I know, but there is a method behind all this. Which of course are probably oft spoken works as someone is committed to the laughing academy! *WINK* Mind you, once this is done, I'll be quite happy.
Might be a while yet.
You'd think it would be straight forward, but the card I was using for the covers keeps jamming the photocopiers. I got the inside cover printed, but the outside? And on top of that, I have colour inserts which I'm going to glue onto the cover, which is then attached to the content by a rubber band.
It sounds bizarre I know, but there is a method behind all this. Which of course are probably oft spoken works as someone is committed to the laughing academy! *WINK* Mind you, once this is done, I'll be quite happy.
Might be a while yet.
