[Noisebridge-discuss] Hosting a sexuality unconference at Noisebridge? KinkForAll San Francisco wants to make some Noise. :)

[maymay]

Hi everyone,

My name is Meitar, but friends call me "maymay." You might remember me  
as the curly haired redhead in such Noisebridge events as September's  
"Five Minutes of Fame" Gender & Technology talk[0], or as one of the  
guys playing Go in between the Tantric meditation workshop and  
Funball's orgasmic let's-see-if-this-robot-is-fully-functional  
experience a few weeks ago after Arse Elektronika. :)

In any case, I'm also an unorganizer for an unconference series about  
sexuality. The unconference I'm involved with is free and open to the  
public, and features ad-hoc presentations and discussions about  
sexuality, sex education, gender, sexual freedom, sexual health, and  
anything else about your life that intersects with sexuality. It's one  
in an ongoing series called KinkForAll. Prior unconferences held in  
New York City and Boston have had strong participation from various  
sexuality-related communities, including LGBT, polyamory, leather, and  
feminist circles. Some individuals calling themselves hackers, Makers,  
DIY folk, and a range of other descriptions have participated as well.  
More information about KinkForAll can be found at http://wiki.kinkforall.org 
. In particular, be certain to read the FAQ page.[1]

Using fluffy language paraphrasing from our most recent press release, 
[2] one of KinkForAll's goals is to "democratize" the dissemination of  
sexuality information and to empower individuals to learn on their own  
and share their knowledge with interested neighbors and peers. In this  
respect, I think KinkForAll and Noisebridge have a lot in common.

I'm hoping to make a KinkForAll unconference happen here now that I'm  
living in San Francisco and I think, if there is some interest and buy- 
in to this idea from the Noisebridge membership, that the new 2169  
location is a fantastic place to host an unconference like this.

Many of the 20-minute presentations participants have given at  
previous uncons have been made freely available online and have  
attracted thousands of viewers over several months. These previous  
uncons featured sessions on sexually transmitted infections, leather  
community leadership, body movement, gender and linguistic theory,  
polyamory, technology, food, and many other topics. There are lots of  
videos on Vimeo,[3] but a google search will reveal plenty more.

So what do you guys say? Would Noisebridge be interested in providing  
a venue for a KinkForAll unconference? If so, what is the next step to  
make it a reality, and how do I take it?

Regardless, even if Noisebridge isn't willing or able to provide venue  
space for an unconference like this, I'd still like to direct your  
attention to the KinkForAll San Francisco wiki page, where you can  
indicate your interest in participating, help me find a different  
venue, or simply help to spread the word in your own social circles.  
The page is:

     http://wiki.KinkForAll.org/KinkForAllSanFrancisco

or, if you want to tweet about this, you can also use:

     http://tr.im/kfasf

Thanks in advance and no matter the outcome, I hope to see you at  
KinkForAll San Francisco whenever and wherever it ends up happening. :)

Cheers,
-maymay
Blog: http://maybemaimed.com
Talk show: http://KinkOnTap.com
Community: http://KinkForAll.org
Volunteering: http://ConversioVirium.org/author/maymay

P.S. If you're not local to San Francisco, check out KinkForAll  
Washington DC at http://tr.im/kfadc planned for November 21st, and  
KinkForAll Providence at http://tr.im/kfapvd planned for February 6th.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES:

[0] http://5mof.net/archive/2009/09/14/september-2009-schedule/
[1] http://wiki.KinkForAll.org/FrequentlyAskedQuestions
[2] http://kinkforall.org/?p=75
[3] http://vimeo.com/tag:kinkforall