LGBTQ (Audio)

Award-winning historian Jules Gill-Peterson examines transgender identity and politics through the lens of American liberalism, arguing that anti-transgender politics cannot be understood by analyzing conservatism alone. She traces the emergence of transgender identity from middle-class cross-dressing cultures, the development of transgender medicine, and the class tensions surrounding transition. Gill-Peterson connects this history to U.S. v. Skrmetti, the vulnerability of transition-related health care, and what she describes as liberal discomfort with dysphoria and changing sex. She calls for a politics centered on defending transsexual people and a right to transition. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 41447]

Director and co-writer Erica Tremblay joins moderator Lisa Parks (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a discussion of her film, Fancy Dance. They discuss the development of the film and Tremblay’s three-year-long journey to study the Cayuga language in preparation. They also discuss Lily Gladstone’s central performance, the role of dance as a central motif, and the foregrounding of queer identity and culture in the film. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39971]

Lucas Hilderbrand of UC Irvine joins UC Santa Barbara moderator Graham Feyl to discuss the film Paris is Burning. They review the history of its exhibition and the film’s enduring legacy as a powerful portrait of queer life, resistance, beauty, and art. They also discuss the unique structure of the documentary, the cultural contexts of drag balls for trans communities of color, and Paris is Burning’s significance in the history of trans representation onscreen. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39635]

Theologian and social activist Father Bryan Massingale, professor of theology and social ethics at Fordham University, is an outspoken voice for anti-racism and LGBTQ+ rights, both within the Catholic Church and society as a whole. His 2010 study, “Racial Justice and the Catholic Church,” was prophetic in the way it spoke about racism in religious institutions. His life and work embody a commitment to addressing issues of racism, social inequality, and LGBTQ+ rights from a spiritual and ethical perspective. In this program, Father Massingale addresses the shocking rise of white Christian nationalism, its threat to democracy and how to move forward. He challenges institutions, including the Catholic Church, to confront their own complicity in perpetuating racial disparities and to actively work towards racial justice and reconciliation. He believes in the power of open but uncomfortable conversations to bridge divides and create spaces for healing and growth. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 39381]

Artist Vishal Jugdeo and poet vqueeram join moderator Cathy Thomas (English, UCSB) to discuss their film Does Your House Have Lions, which features a queer household of activists and academics in New Delhi living under the shadow of increasing authoritarianism. They discuss the film’s exploration of different forms of queer intimacy and propose possibilities for resistance against state violence. They also reflect on communal ideas of freedom, ways of building spaces of joy, and incorporating friendship as a method of artistic and scholarly practice. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 39016]