Queer Students of Color Conference

Saturday, April 15th, 2023

Welcome to the 12th Annual Students of Color Conference

@ Portland State University

This website will help you navigate our in-person conference, which will be held on Saturday, April 15th, 2023 from 11 am - 5:30 pm PST at the Native American Student and Community Center (710 SW Jackson St, Portland, OR 97201).

Please start by reading our land acknowledgment below and by looking through the conference schedule.

This website is a working space. As we continue to solidify different events, we will continue to update as necessary.

If you are interested in hosting a workshop, please use the submission form at the bottom of this page.

Got any questions? Please contact qrc@pdx.edu, and we will get back to you soon!

Land Acknowledgement:

Portland State University is located in the heart of downtown Portland, Oregon in Multnomah County. We honor the Indigenous people whose traditional and ancestral homelands we stand on: The Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tumwater, Watlala bands of the Chinook, the Tualatin Kalapuya, and many other indigenous nations of the Columbia River. It is important to acknowledge the ancestors of this place and to recognize that we are here because of the sacrifices forced upon them. In remembering these communities, we honor their legacy, their lives, and their descendants.

QSOCC 2023 Schedule TBA

Space Guidelines

The QSOCC planning committee is committed to keeping QSOCC 2023 accessible, safe, and communal. We will be moderating workshops, panels, and performances to ensure that there are minimal disruptions and to keep education and QTBIPOC community-building at the forefront of the experience. Attendees who are disruptive, trolling, using offensive language, or attempting to cause harm may be removed from the space.

Space Values

The following are the values that the Queer Resource Center holds among our staff and within our physical community space. These values were drafted over several months through a collective process within a student committee. The process featured significant input from other students, staff, and community members who share a commitment to the continuing growth and well-being of the QRC and the individuals who utilize this space.

Accountability + Growth - Consider the consequences of your behavior and take an active role in learning from your mistakes. Allow space for others to make mistakes and learn from them.

Consent - Ask permission for anything that involves another person or their belongings and wait for a clear agreement. Treat others how they want to be treated.

Community Engagement + Collaboration - Actively work together with other members of our community to maintain and build on our values.

Humility - Practice ongoing racial and cultural humility. Work to create a continuous learning environment where queer and trans students of color are welcomed and valued without being tokenized.

Inclusion - Make the space as communal, accessible, and safe as possible for all identities. Work actively and collaboratively to create an anti-oppressive environment.

Respect - Acknowledge and celebrate our individual identities and differences. Deepen our understanding of our impact on one another. See the worth and potential of each other as individuals and the importance of connection.

Privacy + Confidentiality - Practice consent in sharing information (If you require complete confidentiality, please talk to a QRC staff member about options for confidential support).

Accessibility - Reduce obstacles and barriers to accessing the QRC.

A Safer Space for Queer People of Color

The Queer Student of Color Conference (QSOCC) is committed to facilitating a space for Queer and Trans People of Color to come together, develop networks, share tools and knowledge, and create communities of support.

As Queer and Trans people of color (QTPOC), we have had limited access to resource, institution, and spaces that directly address our struggles and identities.

We hope to disrupt institutional oppression by providing a safer space for our community to learn and grow.

A Note for Allies

We do not take "allyship" lightly. We ask non-QTPOC to acknowledge and actively challenge the space that they take up, understanding that this event was created by and for the QTPOC community.

We also ask that conference attendees respect the identity-based workshops.

Finally, if you wish to support our efforts, please go to the 'Contact' tab, where you will find the location to donate to the Queer Resource Center and information on how to allocate those funds to QSOCC.

COVID & Community Care at QSOCC

In a world deeply impacted by COVID, some lessons that have become more self-evident than ever are that our lives are interconnected and that our responsibility to support the well-being of our entire community is shared. We believe that we are interdependent and that caring for our communities is just as important as caring for ourselves.

Our work centers on those most marginalized under the matrix of systems of oppression. The negative health consequences of social inequity are well documented in the U.S. Yet we must recognize that the risks of exposure are different for each person. Those of us at the intersections of multiple marginalized identities are already at greater risk of illness and mortality.

Not only are queer folks at greater risk for COVID-19 illness, but LGBTQ people of color, in particular, are more vulnerable to the devastating effects of the pandemic. People who are pregnant or have recently given birth are at greater risk for serious illness. People who are caregivers for elders or unvaccinated children often worry about the safety of their loved ones. As more research on long COVID becomes available, we know that 1 in 5 people in the U.S. is affected by long COVID, and LGBTQ people experience long COVID at higher rates.

While much of the data suggests that it is relatively safe for “healthy” and fully vaccinated people to go mask-less, it is still not safe for those with compromised immune systems to behave as if the pandemic is over. We know that those who have been fully vaccinated can still spread COVID to others. The risk of hospitalization and death increases with reinfection of COVID, meaning that the more someone is exposed to the virus, the more likely they are to develop a severe illness or die from the disease.

Because folks with disabilities are so often neglected in our justice movements, this is a moment where we must act with intention. As students and professional staff, we’ve chosen to continue wearing masks in our space because we believe that our communities are only truly safe when we value the lives of everyone, not just those with typical health and access to medical care.

Due to state law and PSU policy, we are not allowed to require masks. However, we will provide and enthusiastically encourage masks, especially in indoor spaces.

Please join us in wearing your mask during QSOCC!

- QSOCC Planning Committee

Registration

Registration is now Closed.

For more information please email our Queer & Trans Student of Color Program Coordinator (Mrosas@pdx.edu).