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Robyn
Ochs, Ed.M., has been facilitating workshops and speaking
publicly for a very long time. She co-founded the Boston Bisexual
Women's Network (1983--) and the Bisexual Resource Center (1985--).
She has taught, at MIT and Tufts University, most of the courses
ever offered anywhere on bisexual identity, and also teaches about
other glbt issues: the emergence of glbt communities in the United
States and Canada, the politics of sexual orientation, and the experiences
of those of us who transgress the binary categories of gay/straight,
masculine/feminine, and/or male/female (such as bisexual, transgendered,
intersexual, and cross-dressing people).
Robyn
is the editor of the Bisexual Resource Guide (4th
edition 2001) and the International Directory of Bisexual
Groups (11 editions, 1987-94). Her writings have been published
in several anthologies, including Bi Any Other Name: Bisexuals
Speak Out (Kaahumanu & Hutchins, ed.) : Bisexuality:
A Reader and Sourcebook (Geller, ed.), Closer to Home: Bisexuality
& Feminism (Weise, ed.); Homophobia: How We All Pay the
Price (Blumenfeld, ed.); Bisexuality: Identity and Politics
of an Invisible Minority (Firestein, ed.); Women: Images
and Realities: A Multicultural Anthology (Kesselman, McNair,
& Schniedewind, eds.); Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An
Encyclopedia (Zimmerman, ed.) and Readings for Diversity
and Social Justice (ed. Adams, et al.)
She
has appeared as an expert on bisexuality on a number of talk shows,
including Donohue, Rolanda, Maury Povich, Women Aloud, Real Personal,
Hour Magazine and the Shirley Show (Canada), and in Seventeen
and Newsweek.
Her
primary fields of interest are identity and coalition building.
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Robyn
is available to give presentations or workshops at your college,
university or community group.
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Presentations include:
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"Coming
Out as Bisexual"
A good
talk for National Coming Out Day and other events targeted toward
the general public. Upbeat, personal, and educational.
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"My
Family Values: Lessons from a Generation of GLBT Rights Activism"
Robyn
Ochs draws upon two decades of experience as a glbt rights activist,
candidly discussing the mistakes as well as successes of the gay/lesbian/bi/trans
movement. Where are we now? Where should we be heading? (This is
a good keynote talk.) |
"Bisexuality:
Myths and Realities"
What
is bisexuality? Is there no such thing as bisexuality or is everyone
really bisexual? Or is it more complicated than that? These questions
will be addressed, as well as biphobia in lesbian, gay and heterosexual
communities with the goal of better understanding bisexuality and
bisexual identities. People of all sexual orientations are welcome
to attend.
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"Bisexuality,
Feminism, Men & Me"
How
are homosexual relationships different from heterosexual relationships?
This provocative talk explores some of the intersections between
the personal and the political, covering topics from body image
to social sex role conditioning to heterosexual privilege. People
of all genders and sexual orientations are welcome.
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Robyn
keynoting the 2nd North American Conference on Bisexuality, August
2003
Photo: Carla Imperial
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Transgressing
Binaries: Activism & Academia
This talk
addresses some of the barriers that impede communication between the
streets and the ivory tower, and suggests strategies for building
coalitions. This provocative talk MUST be followed by a discussion. |
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presentations are followed by a facilitated discussion.
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Workshops include:
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Bisexuality
101: Myths and Realities (also called Understanding Bisexuality)
What is bisexuality? Is there no such thing as bisexuality
or is everyone really bisexual? Or is it more complicated than that?
In this workshop we will examine these questions as well as biphobia
in lesbian, gay and heterosexual communities with the goal of better
understanding bisexuality and bisexual identities. People of all
sexual orientations are welcome to attend.
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Homophobia:
What You Can Do About It
What
is homophobia? What is its effect upon each of us? How can we unlearn
negative messages and misinformation? How can we be allies to gay,
lesbian, bi and transgendered people? This interactive and thought-provoking
workshop will help us to answer these questions, and then organize
our shared knowledge into tools and tactics for intervening against
homophobia. |
Working
With
Bisexual Clients
What
issues ought therapists and counselors be aware of when counseling
bisexually-identified clients? (This presentation is intended for
social work students or for counseling center in-services, and is
based on Robyn Ochs's work on biphobia.) |
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Bisexuality:
New Meanings for a New Generation
What
is bisexuality? Do young people today have the same understandings
of bisexuality (and hetero- and homosexuality as well) as those
of us who are a bit older?We will discuss the origin and content
of our own assumptions, and think about how our experiences and
perspectives both differ from and resemble those of today's youth.
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Choosing
to Label: What's in a Name
Bi,
lesbian, gay, straight, queer, questioning, choose-not-to-label.
How do you decide what words to use to describe yourself? What are
the advantages of choosing a label? What are the disadvantages?
Why do other people care so much what you call yourself? This will
be a participatory workshop, and all are welcome.
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Burnout
Prevention for Activists
"If I don't do it, it won't get done right (or
not at all...)" Have you ever felt overwhelmed, unsupported,
exhausted by your activism? Let's come together to brainstorm strategies
for taking care of ourselves while changing the world. |
Creating
A Both/And Identity in an Either/Or World
Having
any sexual orientation at all comes with its own baggage, there are
particular issues faced by people who identify as bisexual or who
use other labels that defy an either/or interpretation of the world.
Together we will examine these issues and devise strategies to proudly
"be all that we can be." |
Putting
the "B" and "T" into your LGBT Group
OK, so you have added these letters to your group's
name in an effort to be inclusive. Obviously, while this is a good
beginning, it is not enough. What can your organization do to be
truly inclusive of bi and trans people?
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***NEW
IN 2004***
Loosening the Gender Girdle: How Gender Affects
You
What makes a man "a man"? What makes a woman
"a woman"? We will look at the ways in which we are limited
by a binary understanding of gender, and explore how the politics
of gender tie together the feminist, queer and transgendered movements.
Come, and bring your gender with you! |
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***NEW
IN 2004***
Workshop
for Residence Life Staff:
Life in the Fishbowl
Residence life staff who are members of one or more
minority groups face special challenges. How do we balance our minority
identities with our residence life identities? Discussion will cover
topics such as role
modeling; living in a fishbowl; being tokenized; activism; and how
our minority identities can assist us in our residence life positions.
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Sensitivity
trainings for Campus Law Enforcement
I can help you design your own, or do one for you.
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***NEW
IN 2004***
Workshop
for Residence Life Staff:
Is Your Hall Safe?
Do lesbian, gay, bi and transgendered residents feel
safe and supported on your residence hall? What can residence life
staff do to create a safe and comfortable environment for all of your
students? Here is an opportunity to share stories and strategies with
your colleagues. |
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All
workshops are highly interactive, combining structured exercises
with open discussion, and are normally between 1 1/2 and 2 hours
in length.
All
presentations and workshops are individually tailored to fit the
needs of your group.
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Robyn has
given keynotes, workshops, and talks on the following campuses and at
the following conferences... (Click
here if you want to see a partial list.)
| ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION |
The
comics rave:
"I attended
Robyn Ochs' 'Unlearning Biphobia' workshop expecting a party line
primer. What I got instead was an expansive, challenging and loving
look at how fear limits us all. Robyn Ochs is definitely a bi to
watch out for!"
--Alison Bechdel, Creator, Dykes to Watch Out For
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Robyn's
Brochure, page 1
Robyn's
Brochure, page 2
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A few
more references (not from comics!):
Robin Passariello, Executive Director,
True Colors Conference (860-649-7386)
Bruce Smail, GLBT Coordinator, University
of Colorado, Boulder (303-492-2966)
Karen Benson, Coordinator, GLBT Student
Services at Auraria (Denver, CO) (303-556-6333)
Bob Coffey, LGBT Coordinator, University
of New Hampshire
Prof. Charlie LoPresto, Loyola College (Baltimore, MD)
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Photos
for publicity.
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For
more information, contact:
Robyn Ochs
Phone: 617-413-2717 (before 10pm EST)
E-mail: booking@robynochs.com |
Back to Robyn's home page / booking@robynochs.com
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