Fighting BackLove in the Time of COVID-19: Pandemic Sex
Wednesday, May 66:00–7:30 p.m.Online forumFree | $5.00 suggested donation
What about sex? The AIDS epidemic transformed the way that members of the LGBTQ community — and indeed people around the globe — discussed and practiced sexual activity. Technology has radically changed the ways that people meet. And now, COVID-19. A panel of sex educators, activists and a historian will consider how we find connection, sex and love in the era of coronavirus, applying lessons learned from HIV/AIDS prevention efforts to help strategize safer-sex options in the present. Some questions to be considered include: What does the pandemic mean for single queers or people in open or polyamorous relationships? What is the future of hookup culture and phone apps? What about bars? How is the pandemic affecting sex workers?
Our “Fighting Back” series is an intergenerational discussion that brings together community leaders, experts, historians and activists to explore lessons from the past that might be useful in formulating “resistance” efforts today. Register online here.
Fighting BackThe Role of Art & Artists in a Pandemic, Part II
Wednesday, May 136:00–7:30 p.m.Online forumFree | $5.00 suggested donation
What about art? This second panel on the role of art and artists in a pandemic continues the discussion of our April 8 event. An intergenerational panel of Bay Area artists and curators will gather to explore ways in which artists responded to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and how these experiences might inform artistic responses to COVID-19 today. Panelists will also discuss the personal and cultural impacts of living through a pandemic, and how these impacts might constrain or inspire the creative process. Register online here.
Author TalkUnruly Desires: American Sailors & Homosexualities
Friday, May 156:00–8:00 p.m.Online forumFree | $5.00 suggested donationIn early nineteenth-century America, the rapid expansion of the maritime industry created an all-male environment where sexual activity was tolerated, and at times even ritualized. The United States Navy adopted rules of conduct based on those of Britain’s Royal Navy, but specifically deleted proscriptions against sodomy and buggery. Drawing on a wide variety of archival resources, including diaries, memoirs, business correspondence, court-martial reports, pornography and religious tracts, author William Beneman’s new book Unruly Desires: American Sailors and Homosexualities in the Age of Sail reconstructs this rare nineteenth-century queer space. Benemann will discuss his research and read selections from the book. Register online here.
Fighting BackHousing Insecurity & Public Health
Wednesday, May 20 6:00–7:30 p.m.Online forumFree | $5.00 suggested donation
What about the homeless? The crisis of homelessness is nothing new in the Bay Area and throughout the U.S., and has paralleled the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with many people with HIV/AIDS also experiencing homelessness. An intergenerational panel of housing advocates, policymakers and historians will discuss how society responded to homelessness in the context of the AIDS epidemic, and how these experiences might inform the response to the COVID-19 homeless crisis. Register online here.
Author TalkAIDS Activism & Writing About Sex
Thursday, May 21 6:00–8:00 p.m.Online forumFree | $5.00 suggested donation
In spite of the attendant stigma, Asian and Pacific Islander AIDS activists in the 1990s brazenly talked about gay sex, even in immigrant communities that were supposedly averse to discussing such topics. In this program, writer Eric C. Wat will discuss how AIDS activism influences his writing, read from his novel SWIM (Permanent Press, 2019), and share his ongoing work on a community memoir about API AIDS activism in Los Angeles. This program is cosponsored by API Equality-Northern California, Kearny Street Workshop and Uncles Social Club. Register online here.
Fighting BackDisease Treatment & Research Activism
Wednesday, May 27 6:00–7:30 p.m.Online forumFree| $5.00 suggested donation
In the 1980s and 1990s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. — and the federal government’s woefully inadequate response — led to a new paradigm of empowerment led by people with HIV/AIDS and supporters. They fought for and won radical improvements to everything from research funding and improved design of clinical research, to early access to investigational therapies, to more equitable treatment-access programs. A panel of activists, policymakers, researchers and historians will examine how the lessons learned from fighting for HIV/AIDS treatment and research might help in the fight against COVID-19. Register online here.
