Queering Psychedelics

As part of Chacruna's 10th anniversary celebration, Bia Labate and Clancy Cavnar join Paulina Valamiel for a conversation on why psychedelics cannot be separated from social justice. Over the past decade, Chacruna has championed the idea that expanding consciousness must go hand in hand with expanding equity, amplifying marginalized voices, and challenging systems of exclusion. This panel will explore how gender, sexuality, and queer perspectives have shaped Chacruna's work and why they remain essential to building a more inclusive, ethical, and transformative psychedelic future.

Joined by the Queer Sol Collective, Mikaela de la Myco, and Queer Psychedelic Society for a community discussion that centers local queer and Indigenous voices. This gathering is designed to be both educational and deeply connective, creating space not only to learn from our speakers but to engage in meaningful conversation with one another. Following the presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an open Q&A, explore the ideas and questions that emerge, and spend time connecting with others in the community. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Speaker Bios:

Bia Labate - Chacruna’s Co-Founder and Executive Director

Dr. Bia Labate (Beatriz Caiuby Labate) is an anthropologist, educator, author, speaker, and activist, committed to the protection of sacred plants while amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in the psychedelic science field. As a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco, she has been profoundly influenced by her experiences with ayahuasca since 1996. Dr. Labate has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil. Her work focuses on plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is the Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as a Senior Advisor for Culture and Strategy at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Additionally, she is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and acts as advisor for around 15 organizations, among them the Heroic Hearts Project, Soltara Healing Center, Sacred Plant Alliance and the Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council. Dr. Labate is also a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and the editor of its site. She has authored, co-authored, and co-edited 29 books, three special-edition journals, and numerous peer-reviewed and online publications.

Clancy Cavnar - Chacruna’s Board Member and Secretary

Clancy Cavnar has a doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D.) from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA. She currently works in private practice in San Francisco, and is Co-Founder and sits on the Board of Directors of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. She is also a research associate of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP). She combines an eclectic array of interests and activities as clinical psychologist, artist, and researcher. She has a master of fine arts in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, a master’s in counseling from San Francisco State University, and she completed the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She is author and co-author of articles in several peer-reviewed journals and co-editor, with Beatriz Caiuby Labate, of thirteen books. For more information see: http://www.drclancycavnar.com.

Paulina Valamiel - Chacruna’s Research and Communications Officer

Paulina Valamiel is a sociologist of religion, researcher, and educator. She serves as Research and Communications Officer at the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Paulina holds a PhD in sociology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and is the author of several peer reviewed and online articles on Santo Daime, with a focus on the transnational dynamics of ayahuasca, gender, and sexuality. As an affiliated researcher at the Federal University of ABC (UFABC) in Brazil, she is currently developing a project on women and psychedelic spiritualities from perspectives of the Global South. She is also an associate researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP), and a member of the ReGeSex (Religion, Gender, and Sexuality) research group. Additionally, she is co-founder of Hijas del Sur, a Latin American Network of psychedelic women.

The Queer Sol Collective

The Queer Sol Collective is a sanctuary for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community dedicated to safety, healing, celebration, discovery, integration, and collective wellness. Rooted in Indigenous methodologies and ecological perspectives, the collective nurtures reciprocal relationships between individuals, the land, and communities.

Through queer and Indigenous leadership, The Queer Sol Collective works toward restoring social and environmental ecosystems by creating spaces where people can fully embody their identities, express their authentic selves, and reconnect with the interconnectedness of all life. Guided by a Queer Ecological perspective, the collective recognizes the essential role of queer contributions across all forms of life and imagines a future grounded in diversity, inclusion, and biodiversity.

Mikaela de la Myco

Mikaela de la Myco serves as a mother, mushWOMB educator, facilitator, researcher and eco-sensual in the plant medicine, womb care and ethics space. Supporting from Kumeyaay & Luiseño territories (San Diego, CA), she advocates for trauma-informed and earth-centered practices, filling in educational and service gaps in the wellness community. She founded Mothers of the Mushroom, a citizen research project studying mothers who ingested psilocybin mushroom during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and postpartum and MAAT, a mutual aid initiative supporting survivors of harm in the wellness community. Her work has been featured in Microdosing for Health, Healing and Enhanced Performance, The Psilocybin Handbook for Women, and many other publications, podcasts and media outlets. In her collaboration with organizations, families, and practitioners across the psychedelic field, she is committed to being a dear friend and ally in the struggle to rematriate entheogens.

Becca Evans - Founder, Queer Psychedelic Society

Becca is a queer person in recovery from alcohol and IV-heroin use, social work student, and certified substance use counselor with over 10 years of clinical experience. They use a harm reduction approach in their work with folks across the broad spectrum of recovery. Trained in paradigms and modalities that span from Motivational Interviewing to Vedic and Buddhist cosmology, Becca is a lifelong student and is grateful for continual evolution in the spiral of life. Becca started QPS due to seeing a need for safe, celebratory, and educational spaces in the broader psychedelic community for LGBTQIA+ folk to grow, heal and connect. Becca is also a single parent to 2 amazing humans, both of whom also identify as queer.

Sage - Facilitator and Educator, Queer Psychedelic Society

Hey there, I'm Sage (he/they) and I'm the creator of “Art Of Earth Collective”! My work involves both creating physical art pieces and building a community platform for queer, neurodivergent, witchy individuals to share their gifts! It's a safe and welcoming space where we can explore art as a sacred practice and connect with our higher selves. Whether you're an experienced artist or just starting out, I'm here to help you unlock your creativity! I offer peer guidance for exploring altered states of consciousness, particularly with a focus on psychedelics. Through support groups with an art-based approach, we can delve deeper into our experiences and empower each other to find more magic in our everyday lives!