This looks FUCKING AMAZING, and I only wish I’d known about it sooner, because it is absolutely the kind of thing I would have come to Toronto for, no joke. I hope there will be more in the future!

No More Apologies:

Queer Trans and Cis Women, Coming/Cumming Together!

A FREE conference about social exclusion, sex, and sexual health 

Saturday, January 21^st • 2-7pm •

The TRANZAC

No More Apologies is a day-long sex talk, designed to name and address the exclusion of queer trans women from broader queer women’s sexual communities. 

Social exclusion negatively impacts trans queer women’s sexual, emotional, and psychological health; meanwhile, by excluding trans women from our communities, cis queer women are missing out on a multitude of sexy, wonderful women to love, fuck, and connect with. 

Join us for this long overdue conversation and call to action about how to transform our talk about trans inclusion into practice.

Because trans inclusion means more than including trans men in our communities.

Because trans inclusion means more than just saying “women and trans people” in our mission statements.

Because welcoming trans women into our spaces is not the same as welcoming them into our beds.

Because our actions are speaking louder than our words.

Workshop schedule:

·         2:00-2:45PM: “What we’re all here for”: Opening plenary by Drew DeVeaux

·         3:00-4:15PM: Brazen: A pleasure-based sexual health workshop for trans women and the folks who are into us, facilitated by Morgan M Page

·         4:30-5:30PM: Concurrent break-out sessions (facilitators TBA)

o   Trans women talk: A discussion on experiences of exclusion in the queer women’s community

o   Cis women talk: A discussion on trans women’s inclusion in the queer women’s community

·         6-7PM: Coming/cumming together: A dialogue between trans/cis queer women (Facilitators TBA)

·         9pm: Join us for Cum2GetHer, a post-conference dance party at The Tranzac AND the launch of BRAZEN: The Trans Women’s Safer Sex Guide, a new book from the 519 Church Street Community Centre. Hosted by Drew Deveaux with homo-gogo’s and sounds by DJ L-Rock (Yes Yes Y’all) and DJ Mama Knows (Get It | Got It | Good). While the conference is only for queer trans and cis women, all are welcome to the party. 

Things you should know:

·         This conference welcomes both trans and cis women who have sex with women.

·         The conference space is wheelchair accessible, and interpreter/attendant services can be made available upon request. TTC tokens will also be made available for conference attendees. Please let us know if there are any other ways that we can make this conference accessible for you!

·         For the well-being of attendees with multiple chemical sensitivities, we ask that you please avoid wearing scented products like perfume, cologne, scented lotions, or any other chemical-based products to the event.

I’m celebrating an important 5 year milestone today. I feel really proud. Perhaps not coincidentally, I woke up with this song in my head.

Also, I <3 Toronto, and I esp. <3 a particular one of its dirty denizens. I lead a pretty charmed & fabulous life, I do.

I went to Metropolitan Community Church Toronto tonight, to light a candle for my friend Rev. Paul Fairley, who died of cancer in late 2008. This is the first time I’ve been in Toronto since 2007, when I came into town to take part in a healing service for Paul.

I did not know Paul very well when I came to Toronto in 2007. I knew that his work as a theologian and spiritual worker meant a lot to me, but we’d barely exchanged ten words. I went to Toronto on total impulse, out of a sense of service and gratitude and something bigger than me… Paul and I did end up getting to know each other a little better over the year before he died. I’ve always been very grateful for that.

My trip to Toronto this time around is for a really different reason: I’m visiting a lover, relaxing for a bit before school starts up again, and hanging out with friends. And it occured to me tonight that Paul would probably really appreciate that I’m here to see someone I’m fucking. As you will hear from his sermon, he was the kind of faggot who was very into sex, and he was the kind of minister was into sex as one of many paths to divinity. When he visited San Francisco when he was sick, we had a lot of hilarious and frank conversations about his “tumescence” and whether or not he could stay sodomizable during chemo. Right now, I’m remembering a particularly loud (and probably obnoxious to our neighbors at the next table) conversation at Chow, after an MCC San Francisco service. Paul was holding up two fingers and exclaiming “Y’know, you’d think it wouldn’t make a difference, but two fingers is so much more than one!” Somewhere on Facebook, there is a picture from this dinner — of him holding up two fingers, and grinning very big.

Sometimes you can feel people haunting the places they used to frequent. At least, I can. I’m not sure if this is ghosts as much as it is memory, but either way, the feeling is there. And when I stepped into the MCC Toronto building tonight, my body just felt charged. So much memory, right here in this humble place. I started crying when I went up to receive Communion, and I didn’t really stop till the service ended. A couple very sweet people approached me to ask me, gently, if I was okay, and I said, through tears and a smile, that I was. Because I was, really; the tears felt right and good. After services, I found a little room to light candles in. Knelt on the red leather cushion and prayed for Paul and my friends who loved and grieved him.

And then I went to chat with the church-goers at their coffee hour. I talked to so many people who knew Paul. A man who’d started attending MCC Toronto the same week as Paul’s healing service, who said that, even as sick as Paul was at that point, he was still the first person who approached him and said hello. A young woman who’d just visited MCC-SF, who’d known Paul since she was teenager attending the high school for queer kids that operates out of MCC Toronto’s basement, who recalled him with a wan smile and a story about him impersonating Martha Stewart during a sermon. And who said, “He loved MCC SF, didn’t he? Because I felt him in the room when I visited MCC SF…”

And I knew exactly what she meant, and I said yes.

Lovely peoples!

I’m teaching Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop tomorrow, Saturday, November 13th. Spread the word, and come out & write!

Also, ATTENTION TORONTO: I’ll be in your lovely city from November 19th-30th, and I’ll be teaching Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop for Maggie’s [http://maggiestoronto.ca/] on Wednesday November 24th, from 7-9pm. Many thanks & much love to the amazing Lusty Day for bringing me in! Interested Torontonians, please RSVP to Lusty at LustyDay@gmail.com for location & transit information.

xxx,
Gina

*******

Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop
Saturday, November 13th, 2-4pm (Now on Saturday afternoons!)
Center for Sex & Culture, 1519 Mission Street, San Francisco (cross street 11th)
Sliding scale $10-$20 (more if you can, less if you can’t, **nobody turned away** — if you’re broke you should still come write with us!)
Workshop facilitated by Gina de Vries

This is a writing workshop for current and former sex workers to share their writing and get honest, non-judgmental feedback. Workshop participants are not obligated to write exclusively about sex work, but writing about work in the sex industry (as well as writing about other topics) will be welcomed. This is a place where people can write and share about their sex work experiences without having to censor themselves or explain every detail. Beginning writers are encouraged to attend along with more seasoned wordsmiths.

Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop is all-genders. We define the term “sex worker” broadly, as people who have exchanged erotic labor for money/food/shelter/things they need. This includes but is not limited to:
+Street and Survival Sex Workers
+Escorts and Personal Companions
+Sensual Massage and Sensual Body Work Providers
+BDSM workers; pro-doms, subs, and switches
+Adult Film Actors; Porn Models and Performers; Nude Models; WebCam Performers
+Exotic Dancers; Strippers; and Peep Show Workers
+Sexological Bodyworkers and Surrogates
+Phone Sex Operators
+And many other Sex Workers and Adult Entertainers!
(If we’re forgetting your area of the industry in this definition, tell us!)

**Email questions, volunteer inquiries, etc, to queershoulder@gmail.com.
**If wheelchair access is needed, please contact mail@sexandculture.org in advance of workshop.
**While we can’t guarantee a scent-free space, we ask that all attendees please refrain from wearing scented products to ensure that workshop members with chemical sensitivities can attend!

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Gina de Vries is a writer, performer, writing instructor, sex worker, and activist with a long history doing political organizing in and with queer, trans, and sex worker communities. Gina’s writing has appeared dozens of places - recent publications include Coming & Crying, Bound to Struggle: Where Kink and Radical Politics Meet, and The Revolution Starts at Home. Shows she’s curated include “Ecstasies & Elegies” (for International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers) and “Girl Talk: a cis & trans woman dialogue” (with Julia Serano). Gina has performed, taught, and lectured everywhere from chapels to leatherbar backrooms to the Ivy League. She is the founder and facilitator of Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop San Francisco. And, she’s currently pursuing her MFA in Fiction Writing at San Francisco State University. Find out more at ginadevries.com.

Hey folks!
It’s finally fall! Autumn’s my favorite season, and I’ve been enjoying the colder weather here in San Francisco. I hope fall is treating you all just as nicely, wherever you are.

I have three things to tell you about this month:
1) I’m on a panel about “How To Sell Erotica” this Friday, October 8th.
2) I’m teaching Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop this Saturday, October 9th.
3) I’m currently available for booking college & community center gigs for Fall 2010 and Spring & Fall 2011. Also, I’ll be in Chicago from October 27-November 1 (for an activist conference, so I’m available for gigs October 30th & 31st), and in Toronto from November 20-30. So if you know of any paying gigs over those dates in those cities, do let me know — I’d love to teach a workshop or do a reading.

Be well, all—
Gina

****

HOW TO SELL EROTICA
(panel curated by Jean Marie Stine)
Friday, October 8, 7:30pm – 10:00pm
Center for Sex and Culture, 1519 Mission Street @ S. Van Ness, 2nd fl.
Suggested donation: $5-$15
All proceeds go to the Center for Sex and Culture
 
Are you writing erotica? Do you write for yourself? Do you write for publication? Or, have you dreamed of writing erotica, but haven’t yet started? Whatever you are writing — personal experiences, short stories, novels — you will learn about where you can sell your work and how to go about it. Join a panel of five editors, anthologists, and published authors who will share practical tips and personal insights. You will learn:
 
Where you can sell your work
*Magazines
*Websites
*Anthologies
* Book publishers
 
How to
* use the key elements that make an erotic story sell
* think sexy and cultivate your erotic imagination
* write plots and characters that turn readers on
* put the right dash of sex in a sex story
* write convincing stories for sexual orientation and interests beyond your own
* find the best internet resources for writers of erotica
* get along with editors and publishers
* respond to fans, reviewers and criticism
* avoid the four taboo sex acts no one will publish
* boost your income on books
* triple your income or more on short pieces
 
Panelists: Jean Marie Stine, author, former magazine editor, and publisher of ebook pioneer Sizzler Editions, which has more than 800 erotic novels and collections for available download at Amazon, Barnes& Nobel, etc., and has and recently began to publish erotica in paperback . M. Christian, writer and anthologist who has sold over 300 short stories, five novels and edited over two dozen anthologies. Gina de Vries’ writings about sex have appeared dozens of anthologies and publications, including Curve, On Our Backs, Femmethology, Tough Girls 2, Dirty Girls, and Coming & Crying. Donna George Storey is a writing and book promotion columnist and the author of two books and over a hundred stories and articles in such places as Penthouse, Best American Erotica, and Best Women’s Erotica. Plus other panelists to be announced.
 
Hosted by Sizzler Editions (SizzlerEditions.com)

*******
Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop
Saturday, October 9th, 2-4pm (Now on Saturday afternoons!)
Center for Sex & Culture, 1519 Mission Street, San Francisco (cross street 11th)
Sliding scale $10-$20 (more if you can, less if you can’t, **nobody turned away** — if you’re broke you should still come write with us!)
Workshop facilitated by Gina de Vries

This is a writing workshop for current and former sex workers to share their writing and get honest, non-judgmental feedback. Workshop participants are not obligated to write exclusively about sex work, but writing about work in the sex industry (as well as writing about other topics) will be welcomed. This is a place where people can write and share about their sex work experiences without having to censor themselves or explain every detail. Beginning writers are encouraged to attend along with more seasoned wordsmiths.

Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop is all-genders. We define the term “sex worker” broadly, as people who have exchanged erotic labor for money/food/shelter, including but not limited to:
+Street and Survival Sex Workers
+Escorts and Personal Companions
+Sensual Massage and Sensual Body Work Providers
+BDSM workers; pro-dommes, subs, and switches
+Adult Film Actors; Porn Models and Performers; Nude Models; Cam Girls and Boys
+Exotic Dancers; Strippers; and Peep Show Workers
+Phone Sex Operators
+And many other Sex Workers and Adult Entertainers!
(If we’re forgetting your area of the industry in this definition, tell us!)

**Email questions, volunteer inquiries, etc, to queershoulder@gmail.com.
**If wheelchair access is needed, please contact mail@sexandculture.org in advance of workshop.
**While we can’t guarantee a scent-free space, we ask that all attendees please refrain from wearing scented products to ensure that workshop members with chemical sensitivities can attend!

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Gina de Vries is a writer, performer, writing instructor, sex worker, and activist with a long history doing political organizing in and with queer, trans, and sex worker communities. Gina’s writing has appeared dozens of places - recent publications include Coming & Crying, Bound to Struggle: Where Kink and Radical Politics Meet, and The Revolution Starts at Home. Shows she’s curated include “Ecstasies & Elegies” (for International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers) and “Girl Talk: a cis & trans woman dialogue” (with Julia Serano). Gina has performed, taught, and lectured everywhere from chapels to leatherbar backrooms; recent university appearances include Yale University and Harvard University. She is the founder and facilitator of Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop San Francisco. And, she’s currently pursuing her MFA in Fiction Writing at San Francisco State University, where she is working on a novel and a book of short stories. Find out more at ginadevries.com.

****

Gina’s Looking for Gigs!

I just had a college gig cancel on me (due to lack of funds). I’m sad (not to mention a little stressed out about the financial impact). But, this also means that some space and time have opened up in my schedule for me to do another college gig or two this semester. 

So. Want to bring me to your campus or community center? I’m a seasoned performer, activist, and writing instructor, and I’m looking to book paid performances, writing workshops, and activist/educational workshops. Recent university appearances include Harvard University (with my activist colleague Rachel Katharine Zall (www.radiosilent.org) and Yale University (where I taught a Standing Room Only erotic writing workshop). 

I am currently in the process of re-designing my website, and I’ve just updated my booking (www.ginadevries.com/booking) page. Most of what you need to know about bringing me to your campus is available there. Have a look around, and email me atqueershoulder@gmail.com if you’d like to bring me your way.

Also, a note to those of you in Chicago and Toronto: I‘ll be in Chicago from October 27-November 1 (for an activist conference, so I’m available for Chicago gigs October 30th & 31st), and in Toronto from November 20-30. So if you know of any paying gigs over those dates in those cities, do let me know — I’d love to teach a workshop or do a reading.

Hey friends,

I’ll be in Toronto from November 20-30, and I’m looking to book a couple paid performances, writing workshops, or activist/educational workshops at a university or community center. If you’d be willing to send this link on to folks who might want to book a workshop or performance with me, I’d be much obliged.

xox,
Gina

* 

I’m a seasoned performer, activist, and writing instructor. Recent university appearances include Harvard University, and Yale University (where I taught a Standing Room Only erotic writing workshop).

A little more about what I do:

Bio:
GINA DE VRIES is a writer, performer, activist, and cultural worker with a long history doing political organizing in and with queer, trans, and sex worker communities. Gina’s writing has appeared dozens of places, from the academic to the pornographic – recent publications include Coming & Crying: real stories about sex from the other side of the bed, Bound to Struggle: Where Kink and Radical Politics Meet, and The Revolution Starts at Home. Shows she’s curated include “Ecstasies & Elegies” (for International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers), “Rebel Girl: a riot grrrl nostalgia show,” and “Girl Talk: a trans & cis woman dialogue” (with Julia Serano). Gina has performed, taught, and lectured everywhere from chapels to leatherbar backrooms, and recent university appearances include Reed College, Yale University, and Harvard University. She is the founder and facilitator of Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop, a writing class for current and former sex workers at San Francisco’s Center for Sex & Culture (where she also serves on the Advisory Board). Gina is currently pursuing her MFA in Fiction Writing at San Francisco State University. Find out more at ginadevries.com.

Readings & Performances:
I write fiction, memoir, and the occasional political commentary, usually with a queer, sex-positive, and/or erotic bent. I’ve co-curated “Girl Talk: a cis & trans woman dialogue” with Julia Serano for the past two years, and I curate “Ecstasies & Elegies: In Honor of International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers” every year in December. I perform all over the Bay Area & beyond. I’ve also curated, hosted, &/or emcee’d dozens of other spoken word shows. When it comes to doing a reading for your school or community group, I’m comfortable flying solo or performing with other folks. 

Writing Workshops:
I’ve led creative writing workshops for a number of writers’ groups, non-profits, schools, and conferences. I have experience teaching students from a wide variety of communities, cultures, and backgrounds; I’m especially skilled at working with the queer/LGBTQ, poly, and kink/BDSM communities, and with people who do work or have worked in the sex industry. I currently teach Sex Workers’ Writing Workshop, a monthly writing workshop for current and former sex workers. Previous day-long writing workshops I’ve taught include “Hot, Not Throbbing: How to Write About Sex Without Reaching Into Your Bag of Cliches,” and “Our First Teachers: Writing About Gender, Family, and Identity.” I’m also very open to creating writing workshops specifically for your community.

Lectures/Presentations/Political & Educational Workshops:
I have fifteen years of experience as a grassroots activist (I’ve literally been doing this work since middle school). I’ve presented a variety of lectures, presentations, and political workshops about sex, gender, and queer community over the years. Possible workshop topics could include: Overlap between sex worker community and queer community, and how to be an ally to the sex workers in your life; the differences and intersections between queer, trans, and intersex communities; and how to be an intersex ally. I also co-present a Trans Feminism workshop with my friend and colleague Rachel Katherine Zall. I’m very open to tailoring workshops to what your community might need.

Some notes about my workshops:
- Pre-registration is encouraged. I can teach a maximum of 15 people for writing workshops; non-writing workshops can be open to more.
- Water, a flip chart/white board/chalk board, pens & paper, and snacks are all great things to have around.
- If I need to copy materials for the workshop, it’s easier if I can get them to you to be copied prior to the event. Please let me know if you can do this.
- Please make sure that whatever space the workshop is held in is wheelchair accessible, including bathrooms.
- Let’s make sure those bathrooms are gender-neutral while we’re at it. 
- If any workshops are women-only (trans women inclusive, clearly), or for queer & trans folks only, please make sure that this is advertised prior to the event.

If you’re interested in booking an event with me, please email me at queershoulder@gmail.com, or leave a comment on this blog post. Please feel free to forward this on to friends/colleagues who you think would be interested, too!

Thanks, all!