Queer Research Hub: First Queerposium unites community

The inaugural Queerposium at the University of Calgary gave the community a chance to not only connect and share queer research and knowledge, but also offer mutual support and have fun. 

The gathering on May 11 was the first event hosted by the Queer Research Hub, a multidisciplinary initiative established by UCalgary staff and grad students earlier this year to create space and visibility for people conducting research on queerness. 

“The Queerposium was a really beautiful and meaningful event,” says Josiah Lansang, BSc'24, graduate student, Faculty of Science. “It felt very special to be surrounded by people who were not only interested in queer research, but also invested in creating a welcoming and joyful environment.” 

The event featured research presentations and attendees participating in community-building activities and a photo booth. The event even included comedy and drag performances. The nearly 100 attendees included not only UCalgary staff, faculty and students, but others from Mount Royal University, St. Mary’s University, and the University of Alberta. 

“Queerposium was an important opportunity for 2SLGBTQIA+ people to revel in our queer joy. Joy is strategic because joy inspires momentum, and joy is an inside job,” says Dr. Tonya Callaghan, BA’90, BEd’96, PhD, professor, Werklund School of Education. “It was so heartwarming for me to see so many members of various 2SLGBTQIA+ communities here in Calgary coming out to share their queer-themed research projects and just be together in person and in solidarity.”

Callaghan adds that we need these real-life interactions now more than ever before. 

“It’s vital for allies and just those who care about socially progressive research to be vocal in their support for gender and sexually diverse people, as unity is necessary for change to occur,” says Callaghan.

The goal of the event was to create community. And Dr. Robyn Paul, BSc (Eng)’11, MSc’18, PhD’24, says that sometimes being inclusive is simply about having a presence.

“As an engineering professor, it was incredibly nerve-wracking to be leading the Queerposium in the Engineering Building. But I’m proud to be an engineer, and I’m proud to be queer, and it was amazing to be able to do these two things at the same time,” says Paul, an associate professor in the Schulich School of Engineering. 

And she hopes that queer and trans scholars across the university are able to create their own communities where they can collaborate and thrive together. 

“It’s important to have the right resources and financial support so more people can run events like Queerposium for their communities,” Paul says. “It is also incredibly important to have a strong emphasis on mobilization. Our work needs to go beyond written words in journal papers to actively advocate and improve the lives of queer and trans folks.”

These are important reminders throughout the year, yet more so as we enter Pride Season, from June to September, and acknowledge May 17 as The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.

The team, including Dr. Emma Farago, PhD, (Schulich) and Jamie Anderson, MA'20, (Werklund) also partnered with several local queer-owned and queer-friendly vendors which helped make the Queerposium feel deeply community-led and celebratory:

• Little Rainbow Paper Co.
• Wicked Whisk bakery
• Skipping Stone
• The QUILTBAG Shop
• Gummi Boutique
• Patisserie du Soleil
• Jerusalem Shawarma
• Smokey Waters/The Cabaret Company
• Sierra Grace Photography

Interested in joining the Queer Research Hub? Sign up for the mailing list here.