In a world not built for Queer people, it's no wonder we imagine and create our own — in pursuit of Queer joy, pleasure, healing, and resistance. Queer imagining has much to teach anyone about pursuing intentional, expansive ways of living, regardless of identity or relationship structure.
Rooted in my clinical work and a study of twenty-one Queer emerging adults in Chicago involved in Queer performance (drag, burlesque, kink), this workshop draws on interviews describing a Queer imagining that envisions life beyond societal norms, resists expectations, finds authenticity, and manifests (or "Tranifests") a new reality.
We'll apply these insights to expand our own sex, sexualit(ies), and relationships: grounding ourselves in Queerness beyond identity, building common language around imagination and Queer imagining, and exploring how we already use these practices — what norms we adhere to and why, what our imagination reveals about our needs and desires, and what defiance could look like. Expect vulnerability, critical self-reflection, and a mix of presentation, discussion, and activity.