teaching CV

In the past few years, I’ve taught in such wildly differing settings as lesbian SM weekends, sexual assault prevention groups, rural pervert parties, radical queer fairs, contemporary sexuality study centres, progressive sex shops, religious studies university classes, and poly camping retreats… and even, once, at a professional editors’ conference. I’ve taught social workers about BDSM, gay men about vaginal fisting (!), and university students about polyamory. I’ve shown people how to pierce, flog and punch… and how to communicate, support and listen.  My teaching has taken me from Halifax to Vancouver, from San Francisco to New York, and from Berlin to Manchester! I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to speak to such a wide range of amazing people, and I look forward to each new workshop as an occasion to enhance my own learning while opening people’s minds to an array of sexual and relationship possibilities. Read on for a brief history of my teaching work.

Sex shops, bookstores and community groups

In addition to the conference presentations, lectures and training sessions listed below, I regularly give theoretical and practical workshops about sexuality, BDSM and non-monogamy at various establishments, as well as for student and community groups. Here’s a list of the ones I’ve taught for in the recent past, many of them numerous times. Check out my workshops list for the range of topics I teach about!

• International Leatherdyke Conference (Manchester)
• Good Vibrations (San Francisco)
• International Leatherdyke Conference / “Easter Conference” (Berlin)
• University of Ottawa Pride Week (Ottawa)
• Queer McGill and FAKE (Fetish and Kink Enthusiasts) (Montreal)
• Venus Envy (Halifax)
• LGBT Youth Project (Halifax)
• Lesbian Sex Mafia (New York City)
• Come As You Are (Toronto)
• Wicked Wanda’s (Ottawa)
• Venus Envy (Ottawa)
• SheDogs women and trans bathhouse (Halifax)
• York University queer collective (Toronto)
• Good For Her (Toronto)
• Unholy Army of the Night (Montreal)
• The Center for Sex and Culture (San Francisco)
• DevianToronto (Toronto)
• University of Toronto at Scarborough Women’s Centre (Toronto)
• V-Day McGill (Montreal)
• Gay Line’s SILK program (Montreal)
• Vermont Rose & Thorn (Vermont)
• Breathless (Ottawa)

Community conference presentations

• Keynote address, “Crazy and Criminal: On Those Damn Books, and Why They Matter.” Consent Is Sexy Week, Carleton University, Ottawa, September 19, 2012.
• Canadian S/M Dyke History lecture for Montreal Pride week, August 13, 2012.
• Keynote address, “‘It’s Not About Sex’ and Other Lies.” Floating World Conference, New Jersey, August 23, 2010.
• Keynote address, “Asking the Hard Questions.” Leather Leadership Conference 14, Detroit/Windsor, April 8, 2010.
• “Partner-to-Partner Communication” keynote lecture for Pink Triangle Services’ Sweet and Spicy Aphrodite week for women, Ottawa, December 4, 2009.
• “Leather Mentorship” Judges’ Panel speaker, Mr. Leather Toronto, November 28, 2009.
• “BDSM and Abuse: A Positive Approach” workshop for sex therapists, social workers and sexologists at the 31^st Annual Guelph Sexuality Conference, Guelph, June 17, 2009.
• “Sexing the Language: Editing for Sexual Minorities” workshop at the Editors’ Association of Canada annual conference, Toronto, June 7, 2009.
• “10 Rules for Happy Non-Monogamy,” lecture at the International Women’s SM Conference, Berlin, April 11, 2009.
• “Lighting the Fire: Abuse and BDSM,” joint seminar with Ariel Berman of Boston-based domestic violence prevention group The Network/La Red, at Mr. Leather Toronto. Toronto, November 29, 2008.
• “Plural Perspectives,” keynote address at PolyCamp. Shelburne, ON, August 30, 2008.
• “Lighting the Fire: Abuse and BDSM,” joint seminar with Ariel Berman of Boston-based domestic violence prevention group The Network/La Red, at International Ms. Leather. San Francisco, May 4, 2008.
• “(Un)Common Ground: Poly, Kinky, Queer,” lecture given jointly with Pepper Mint based on a paper (currently unpublished) co-authored with Pepper Mint, at the Leather Leadership Conference. San Francisco, April 12, 2008.
• “(Un)Common Ground: Poly, Kinky, Queer,” lecture at the inaugural Sexual Diversity Studies Student Union Conference at the University of Toronto, entitled “Fetish: Working Out the Kinks.” Lecture based on a paper (currently unpublished) co-authored with Pepper Mint. Toronto, March 15, 2008.
• “Pleasures and Politics: Women of Leather,” seminar given jointly with Jacqueline St-Urbain at Mr. Leather Toronto. Toronto, November 24, 2007.
• “Diversity in the Queer Community,” panel speaker as part of McGill University’s Diversity Week. Montreal, October 26, 2007.
• Panel speaker on women’s involvement in GLBT community organizations (recruitment, retention, motivation) for the Colloque sur la visibilité lesbienne. Montreal, March 2007.
• Speaker on the Women and Sexual Diversity panel, CEGEP Vanier College. Montreal, March 2006 and March 2007.
• Lecture on bisexuality for students and professionals attending the Sexuality Attitudes Reassessment weekend (SAR) facilitated by Prof. Stephanie Mitelman of Sexpressions.ca through Concordia University. Montreal, annually as of 2006.
• “Bisexuality and BDSM,” joint lecture with Pepper Mint (San Francisco) at the 9^th International Conference on Bisexuality. Toronto, June 17, 2006.
• Member of the international “Ask Aunts Poly and the Amory Uncles,” polyamory panel at the 9^th International Conference on Bisexuality. Toronto, June 16, 2006.
• “Beyond Oppression: New Strategies, Values and Visions for a Dynamic Queer Society,” workshop on intersectionality within queer organizations, with Benji Pereira. EGALE Rainbow Visions Conference. Montreal, May 2003.

Academic guest lectures and conference papers

• “‘Your Cuntry Needs You’: The Politics of Early-1990s Canadian Lesbian S/M Porn,” paper presented at the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians (Amherst, MA, June 2011) and at the We Demand: History, Sex, Activism conference (Vancouver, August 2011). This paper will appear as a chapter in a forthcoming book from UBC press.
• “Women and BDSM,” guest lecture for Dr. Frances Latchford’s Women’s Sexualities class, Department of Women’s Studies, York University. Toronto, November 2010 and November 2011.
• “The Ethics of Sadomasochism,” guest lecture for Dr. Daniel Cere’s Sexual Ethics class, Department of Religious Studies, McGill University. Montreal, yearly or twice-yearly since October 2008.
• “Being a Trans Ally” guest lecture for Pat Durish’s Feminism and Sexuality class, University of Toronto, March 24, 2009.
• “Feminist Activism in the Queer and BDSM Communities,” guest lecture for Dr. Marymay Downing’s Feminist Activism class, Department of Women’s Studies, University of Ottawa. Ottawa, October 14, 2008.
• “The Evolution of a Sex-Positive Feminist,” guest lecture for Dr. Pat Durish’s Feminism and Sexuality class, University of Toronto. Toronto, June 4, 2008.
• “(Un)Common Ground: Poly, Kinky, Queer,” lecture given jointly with Pepper Mint based on a paper (currently unpublished) co-authored with Pepper Mint, at the Center for Sex and Culture. San Francisco, April 24, 2008.
• “The History of Sexual Diversity,” guest lecture for Arlene Steiger’s “Alternatives for Women,” class, Women’s Studies Department, CEGEP Vanier College. Montreal, April 5, 2007.

Professional and volunteer training sessions

• “Kinky and Queer: BDSM and LGBTQ Health” co-presentation with Dr. Erin Sandilands, MD, at the Rainbow Health Ontario conference, Ottawa, March 23, 2012.
• “Sexing the Language: Editing for Sexual Minorities” workshop at the Editors’ Association of Canada annual conference, Toronto (June 5-7, 2009)
• “Active Listening” full-day training for Cambridge Cares About AIDS (CCAA), Boston, MA, August 7, 2009.
• “BDSM and Sexual Assault,” training for the Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students’ Society, SACOMSS. Montreal, May 13 and October 10, 2008.
• “BDSM Basics,” and “Non-Monogamy Basics,” staff training for healthcare providers at the Sherbourne Health Centre. Toronto, February 21, 2008.
• “Active Listening,” full-day training session for peer counsellors at the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy, Concordia University. Montreal, October 2005, 2006 and 2007.
• “Active Listening for LGBT Students,” workshop for faculty and staff at CEGEP Vanier College. Montreal, November 2005, March 2006, November 2006.
• Polyamory awareness talk for GRIS (Groupe de recherche et d’intervention sociale), a group that demystifies homosexuality in schools. Montreal, April 19, 2006.