In tandem with Heather Marie Scholl’s 2023 Linda Lee Alter Fellow Exhibition “Resurrection of a Victim”, Da Vinci Art Alliance will be holding a panel discussion titled “The Mythos of Safety” aiming to inform people about intimate partner violence within the queer community.
Join us Saturday, November 11 from 1-3pm for an engaging conversation which will delve into the complex and often overlooked issue within LGBTQ+ spaces. We’ll be questioning why queer survivors sometimes struggle to recognize, openly address, and seek the support they need when faced with abuse.
In this crucial discussion, we aim to make supposed “safe spaces” safer by honoring the stories of survivors, holding community members accountable, and exploring impactful approaches to enhance the collective well-being of our communities.
Panelists:
Rain Black, M.P.H., CPH (Fae/He) is an autistic sex worker, watercolor artist, and forager who earned faer bachelor's degrees in Biology, Public Health and Art from Cedar Crest College. He holds a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from the University of South Florida. In faer's spare time, fae teaches about native plants, forest conservation, and foraging on social media and in person. He is the survivor of two instances of domestic violence and talks with groups as an educator and as a means to connect with and support other survivors.
Arika Gold-Bustos (she/her/ella) is a biracial Indigenous Latine and White Jewish queer community organizer with expertise in the domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault survivorship field. She has been on the steering committee for both March to End Rape Culture and Take Back the Night Philly since 2017/2018, worked with Me Too on their 5th anniversary of the hashtag, and often acts as a victim advocate and educator while working towards liberation in all intersecting oppressions and working at a local climate justice organization.
Robin Gow (it/fae/he) is a disabled trans poet and witch from rural Pennsylvania. He is the author of several poetry collections, an essay collection, and Middle-Grade and YA novels. It works at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center as the Director of the Education Institute. As an autistic person, Robin feels passionate about celebrating neurodivergent folks in the queer community. Gow has also presented nationally on supporting LGBTQ+ survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence. He is a survivor himself.
Register for the event here!