Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Contact:
Queer Pin@y Conference
Vin Salvatore, Conference Co-Coordinator
(510) 847-7533
info@baklatomboyandbeyond.org
http://www.baklatomboyandbeyond.org

Queering Pilipina/o Identity,
Berkeley Conference Breaks it Down(e)

The Fourth Queer Pin@y Conference (QPC) will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2005 on the University of California, Berkeley campus as part of Pilipino-American History Month. QPC welcomes people of any ethnic, gender, and/or sexual backgrounds. The conference is a venue for attendees and their supportive guardians, relatives, and friends to learn more about the queer-minded Pin@y perspectives. This year's theme is, "Bakla, Tomboy, and Beyond: Breaking it Down{e }."

The initial two QPCs took place in 1999 and 2000 at the University of California, Los Angeles campus gathering 200-300 people each year. After a hiatus, the conference re-emerged in 2004 at UCLA. For the first time, this conference finds a new home in the San Francisco Bay Area on the University of California, Berkeley campus. Bringing the mission to northern California signifies the need to find community and coalitions across California college campuses and beyond.

"A conference like this allows us to connect our 'queer stories' as people of Pilipino heritage," says conference co-coordinator Joel de Vera Moncada. "As a part of our mission, it was necessary for us to incorporate the experiences of immigrants and second-generation LGBT pilipina/os, as well as, the queer experiences of the Philippines." Workshops include: Parloric Beauties, Serenas, Silahis, etc: Being Gay in the Philippines, Queer Pilipino Migrant Experience, and Trib@ Dynamic Decolonization. Other workshops include: Everything You Wanted to Write About Sex But Was Too Afraid to Ask, Safe Erotic Sex, and Gender I'm a Girl but I'm Not? Tomboy's Unite!

What: Fourth Queer Pin@y Conference, "Bakla, Tomboy, and Beyond: Breaking it Down{e}"
When: Saturday, October 29, 2005 9:00-6:00pm
Where: UC Berkeley Campus, Berkeley, CA 94720
Tickets: FREE!!! Please register at http://register.baklatomboyandbeyond.org

The Guest Speakers:

Christine Balance, one of the co-organizers of the first QPC, is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Performance Studies at New York University. In 2004, Balance sat on the organizing committee for the East Coast region's 1st ever queer Asian/Pacific Islander conference at New York University.

Joël Tan, prominent queer Pilipino-American writer, has been published internationally in various commercial and academic venues. Tan authored Type O Negative (Red Hen Press, '06) and edited Inside Him--Gay Erotic Fiction (Carroll & Graf, '06) and Best Gay Asian Erotica (Cleis, '98 & '03).

Raci Ignacio, a President's Scholar and pre-law student at California State University, Los Angeles, is the subject of the Sundance Channel documentary series "Transgeneration", chronicling the lives of transgendered college students. Ignacio's experiences in the series address her multiple identities in relation to gender identity, class, and ability.

John Manzon-Santos has worked at nonprofits for the last 15 years. Since 1997 he has been executive director of Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center -- a sexual health and HIV services organization delivering local, statewide, and national programming. John has served on nonprofit boards and advisory bodies in New York and San Francisco.

The first ever Biyuti Pageant and performance showcase will conclude our conference events. Our list of performers include Bay Area natives: DowneFx, Kiwi, Kreatibo, and Likha. The pageant will consist of three competitive segments: talent, creative elegant wear, and interview.