Gaslighting’s Invisible Glare
Presenter: Samantha Manewitz LICSW CST
In the age of alternative facts, gaslighting seems to be everywhere. The phrase has become fodder for many a blog post and think piece. And yet, there's pervasive misunderstanding about what gaslighting actually is and how it affects our brains. The truth is that gaslighting is a pervasive, insidious, and effective form of psychological manipulation/control. It can manifest in relationships, friendships, communities, online, and beyond. No matter who you are, where you're from, or how smart and capable you may…
Find out more »Know Your Rights: Practical Knowledge for Criminalized Communities and Allies
Presenters: Yveka Pierre Esq., Kebé, Alicia Sanchez Gill, Jeryl Hayes
As engaged members of communities, we have seen first hand what it looks like when people are first "othered" and subsequently criminalized. Though those in power frame criminalization as a response to "harmful conduct" we have seen that criminalization has been used as a sword in a false morality excursion instead of as a shield from injury or harm. Two groups specifically targeted are those who engage in sex work, and those who self manage their abortions, sharing the burden…
Find out more »Navigating an Obstacle Course (blindfolded!): A Closer Look at the Barriers Women of Color Face
Presenters: Candace Gibson, Bethany Van Kampen, Candace Bond-Theriault, Oriaku Njoku
Women of color and LGBTQ people of color face political assaults from federal and state governments to exercise their human rights to health and well-being, sexuality, and bodily autonomy, particularly when obtaining needed abortion care. These attacks are rooted in misogynistic, classist, racist, and homophobic ideas of who is entitled to sexual liberation and pleasure. The right to abortion care is critical to ensuring bodily autonomy and sexual liberation. As we keep fighting these attacks, we need to reflect and…
Find out more »Fucking with Power Dynamics
Presenters: Kate D’Adamo, Shaan Lashun, Magali Lerman
What becomes of consent in sex positive spaces that effectively shun the ways in which some people fuck? In spaces where kink and sex exist there is often an abstinence model when it comes to the topics of drug use, commercial transactions, which make consent more tricky. The result is that negotiation, and therefore a more nuanced understanding of consent, often falls off the table.Such rules -- which often reflect a fear of litigation instead of an intentional -- shame…
Find out more »It’s Takes More Than Hiring People of Color
Presenters: Lyndsey G Godwin, Briana Perry
After the intense and deeply painful rupture of relationships, HFTN had to get honest about the ways that white supremacy functioned in our processes, assumptions, policies, and leadership. That process started over four years ago and we are in the midst of transforming our individual, organizational, and leadership models to focus on racial equity. Here we hope to share the lessons learned from our mistakes, our experiments, and our successful steps including: the development of "Team Liberation" a standing committee…
Find out more »Partners in Crime: The Criminalization of Communities and Communication Via Prostitution Law
Presenter: Savannah Sly
By definition, criminalization is "The action of turning someone into a criminal by making their activities illegal". In this presentation, we'll examine how individuals in the sex trade are driven to dangerous isolation by laws that criminalize not only their work, but their connections with other humans. We'll consider what roles sex workers serve in their families and communities, and how these basic networks are impacted by the criminalization of prostitution. This presentation will include brief overviews of other historic…
Find out more »The Real Stripper Report: Participatory ACTION research by and for sex workers
Presenter: Andi Seymour
Workers in the strip club industry are a stigmatized and marginalized group who, historically, have been studied by academia through a lens of deviancy. This lens has informed public policy that is not worker-centered resulting in harmful regulations, as was the case with legislative proposals initiated by the Minneapolis City Council in 2017. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to thoroughly understand the occupational needs of workers who are currently facing ill-informed regulation of their labor. The study…
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