Featuring A.K. Burns, Jack Halberstam, Xandra Ibarra, and Julie Tolentino, moderated by Natasha Marie Llorens

This panel will try to extend Ellen’s critical perspective on sexually explicit material to the present, or to contextualize her contribution in reverse. The discussion will address the different stakes of visibility for normative vs. non-normative sexualities.

WHY EXPLICIT?

Featuring Lorraine O'Grady, Sondra Perry, Sable Elyse Smith, moderated by Vivian Crockett

Lorraine O’Grady’s provocation, published as an essay for the first version of “Coming to Power,” was this question: where is the sexually explicit work by women of color, and what discourses is it responding to? This panel does not necessarily answer O’Grady’s question, but rather explores how sexually explicit material resonates outside the realm of hegemonic whiteness.