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Los Angeles Queer Studies Conference

Today, 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:45 p.m. Royce Hall

Speakers from various disciplines will be on campus today to speak on a wide spectrum of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, ranging from identity to representation in art.

UCLA’s LGBT Studies Program will host the Los Angeles Queer Studies Conference, where graduate students present their research on LGBT history, art and culture. “The conference draws graduate students from UCLA, but also from all over the U.S.,” said Sandra Harding, chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee for the LGBT Studies Program and professor of education and women’s studies.

“It’s one of the few graduate student conferences, and gives graduate students the chance to network and talk with each other (and) hear about the newest research going on,” she added.

The UCLA Williams Institute, a think tank that focuses on sexual orientation law and public policy, is also involved in putting on the conference.

In May, a faculty team put together for the Los Angeles Queer Studies Conference began planning the conference by choosing the speakers. Many of those selected are at the top of their fields, Harding said.

She added that the conference is open to all people regardless of sexual orientation, and its purpose is to educate the public on the newest research regarding LGBT issues.

According to Holning Lau, a William’s Institute spokesman who will speak at the conference, the objective of the Los Angeles Queer Studies Conference is to help make LGBT research accessible to anyone who is interested in learning more about the field.

“For the Williams Institute, the goal is to highlight issues about sexual orientation equality, to get people to think critically about these issues and to search for solutions,” Lau said. “We want to take the dialogue to the next level.”

Lau said conferences generally focus on familiarizing attendees with basic concerns of the LGBT community and debunking myths. This weekend’s conference also aims to advance stronger arguments for LGBT rights.

“Lots of times the arguments are based on different visions of morality. Maybe we can move a step beyond that,” he said.

The conference is one of the few interdisciplinary discussions that allows comparisons and connections to be made between the various fields, Lau said.

“The most creative ideas come from these interdisciplinary conferences because they allow a greater exchange of ideas,” he said.

Researchers from across the United States will attend, said Courtney Johnson, program assistant for the LGBT Studies Program.

“People fly across the country to talk for 20 minutes,” Johnson said.