Join Conference Committee Chair, Chris Belous, and Program Committee Members as they extend a warm welcome to kick off the conference and set the stage for an exciting event ahead!

Presenter

Zooey Zephyr

Intended Audience

All Audiences

CE Credits

AASECT – 1.5

Session Description

Join Representative Zooey Zephyr for a conversation about building relationships and making change in an era where fear-based politics seek to make bogeymen out of LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities. This talk will discuss Representative Zephyr’s path to politics, strategies for identifying areas where change can be affected, and advice for how to center kindness while holding those who seek to do harm accountable for their actions. The talk will include political theory as well as specific strategies to achieve these goals.

Presenter

Yamonte Cooper, Ed.D, LPCC, NCC, CST-S

Intended Audience

All Audiences

CE Credits

AASECT – 1.5

Session Description

Black males are disproportionately victims of sexual violence, intimate partner violence/homicide (IPV/IPH), and suicide. Recent data from the CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS/2022) indicate that 58 percent of Black males report sexual violence, physical violence, and or stalking by an intimate partner. Black males overwhelmingly report being made to penetrate, sexual coercion, and unwarranted sexual contact where the primary perpetrators are female. Frameworks such as intersectionality fail to adequately capture Black male vulnerability. Most frameworks that attempt to explain the experiences of Black males are deficit and pathology-oriented frameworks that lack empirical evidence and are inherently racist. This presentation provides comprehensive information on Black male sexual victimization that fills a critical and urgent void in the mental health field. Therefore, professionals will be able to begin to adequately recognize and articulate the sexual victimization of Black males and provide responsive care and clinical interventions that inform treatment approaches.

Presenter

Pidgeon Pagonis (they/them)

Intended Audience

All Audiences

CE Credits

AASECT -1 

Session Description

This presentation explores the journey towards intersex liberation, encompassing the complexities of identity, advocacy, and sexual health. Pidgeon Pagonis, a prominent intersex activist, shares personal anecdotes and societal insights to shed light on the challenges faced by intersex individuals. By delving into historical contexts and contemporary narratives, attendees gain a deeper understanding of the intersections between intersex rights and sexual health. Through empowering discourse, Pidgeon invites participants to envision a future where intersex individuals are fully recognized, respected, and embraced within society.

Presenter

Kai Cheng Thom, MSW, MSc

Intended Audience

All Audiences

CE Credits

AASECT – 1.5

Session Description

How can a pleasure-focused and Transformative Justice-based approach to our work as sexuality counselors and educators support people to reclaim embodied sovereignty? How can the fields of sex therapy and sex education embrace their singular potential not only for individual healing and edification, but social transformation as well? Join award-winning author and Adjunct Faculty at the Institute for the Study of Somatic Education Kai Cheng Thom for a powerful and inspiring conversation on the role of embodied sexuality healing as a mode of collective change. Kai Cheng brings her unique perspective as a former Couple & Family Therapist and currently practicing Sexological Bodyworker and Somatic Coach to this presentation, outlining anti-oppression, embodied transformation, and collective healing as the foundations of a revolutionary approach to sexuality coaching, counseling, and education. Participants will leave with new frameworks and techniques for anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, socially conscious practice, as well as key principles drawn from the field of Somatic Sex Education.

Presenter

Juan Camarena, PhD, LMFT, LPCC, CST (he/him/el)

Intended Audience

All Audiences

CE Credits

AASECT – 1.5

Session Description

Does Latinidad (the experience of a pan-Latino identity) exist? And if so, is there a common experience of sexuality? Latine(x/a/o) peoples come from 32 countries across the world and are a heterogenous mix of Indigenous, European, and African ancestries (González Burchard, et. al., 2005). Using a frame of “y” the Spanish word for “and,” the plenary will focus on duality as an integral experience of Latine(x/a/o)s living in the United States. As a collective of sexuality professionals we will explore concepts that seem in opposition, such as sexual indulgence and purity, through a mixture of data y música. We will also consider how professionals may be using whitewashing interventions in the treatment of sexual trauma through rationality, boundaries, and individualism without considering the importance of familismo, personalismo, dichos, aguantarse y desaguarse. Participants will also be asked to add more conexión y sazón to their work across populations.

Join the Conference Committee Chair and Program Committee for a look ahead to 2025!

Presenter

Kristen Lilla, LCSW, CST-S, CSE-S (she/they)

Intended Audience

All Audiences

CE Credits

AASECT – 2

Session Description

Understanding the AASECT Code of Conduct can take months, even years, but this workshop will help people understand how to file a grievance, identify how they can represent themselves as members, and how the welfare of the consumer impacts both of those. So come on consumer, represent yourself, and file a grievance in this interactive and informative workshop!