When you arrive, please sign in to receive your free conference t-shirt, tote bag, and other free items! Breakfast will be available and this will be a great opportunity to socialize and make some new friends.

The Conference will kick off in the Founders Auditorium with a performance, greetings from the CUNY LGBTQI+ Council, President Patricia Ramsey, and Executive Vice Chancellor Alicia M. Alvero! We will share information about the day, the options and services available throughout the conference, and welcome you to this fantastic gathering of CUNY’s LGBTQI+ community!

During this session, we will share updates about CUNY that affect our community and what we are continuing to push for. We also want to hear from you about your experiences at CUNY. We will discuss how we as a community can push for these changes.

Many of us code-switch for safety, comfort, or habit. The goal is to help LGBTQ+ individuals feel empowered to be as authentic as any colleague, without pressure to “translate,” “downplay,” or “sanitize” their identity. This workshop helps us distinguish between intentional code-switching and forced code-switching.

This workshop explores what “biological sex” means in the natural world, how it can function, and how it is not always a simple binary of male and female. Using examples from lizards, birds, fish, fungi, and human brains, participants explore how much of what we think is colored by bias and conjecture, and how we can take what is truly “natural” (i.e. more complex than many think) into our conversations around transphobia.

This workshop examines how criminalization—through sex work laws, gender policing, and STI discrimination statutes—continues to endanger the lives of transgender, gender-nonconforming, immigrant, disabled, and Black and Brown LGBTQI+ New Yorkers. Participants will explore three interconnected policy efforts: decriminalizing sex work, enacting the Gender Identity Respect, Dignity, and Safety (GIRDS) Act, and repealing outdated STI criminalization public health laws and leave with concrete tools to engage in student-led advocacy and narrative change.

This is the real deal. This workshop is about what we are actually doing in intimate spaces. You are probably not going to get this information from your doctor, parents or professors: “Are dental dams better for anal or vaginal sex?” or “What entails more risk: ‘scissoring’ or ‘69’?” Join us for a session of sexual mapping, small group discussions and consensus building around the risks of our actual sexual practices. We will also provide STI 101 info that goes beyond prevention, alternative and fun protection options, and non-traditional sexy times that exclude fluids and embrace BDSM!

Join City Tech’s LGBTQIA+ Collective for a workshop on turning to newsletter writing to speak out and fight back against injustice! The facilitators of this workshop will inspire you with their strategies for turning to journalism in times of struggle, outlining one student's experience with writing and distributing an anonymous newsletter on campus. Then, you will have the opportunity to write your own with guided prompts, writing time, and discussion.

Attendees will learn how to identify signs of domestic violence (DV), understand how DV may look different in queer relationships, understand the dynamics of a DV relationship, understand what DV is, and how to support LGBQTIA survivors.

This workshop introduces participants to ballroom culture; a queer and trans-led movement rooted in Black and Latinx communities. Through discussion, storytelling, and interactive performance exercises, attendees will explore how ballroom centers marginalized voices and foster self-expression and community. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the history and cultural significance of ballroom within LGBTQI+ spaces. They will also learn basic voguing and performance techniques, while reflecting on how creativity and expression can empower and uplift themselves and others.

This workshop explores how LGBTQI+ students - particularly immigrants, undocumented people, and those with nontraditional work histories - navigate finances, employment, and paperwork in systems not designed for them. Drawing from lived experience and real tools, the session will examine why privacy, accessibility, and user control matter in technology. Participants will learn how to identify gaps in existing systems, understand basic principles of privacy-first design, and explore practical strategies for supporting themselves and others when accessing financial, job, and legal resources.

Using Amma’s Pride as a case study, filmmaker Chithra Jeyaram presents a roadmap for transforming cinema into a catalyst for social action. By analyzing strategic decisions across production and two years of distribution, the session illustrates how the film became a global beacon for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities advocating for parental acceptance and marriage equality. Jeyaram explores how this story—centered on the trans woman Srija and the firm allyship of her mother, Valli, and her partner, Arun—evolved into a universal tool for families and organizations worldwide to champion the visibility of queer love in all forms and build an inclusive society rooted in the simple act of love. Participants will leave with a practical, step-by-step impact template that applies these case-study insights directly to their projects, bridging the gap between creative vision and community action.

What can Stonewall teach us about activism in 2026? How do we preserve history that some are constantly trying to erase? What exactly was the Stonewall Rebellion? Who was really involved in the initial acts of resistance? Have these questions and more? Join us for an interactive discussion and immersive activities through a liberation pedagogy to explore the Stonewall legacy and its impact on today's LGBTQ+ liberation movement.

Qween Jean is a proud Haitian Storyteller and human rights activist committed to protecting all humanity. Recently Qween’s designed costumes for Liberation (Broadway), Cats The Jellicle Ball! (Broadway) Oh Happy Day, Saturday Church, Swamp Dwellers, Wedding Band, Macbeth In Stride, Walden and Donja R. Love’s new film Home.

Jean founded Black Trans Liberation, an organization that provides weekly fellowship, food, groceries and housing resources for the TGNC community. She is the author of Revolution is Love (Aperture). Obie Award. Qween recently won the Audelco Award and Henry Hewes Award for Cats The Jellicle Ball! Jean was a finalist for NYC David Prize. She was the cover of American Theatre Magazine entitled; A New Era! 

This social is a great way to wind down and connect with other conference goers. You can talk about the connections you have made and all of the things you have learned. Snacks will be provided.