Perhaps one of the most interesting themes (and one that screams “DEBATE!” whichever way you look at it) can be summed up by the following line, taken from the conference introduction:
“Fuelled by ‘rights based’ claims for inclusion founded on notions of ‘sameness,’ findings from the project suggested that equality and diversity agendas fail to account for ‘difference.’
Let’s talk about that. Rights are often invoked by advocacy groups keen to eliminate the discrimination minorities may face. But if, in fact, these arguments lean towards emphasising sameness over difference, how can this be reconciled with gender and sexuality-related ‘queerness’, which acknowledges and even celebrates non-conformity?
Thoughts??