Events

Join us for a discussion with Dr. Yolanda Leyva and Gerardo Caldera about decolonizing queer identities as we head into Pride Month and celebrate the last weeks of “The Uncolonized: A Vision in the Parallel” exhibit.

Many cultures around the world have historically included and celebrated gender non-conforming identities—the Muxe among the Zapotec in Mexico, the Two-Spirit of different Indigenous cultures, the Hijras in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Waria in Indonesia, the Mudoko Dako in Uganda, and the Māhū in Native Hawaiian and Tahitian culture to name just a few. Yet many of these identities were erased or suppressed during colonization, leading to historic narratives that perpetuate the idea that gender non-conforming individuals are a new phenomenon. This conversation will focus on the work being done to dismantle colonial ideas of gender identity while highlighting the resilience and vibrancy of these communities past and present.