Workshop boosts discussion on hard nut of body desire

Community Action Centre (CAC) continues its ongoing consent series of free workshops. The second one, Fatness and Queer Desirability, will raise questions about “the ways in which ‘normal’ and queer modes of desire are impacted by colonialism, fatphobia and white supremacy,” said Steff Pinch, CAC assistant. The importance of visibility will be discussed as well, exploring the capability of being queer yet still desirable.

Taking place on Wednesday, Feb. 24, the workshop is facilitated by It Gets Fatter. This “body positive project was started by fat queer people of colour, for fat people of colour”, states It Gets Fatter’s Tumblr page.

By participating in various interactive exercises, said Pinch, participants will have an opportunity to “explore how certain bodies are already desirable and others are not.” Other fine points will cover “the role of the media in shaping our desires” and ways body positivity may switch them to attract attention to different types of bodies. “I am thrilled to have the folks at It Gets Fatter come facilitate this important dialogue,” mentioned Pinch.

The consent discussion will be expanded featuring another workshop in Sexual Health and Wellness week from Feb. 22-25, added Pinch. “Consent and sexual wellness go hand in hand.” That workshop will be a chance for everyone to talk over the intersectionality of consent and the influence colonialism, sizism, queerphobia and racism have on it.

“What we are trying to do with these series is explore consent in a way where we are really paying attention to the complexities of it,” claimed Pinch. “It is really important to have such straight-forward campaigns.”

The Consent Series will continue with a workshop on Decolonizing Consent on Mar. 9, a Consent 101 workshop and a crafting session teaching Indigenous Models of Consent.