How can we understand queer experiences, and to what extent can we use this understanding to move towards a more queer-friendly world? Social environments, institutions, and language all affect the way people experience the world, but what is it like to research these topics through a queer lens? Are there any obstacles that researchers face, and is there space for activism? Researchers and artists from various disciplines will explore how their work not only analyses LGBTQ+ experiences, but also contributes to the ways these lives are understood, represented, and changed.

The panel brings together researchers from a variety of fields to discuss topics such as social stress, identity formation, homophobia in educational settings, and the political framing of queer communities. The speakers will show how scientific research and art can both expose existing narratives and help create new possibilities for inclusion and understanding.

Panel guests:

Joanna Chojnicka is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Arts working on, among others, discourses of gender transition on Polish social media. She also researches the politics of LGBTQ+ free zones.

Ronja Eike is a PhD candidate doing interdisciplinary research into cognitive neuroscience and (social) psychology at UMCG. Her project centers on mental health among members of the LGBTQ+ community, emotion regulation and processes, social stress factors, and the disclosure of identity.

Ruby van Vliet is a PhD student researching school experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in high schools and vocational training. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, she studies the perspectives of students, the strategies applied by teachers, and the effectiveness of school policies.

This evening will be moderated by Stijn Zelhorst, a PhD candidate who studies how reading fiction can facilitate the integration and acceptance of Dutch gender-inclusive language. His research involves character identification, empathy, and moral change, in relation to reading about fictional queer experiences.

Performances by:

Noor van der Monde (singer)
Kamil Teunissen (poet)

Organised by Studium Generale, Usva, and RUG’s Centre of Expertise for the Study of LGBTQIA+ Issues.