IDKE XII: Gender Justice

The International Drag King Community Extravaganza (IDKE XII) is a five-day conference that brings together an international collection of individuals interested in exploring gender, critically and artistically, through performance and art. Members of this community include those who perform in, watch, write about, study, document, and make art about the drag king community. IDKE includes an academic conference with workshops, panels, presentations, how to demonstrations, and open discussions. This year, Tristan Taormino, noted author, director and educator, will keynote the conference. An art show and film festival run concurrently with the conference. In addition IDKE highlights performance with an open mic drag night, a cabaret-style brunch, and an international showcase that has drawn more than 1,000 people in past years. IDKE began in Columbus, Ohio, in 1999 and was held there annually through 2003, when it realized its true potential as a traveling conference. Since then, its been held in various cities across North America. The Gender Justice Collective - a collective of gender performers, activists, artists, and allies based in Baltimore, MD -won their bid to host IDKE XII in Baltimore in 2010, making this the first time that IDKE will be held on the east coast of the United States. IDKE XII will occur October 2024 2010, at various venues and creative spaces in Baltimore, including Sonar, 2640 and Grand Central Station. What are drag kings? Some might say, Its women who perform as men, but thats not the whole story. Drag king performance is a dynamic art form that allows performers and audiences to celebrate, explore, and deconstruct gender. The identities within the drag king community, gender expressions, and styles of performance are as varied as the ways to sketch on facial hair! IDKE provides a venue for local, national, and international art forms that celebrate the diversity of gender expression. Drag and gender performance are vibrant and unique art forms that are all too often underfunded and undersupported, at a time when arts programming and funding are being threatened across the United States. IDKE will bring these performers, artists, and the academics who study them here to enrich Baltimores already-diverse and innovative artistic culture. IDKE XII strives to ensure inclusion, representation, and visibility of all members of the drag king community, with a particular focus on representation of racial minority and youth populations. The Gender Justice Collective is committed to making IDKE as accessible and affordable as possible. We will award scholarships to many IDKE attendees, and we will arrange for hosted housing for as many participants as possible. All events will take place in wheelchair-accessible buildings, and sign language interpreters will be available whenever possible. Philanthropic Consideration: IDKE XII is associated with Fusion Partnerships, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization providing the Gender Justice Collective with Fiscal Sponsorship. This allows us to extend to you the opportunity to make tax deductible donations. For more information, please visit http://www.idkexii.com