Primary Organizer Bios

Karl Bryant research focuses on the intersection of gender nonconformity, sexuality, science, and mental health. His current project traces the history of “Gender Identity Disorder” as it has been applied to children. A former research ‘subject’ in studies of gender nonconforming children, he has worked in both academic and advocacy capacities on issues pertaining to gender nonconforming children and youth. He has many ties to networks of people working in these areas, is a member of GenderQueerSB and a co-founder of the Taskforce for GenderQueer Justice.

Theodore Burnes has worked in a variety of non-profit agencies providing counseling and support to various folks within transgender and genderqueer communities. He is a frequent eater of lime popsicles, a rusty choreographer, a slam poet, and a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology with a research focus on identity development for LGBT people of color. He is co-founder of the queer artist collective AngryNelly Productions, which recently received an EDA grant for its work in using the performing arts as intervention with queer youth. He is the recipient of an Independent Artist award for his collection, Nobody's Sexual Minority: Slam Poems of Progress, and he is thrilled to announce he finally recently cleaned out his refrigerator.

Simone Chess is working on reclaiming tranny chaser as a positive identity category. She’s a queer ashkenazi jew from New York, a dancer, a nerd, and a graduate student in English at UCSB. Her research focuses on Early Modern British Literature, women writers, and Renaissance notions of race, gender, and the body. She is currently obsessesed with male to female crossdresssing in Renaissance drama, romances, ballads, and pamphlets. She is co-founder of GenderQueerSB, PISSAR (People in Search of Safe and Accessible Restrooms), a Femme Gender Discussion Group, and WIFARAG (Women-Identified Anti-Racist Affinity Group). She is committed to multi-issue, multi-identity organizing across intersections like gender, sexuality, race, age, and ability.

Elizabeth Currans research focuses on the performance of race, gender, and sexuality in women's public protest; the use of “family” to legislate morality; and queer religiosities. She is a co-founder of Femme Gender Discussion Group and Women-Identified Feminist Antiracist Affinity Group (WIFARAG) and a member of People in Search of Safe and Accessible Restrooms (PISSAR). She is committed to queering social justice activism and multi-issue organizing in a variety of forums.

Kylan Mattias de Vries, originally from Vancouver, Canada, Kylan is a local queer trans activist, currently working with the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center on integrating transgender services. Kylan is active in the queer and trans communities, and is a member of ModSquade (Santa Barbara's Transgender Alliance). Currently working for Student Affairs Development, Kylan is applying to grad school.

Jess O'Keefe research focuses on Transgender Theatre as activism. Her work with well-established performers/playwrights like Kate Bornstein and emerging performers/ playwrights at the First National Transgender Theatre Festival (Stages 2003) connects her to a variety of transgender and genderqueer performers nationally. She has extensive experience organizing a variety of performance forms (from solo performances to dance concerts).

Tanya Danel is a third-year undergraduate Linguistics major with a focus in Spanish at UCSB.
She is the vice-chair of the Student Fee Advisory Committee. As a Queer Peer Intern for the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, her main responsibilities have included conference organizing for this event.

Snailmail address:
GenderQueer/QueerGenders Conference
Interdisciplinary Humanities Center
HSSB, 6th floor
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106

Or, e-mail the entire conference committee at: gq_qg@riseup.net