Being Queer in Times of Trouble

Join historian Samuel Huneke for a talk exploring how queer people have navigated moments of political and social crisis across history.

In conversation with activists Mai Manion and Andrew Tisell, Huneke will examine the resilience of queer life in times of violence and persecution while reflecting on how these past struggles can inform how we respond to the challenges we face today.

Speakers:

Samuel Huneke (he/him) is associate professor of history at George Mason University. A historian of queer life and politics, he is the author of books on gay liberation in postwar Germany and queer women under Nazism. He is currently at work on a queer history of the world.

Mai Manion (she/they) is a 23 year old trans woman and queer person striving to write and create the world in which she lives. She recently graduated from George Washington University with a master’s in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies, concentrated in English. Theoretically, she is drawn primarily to trans and queer oriented theory, feminist pedagogy and methodology, and (queer) phenomenological critique through an intersectional lens. She is currently co-facilitating a queer and trans oriented free school (with their dear friend Andrew) that seeks to build community and bolster knowledge creation and generation by and for queer folks. She enjoys poetry, photography, watching (and reviewing) movies, drawing and watercolor, time outdoors, the beach , cooking… the list goes on! (queer people are so expansive, huh?) You can find her on instagram @maimanion (and some of her writing as well!).

Andrew Tisell (they/he) is a recent graduate of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies master’s program at the George Washington University. A queer asian/american and transracial and transnational adoptee, their research interests touch on the poetics of race, abolition feminism, and queer of color critique. In addition to co-creating and co-facilitating QT Club, a local free school for queer and trans folks, Andrew enjoys spreading queer literature as a bookseller with Little District Books, D.C.’s only queer bookstore. In their downtime, Andrew can be found baking, making crafts, traveling around the DMV, and finding a deep sense of delight in just being queer. You can find them on instagram @andrew_tisell.

photo courtesy of wiki commons.