News & Events
Present Tense / Future Possibilities Conference
Present Tense / Future Possibilities: The 4th Annual WGSS Interdisciplinary Conference
The 同性恋色情 Department of Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies will host the Present Tense / Future Possibilities Conference on February 13, 2026, at the 同性恋色情 Tampa campus. Students, staff, and faculty from the 同性恋色情 community, along with students, staff, and faculty in Florida-based WGSS programs and those doing related, relevant work in the State of Florida are invited to attend.
Date, Time, & Registration
Friday, February 13, 2026
9:00am-6:00pm
Marshall Student Center, 3rd Floor
同性恋色情 Tampa Campus
4103 Cedar Circle, Tampa, FL 33620
In a moment that feels as if it is defined by fear, vulnerability, and chaos, we celebrate
ways in which artists, academics, and community members work against these dark themes
to imagine, create, and live worlds that offer more.
Aimed at exploring, developing, and implementing feminist, queer, crip and other politics
of refusal, this conference explores what Lauren Berlant described as their commitment
鈥渢o the political project of imagining how to detach from lives that don鈥檛 work and
from worlds that negate the subjects that produce them鈥 and to create possibilities
鈥渢o live beyond survival, toward flourishing not later but in the ongoing now.鈥
This conference is funded by the 同性恋色情 Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; the 同性恋色情 College of Arts and Sciences; and 同性恋色情 ResearchOne. The conference is free to attend.
Conference Overview
Full schedule available as a PDF.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 9:00am | Conference Check-In Opens |
| 9:30am-10:45am |
Session 1 Panels |
| 10:55am-12:10pm |
Session 2 Panels and Poster Session |
| 12:10pm-12:40pm |
Lunch Break |
| 12:40pm-1:40pm |
Lunch Keynote: 鈥淚f You Want a Village, Be a Good Villager: Futures Built in the Now鈥 with Bior Guigni and Dr. Byron Green-Calisch of St Pete Pride |
| 1:50pm-3:05pm |
Session 3 Panels |
| 3:15pm-4:30pm |
Session 4 Panels |
| 4:40pm-5:20pm |
Closing Keynote: "In the Meantime..." with Dr. Amy Reid of PEN America |
| 5:20pm-5:50pm |
Reception |
Conference Keynote Events
The conference will feature two keynote events.
Lunch Keynote: 鈥淚f You Want a Village, Be a Good Villager: Futures Built in the Now鈥 with and of St Pete Pride
鈥淚f You Want a Village, Be a Good Villager: Futures Built in the Now鈥 focuses on the truth that we鈥檙e not going anywhere, and collective survival depends on each of us showing up as active participants in the communities we want to protect. At a moment when ICE enforcement and escalating attacks on LGBTQ+ people threaten our safety and belonging, this talk centers mutual aid, chosen family, and community care as real-time responses for building a better future. We鈥檒l start with Pride as a declaration of survival and joy, then unpack how it鈥檚 expanded beyond a single celebration into year-round movement building: creating resource hubs, safe spaces, education, and advocacy that ensure our visibility remains a shield against erasure.
Bior Guigni is Executive Director of St Pete Pride. Her leadership is grounded in the intersection of social justice and innovation. She is a graduate of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice and has completed executive education through Harvard University, MIT, Cornell University, and Tufts University. In 2024, Bior was named one of the National Non Profit HR "Women to Watch". When Bior is not engaging in social justice she Coaches Wrestling for Team USA!
Dr. Byron Green-Calisch is President of St Pete Pride, and is a successful coach, business owner, consultant, and public speaker. He holds a BS, MS, and Doctorate of Education from North Carolina State University. His educational and research background centers in the intersection of Adult Education and D.E.I. His experience as a Non-Profit Sr. DEI professional, corporate trainer, and peer-reviewed researcher led him to become an advocate for equity in all spaces.
Closing Keynote: "In the Meantime..." with of PEN America
The theme of this conference, 鈥淧resent Tense / Future Possibilities鈥 captures the challenge before us: how do we in a tense present, not just imagine but bring forth the futures we need. In her keynote, Amy Reid will discuss some of real hurdles we face in this meantime. When so many political and cultural forces are aligning to censor our words and our understanding of past, present and future, how do we build our bridge to the future?
Dr. Amy Reid is the Program Director for PEN America鈥檚 Freedom to Learn Program. She works with other PEN America staff and with colleagues from across the country to push back against government censorship in higher education. Before joining PEN America, Amy was a professor of French language and literature and director of the Gender Studies Program at New College of Florida. In 2023-2024, she served as Chair of the Faculty and as the faculty representative on the NCF Board of Trustees. She holds a PhD in French, with a minor in Feminist Theory, from Yale University (1996) and is an award-winning translator, specializing in Francophone African fiction.
Conference Details
- All attendees, including presenters, must .
- The is available in our conference app, , upon registration. An abbreviated schedule is also available for download as a PDF.
- Guest parking is available near MSC in Lots 3A, 3B and 3C with additional parking in Crescent Hill Parking Garage (CHG). For maps and visitor parking info, visit the 同性恋色情 Parking site
- Some local suggestions for out-of-town attendees - hotels, places to eat, and outdoor sites to visit
- Questions? Please email us if you have any questions or concerns.
