On October 15, 2024, the Program in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies celebrated WGSS student research with InQueery, its annual symposium, themed “No Pride in Genocide.” With this symposium, students brought together various feminist, queer, and critical race theories and the intersectionality of anti-imperialist politics in their presentations, some of which addressed the genocide in Palestine and demonstrated queer solidarity with Palestinians.
Nine WSU students—undergraduate and graduate—participated in this virtual symposium, presenting their scholarship with an emphasis on queer politics serving as common ground across three panels: Feminist, Queer, Critical Race Perspectives in the Wake of Palestine; Beyond Gay Tunnel Vision: Queer Intersectionalities; and Queer Texts and Contexts: Media, Space, and Arms Technology. After the student panels concluded, InQueery attendees had the opportunity to learn from the keynote speaker Dr. Sa’ed Atshan, associate professor of peace and conflict studies and anthropology at Swarthmore College. Dr. Atshan’s presentation “Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique,” drew from one of his books and prioritized the intersecting oppressions that queer Palestinian’s face as they must work to connect freedom with the struggle against homophobia. This year’s symposium fostered both scholarly exchange and solidarity, with over 60 people attending both the student presentations and the keynote speaker.