Group Registration:

To reduce confusion and streamline communication, we require groups who intend to pay together to designate two contact persons that will be held responsible for arranging payment for all attendees in their group. We recommend that a Faculty or Staff advisor accompany each student group. If you are not an officer or advisor for your group, please ask them to complete this form first. To ensure all registrations are processed correctly, please click the button below and follow the instructions provided to register your group.

Registration Fees:

• Early Bird Registration, $35 per person - through Saturday, September 30, 2023
• Regular Registration, $40 per person - Sunday, October 1 through Friday, October 20, 2023
• Late Registration, $50 per person - Saturday, October 21 through Saturday, November 4, 2023

NOTICE!

• Completion of the registration process constitutes agreement and obligation to pay applicable registration fee.
• Cancellation for any reason after Friday, October 27, 2023 will forfeit any refund.

Please see the Payment Methods & Policies section below for additional information.

Please click the button below and answer the following series of questions to complete your registration.

Conference registration fees may be paid by Cash, Check, Credit/Debit Card, or Department Chargeback. All registration fees must be paid in advance or upon arrival at the conference or participation will be prohibited unless arrangements have been made in advance.

• Completion of the registration process constitutes agreement and obligation to pay applicable registration fee.
• Cancellation for any reason after Friday, October 27, 2023 will forfeit any refund.

Credit/Debit Card Payments

To process your registration payment via our secure online marketplace:

• Visit the Commonwealth University Marketplace.
• Click "Conference Registration" (or "Late Conference Registration")
• Enter the number of attendees you wish to pay for.
• Click "Add To Cart"
• Enter the First Name, Last Name, and Email Address for each attendee.
  Please note: Email address must match the address used on the individual registration form.
• Click "Continue"
• Review the information entered.
• Click "Checkout"
• Enter your email address.
• Click "Continue Unregistered"
• Enter your payment and billing information.
• Click "Continue"
• Click "Submit Order"

Personal or Institutional Check Payments

Checks should be made payable to "Commonwealth University" and note "LGBTQA Conference" in the Memo.

Please mail checks to:

LGBTQA Resource Center
349 Kehr Union Building
Commonwealth University - Bloomsburg
400 East 2nd Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815

Cash

Cash payments will be accepted during regular business hours in the LGBTQA Resource Center (KUB 349). If paying by cash, please print your confirmation email and attach to payment.

X González (they/them) is a gun-violence prevention activist born and raised in Parkland, Florida. A survivor of the Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School shooting, X became a leading voice in the gun-violence prevention movement with their powerful speech “We Call BS”. In 2018, they were instrumental in organizing the historic #MarchForOurLives protest in Washington D.C., the largest student-led demonstration in American history. While in high school, X also served as the President of the Gay-Straight Alliance. X continues to be at the forefront advocating for gun violence prevention including intersectional issues such as racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights. In the wake of the mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa, X spoke at March For Our Lives second rally in Washington D.C. Most recently, X graduated from New College of Florida with a major in activism.

Help us spread the word on your campus!  Download the digital signage or letter size posters to share the event anywhere you think interested students, staff, or faculty may see it.

2023 Conference Schedule

A block of rooms are reserved at the following hotel. Some hotels may offer more competitive rates on their websites. We suggest that you compare prices before booking. Please book early to guarantee accommodations.

If your institution qualifies for occupancy tax exemption, please provide your tax exempt form at the time of booking to avoid invoicing issues.

Quality Inn Bloomsburg - $79/Night

Quality Inn Bloomsburg, 189 Columbia Mall Drive, Bloomsburg, PA 17815

To make reservations, call 570-387-0490 and use the phrase LGBTQA Conference. The cut-off date is 10/30/23.

These additional hotels are also nearby.

Comfort Suites

Comfort Suites Bloomsburg, 120 Plaza Drive, Bloomsburg, PA 17815

https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/bloomsburg/comfort-suites-hotels/pa393

Holiday Inn Express

Holiday Inn Express Bloomsburg, 14 Mitchell Drive, Bloomsburg, PA 17815

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/bloomsburg/blbpa/hoteldetail

Fairfield Inn & Suites

Fairfield Inn & Suites Bloomsburg, 1065 Alliance Park Drive, Bloomsburg, PA 17815

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/segbl-fairfield-inn-and-suites-bloomsburg/

Hampton Inn

Hampton Inn Bloomsburg, 255 Papermill Road Bloomsburg, PA 17815

http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hampton-inn-bloomsburg-BLOPAHX/index.html

The conference will be held in Kehr Union Building (KUB) on the Commonwealth University - Bloomsburg Campus.
We recommend that all participants follow these directions to campus:

• Take Interstate 80 to exit 236.
• Follow Route 487 South approximately 1.4 miles.
• Use the center lane at the traffic signal to continue forward, campus is on your left.
• Continue 0.6 miles; you will pass under two foot bridges and see a large yellow brick smoke stack to your left, turn left onto Penn Street.
• Continue on Penn Street to the next available Left Turn.
• Park in the parking deck at the corner. Reserved parking signs are intended for conference attendees.

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Please Note: Vehicles over 7' tall will not be able to park in the garage. Please contact MidAtlanticLGBTQA@CommonwealthU.edu for further instructions for large vehicles and busses.

If you require accommodative services to fully participate in the conference, please email MidAtlanticLGBTQA@bloomu.edu including the details of your need and list of sessions you plan to attend.

Visit our Archive page for a complete history of the conference.

The 16^th Annual Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference Committee cordially invites undergraduates, graduates, faculty, staff, civic activists, and independent scholars to submit proposals for our upcoming conference. You may submit on a wide range of queer topics of interest, including subjects related to this year’s conference theme, Under Pressure, Pushing Back.

Do you feel the pressure pushing down on you? It feels like our community, after so many victories, is now under pressure. We may have an ally in the White House, who has moved to protect our community where he can, but in these early months of 2023, 45 states have already proposed new anti-trans bills in their state general assemblies. Six states have introduced or signed into law bans on drag performances. In Pennsylvania alone, there were more than 450 books banned in school districts across the state in 2021-2022, and in fall 2023, all 500 positions of Pennsylvania school boards are up for election with many candidates running on anti-LGBTQ messages. We can feel the intensity, but we also know that LGBTQ peoples have faced these attacks before and prevailed. We have pushed back against our oppressors and demonstrated resilience. We know how to survive and thrive. We have the one thing that so many people seek, our hidden power that restores our souls each time. In the immortal words of Queen and David Bowie,

'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure

At this year’s conference, we invite thoughtful consideration of these questions, as well as a variety of other queer topics:

• What groups remain at the fringes of our community and need greater protection?
• What tools or practices foster more inclusive internal community discourse to enhance our gender and sexuality organizations?
• How do we encourage students to not only be proud of who they are, but to find the courage to stand up for others who may struggle to find that pride?
• How can we prepare and support members who might feel so isolated that they consider self-harm?
• What tools for resistance have you created in your community or on campus and want to share with others?
• What tools of rejuvenation for the queer community have you created on campus and want to share with others?
• How have different queer identities been represented in art, film, media, literature, and more?
• How do we prepare for and engage in hard conversations at holiday dinners and other family events that may challenge us?

We invite you to be a part of this conversation as we reunite in friendship and build action plans for the future. We encourage each participant to consider, develop, and submit various session types for this year’s conference, including but not limited to workshops, research presentations, how-tos, panel discussions, and interactive games. We are very open to new and timely ideas.

Please email MidAtlanticLGBTQA@bloomu.edu with any questions or concerns.

Dan McCurry (He/Him), Conference Chair
Rebecca Willoughby (She/Her), Conference Vice Chair
Asa Kelley (He/Him), Conference Operations Coordinator

The Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference consists chiefly of 60-minute sessions, a keynote presentation, and special events arranged by the Conference Committee.

All members of the community are encouraged to submit proposals for sessions, posters, workshops, art installations, performances, etc. Please see our session type descriptions for guidance while developing your own proposals. Standard and creative presentation formats are encouraged. To explore past programs, themes, and keynote information, please check out our Archive page for a complete history of the conference.

The conference committee will evaluate proposals based on quality, clarity, and relevance. Undergraduate students are encouraged but not required to include the name of an advisor who has worked with you on your project. Presenters will be notified of their acceptance or rejection in late September. We look forward to reading your proposals and seeing you at our next conference.

Please email any questions, comments, and concerns to MidAtlanticLGBTQA@bloomu.edu.

All sessions will be held in multipurpose rooms in the Student Union Building which include the following equipment:

• Projection screen and speakers
• Windows 10 workstation w/ internet access
• Laptop computer connection via HDMI or VGA
• Blu-ray player
• Wireless internet access

• Workshops
  • Workshops provide opportunities for participants to get things done. Successful workshop proposals explain clearly how participants in workshop activities will interact with each other and should include a schedule of activities with a description of what each participant might take away from the workshop.
• Roundtables
  • Roundtables are structured conversations with individuals interested a single topic. Roundtables can have anywhere from 3-8 speakers, each presenting a specific take on an issue. Successful proposals for Roundtables will clearly articulate the issue to be discussed and why that issue is important to our communities. Roundtable participants should collectively speak for no more than 40 minutes to ensure that audience members have 20 minutes to respond and discuss.
• Academic Presentations
  • A traditional academic conference presentation consists of a panel of 3-4 speakers presenting research on a common theme. Each speaker may present research for 10-12 minutes. You may submit a panel or an individual paper. Panel proposals should have a brief introduction of the panel’s focus as well as summaries of each presenter’s paper. Selected presenters should collectively speak for 40 minutes to ensure that audience members have 20 minutes to respond and discuss.
• (Performance) Art and Autoethnographic Narratives
  • (Performance) art and autoethnographic narratives use artistic expression or narrative to move audiences to action and discussion. Submitted art pieces should indicate how the artist and submitted work communicate the conference theme. Autoethnographic narratives are solo performances that combine the author’s lived experiences with the ideas related to the conference theme.
• Teaching demonstrations
  • Teaching demonstrations focus on classroom and public teaching practices that are innovative and help audience members see how best to communicate the conference theme in the classroom or during community outreach programs. Individual teaching demonstrations should run 10-12 minutes with 3-4 demonstrations in a session. Presenters should leave 20 minutes for responses and questions from audiences.
• Alternative Format Proposals
  • If the descriptions above do not fit your needs, please feel free to describe how you would contribute to the conversations taking place during the conference. The best alternative format proposals will clearly describe the purpose of the alternative format.

Does your organization or business have information to share with conference attendees? We welcome organizations participating in the conference that wish to display information about their organization to do so in the lobby throughout the event.

Participation is subject to approval by the Conference Committee.

All participants are required to register for the conference and pay the applicable registration fee.

Submission Form

• Dan McCurry, Conference Chair
• Rebecca Willoughby, Conference Vice Chair
• Asa Kelley, Conference Operations Coordinator
• Monica Johnson, Resource Center Coordinator
• James Black
• Dave Kube
• Damien Marken
• Gretchen Osterman
• Craig Young