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Save the Date: April 8, 2005
Sexuality is being recognized by a greater
number of social scientists as a legitimate and important area
of intellectual inquiry. It
provides another lens for exploring and furthering our understanding
of Latina/o experiences. While still a study area that has not
been as fully integrated into mainstream disciplines as social
class, race/ethnicity and gender, the knowledge gathered through
the sexualities lens has been significant in understanding Latino/as.
This conference hopes to break some of the “silences” (invisibilities,
omissions, and myths) that are still present in social science
research in regard to Latina/o sexualities as well as to create
a venue for disseminating knowledge gained.
The Latina/o population
in the United States has been steadily growing. Latina/os represent
13% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census
2000). It is now the largest “minority” population
in the United States. In the last three decades, the demographic changes in
the population has both invited and forced the need for more research with
this supra-ethnic group. Social and behavioral science research on Latina/o sexualities
is an emerging area for Latino Studies and Sexuality Studies. In
the last two decades there has been a slowly increasing amount
of social science studies on the sexual experiences of Latinoa/os,
mostly due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the growing Latina/o population
in the United States. AIDS-related research is frought with stereotypes
and pathological representations on Latina/os and their families
and culture. The conference seeks to develop deeper understandings,
go beyond stereotypes, and illuminate nuances. Latino sexualities
not only adds to the understanding of this group, but the research
that is being brought together will assist in further understanding
the Latina/o experience. This newer scholarship is breaking the
many silences that have enfolded Latina/o research (invisibility,
omissions, and myths) and creating changes (in the way we understand
sexuality, Latina/os, the way we understand the complexity of social
and cultural factors influencing lives).
This conference will bring together leading scholars in this emerging
field to discuss some of the things that have been learned as well
as what we need to know about Latina/os sexualities. Also participating
will be community educators working on sexuality-related programming
with Latina/o populations who are both in search of information
to guide their work as well as providing lessons from the field
that may guide future research.
Panelists participating in the conference include: Prof. Matthew
Gutmann, Brown University; Prof. Gloria Gonzalez-Lopez, University
of Texas at Austin; Prof. M. Idali Torres, University of Massachusetts
at Amherst; Ms. Monica Rodriguez, Sex Information and Education
Council of the U.S.; Prof. Tomas Almaguer, San Francisco State
University; Prof. Miguel Munoz-Laboy, Columbia University; and
Mr. Felix Gardon, Senior Action in a Gay Environment. |
