Venue update

We’ve had to move venues last night. We have another beautiful place, now in north leeds.

The venue is not fully wheelchair accessible but there is a level ground floor entrance. There is a ground floor toilet that is not wheelchair accessible (door too narrow). There is ground floor sleeping space and ground floor meeting area. It is about 10 mins walk from a bus stop, up and down sloping ground.

We are now a bit behind schedule because we had to move,  so anyone who can come and help out today is much appreciated!

Contact us on 07553074514 for the exact location.

See you soon!

location and contacting us.

its getting closer….

We will put details of the location and updated information here a few days before the gathering starts. You can also contact us on our phone number 07553074514 , and on our email address queermutiny@gmail.com…

if you’re coming earlier than thursday then get in contact….

see you all very soon….

creating a safer space + update

hey all,

We have made a provisional plan of the weekend, with some space left for spontaneous happenings, discussions, and anything else that becomes important.

We are highlighting some points that have come out of our planning because it’s important for everyone coming to Queer Insurrection to share the responsibility for making it a safer space. We plan to have discussions on Thursday about how to collectively create a safer space throughout the gathering.

Questions for people planning workshops/facilitating discussions.

-Please send us a short description of your workshop as soon as possible
-Have you thought about who you are aiming your workshop at? If you feel that it is aimed at a certain group of people, please make this clear.
-Are you assuming a certain level of previous knowledge? Again please make this clear, and we’d like workshops to be understandable to as many people as possible, and un-intimidating.
-Please don’t use academic language that isn’t understandable to all of us. If you use terms that aren’t commonly used, please explain them/give definitions.
-What are you asking of people who participate? Such as what personal information are you expecting people to reveal in groups etc?

Questions for everyone coming to Queer Insurrection

We call this a radical space and a safer space, but power structures from the ‘outside’ world are brought with us. Everyone here has a responsibility to check their own behaviour and to challenge oppression where it happens. Discussions and workshops can be most empowering and productive when we find ways to challenge each other in constructive ways, fight feeling guilty and defensive and feel motivated…

Some ways that power and privilege can work in workshops and discussions:

Taking up space: people with more privilege taking up more talking time and/or physical space (or interrupting/

talking over others). Think about how much space you take up and how much you speak.

Avoiding discomfort: people with more privilege diverting discussions to topics they feel more comfortable with e.g. white queers diverting the conversation from racism to sexism instead. Or e.g. glossing over challenges and problems as if it will make everyone friendly and comfortable.

People with more privilege using the discussion as therapy e.g. a white person talking about their feelings about tackling racism. Ask yourself whether you are just confessing your privilege rather than confronting it or finding ways to use it to dismantle power structures.

People with more privilege expecting others to teach them how to be “better” e..g. a group dominated by non-disabled people asking disabled people in the group how to make their event accessible.

Avoiding responsibility: e.g. being defensive when challenged about oppressive behaviour or making excuses for it; white people leaving it up to people of colour to start discussions about race; failing to challenge oppressive behaviour when we come across it.

Challenging oppressive behaviour:

• Interrupt the behaviour and address it on the spot or later; either one-on-one, or with a few allies
• Think about ways to address behaviour that will encourage change and try to encourage dialogue not argument.
• Take responsibility for thinking about and challenging your own and others behaviour: for example white people need to take responsibility for holding other white people accountable for their racism.
• Don’t feel guilty, feel motivated. Realising that you are part of the problem doesn’t mean you can’t be an active part of the solution.

Please get in touch if you can

- Come to QI from the Tuesday or Wednesday to help with practical stuff
- Help with disability awareness and support during the gathering.
- Help with facilitating workshops and discussions.

Please feel free to bring

- Information, zines, things to read that you want to share about queer activism going on around the world – particularly to decorate the walls.
- Ideas for action

Contacting us
See you all very soon! We will put details of the location and updated information on the website www.queermutinynorth.wordpress.com a few days before the gathering starts. You can also contact us on our phone number*07895 774 237 NEW NUMBER!*, and on this email address queermutiny@gmail.com…

The timetable gives a rough idea of whats happening.. if anyone whos putting on a workshop/discussion isn’t happy with the timings then please get in contact… also we’ll add a blurb bit about each workshop soon.. there will also be a further space on saturday for people who want to put on workshops at the time and there is a discussion about class and privilege being planned that we havent timetabled yet… The workshops Intro to Queer Theory, and also Queer history still need people to prepare, talk at and facilitate- if you are interested please get in touch.

workshops and discussions provisional timetable

Heres a timetable to give a rough idea of whats happening.. if anyone whos putting on a workshop/discussion isn’t happy with the timings then please get in contact… also we’ll add a blurb bit about each workshop soon.. there will also be a further space  on saturday for people who want to put on workshops at the time and there is a discussion about class and privilege being planned that we havent timetabled yet…  The workshops Intro to Queer Theory, and also Queer history still need people to prepare, talk at and facilitate- if you are interested please get in touch.

THURSDAY

Theres no workshops planned for thursday as we thought its a good time to get together and talk about the weekend ahead and about how to collectively create a safer space throughout the gathering and generally just socialise and get used to the space and finish setting it up maybe!?.

Every morning there will be a morning meeting to have a general overview of the day before and day to come and bring up any questions or ideas.

FRIDAY

10am morning meeting and breakfast

10.45 am- 12.45 pm space 1 Re radicalising queer and queer insurrection discussion

12.45-2 pm lunch

2-3.30 pm space 1 practical ways to challenge racism within the scene.

4.30- 6 pm space 1 intro to queer theory

space 2 polyamory and other reletionships

space 3 photography/film/documentary/DIY porn

6 or after dinner/tea/food

SATURDAY

10am morning meeting and breakfast

10.45-12-45 space 1 queer history/assimilation of LGBT

space 2 action planning

space 3 erotic writing

12.45-2pm lunch

2-3.30pm space 1 challenging how we define gender discussion

space 2 self defence

space 3 drag workshop

4.30-6pm space 1 anti-racist space audit

space 2 self defense (continued)

space 3 DIY sex toys

6pm or after dinner/tea/food

SUNDAY

10am morning meeting

10.45-12.45 space 1 this is blank for the minute for issues that may come up or discussions that need to be had.

space 2 movement and contact improvisation

space 3 empty

12.45-2pm lunch

2 -3.30 pm space 1 discussion on the drugs culture in the queer/LGBT scenes.

space 2 self defense against cops

space 3 DIY tattoos

4.30-6pm space 1 safer spaces

space 2 choice depending on what people want could have discussion on reletion between trans and feminism or have recognising sexism and challenging it..

space 3 accesability – making a zine about it.

6 or after dinner/tea/food

MONDAY

morning sometime brunch

afternoon or after brunch general discussion of how the weekend went and any other issues that want/need to be talked about.