91��ɫ

Trans Technologies

ITS Virtual Seminar Series

Date: November 5, 2025
Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm ET
Location: Online
Register:

Drawing from his new book Trans Technologies (MIT Press, 2025), Dr. Haimson discusses how technology creates new possibilities for transgender people, and how trans experiences, in turn, create new possibilities for technology. Mainstream technologies often exclude or marginalize transgender users, but when trans creators take technology design into their own hands, transformative possibilities emerge. Through in-depth interviews with over 100 creators of trans technology—including apps, games, health resources, extended reality systems, and supplies designed to address challenges trans people face— Dr. Haimson uncovers what trans technology means and explore its possibilities, limitations, and future prospects and examines the design processes that brought these technologies to life, the role of community in their creation, and how they empower trans individuals to create their own tools to navigate a world that often fails to meet trans needs. This work highlights the successes and limitations of current trans technologies, identifies gaps still to be addressed, and investigates how privilege, race, and access to resources shape which trans technologies are created, who benefits, and who may be left out. Finally, Dr. Haimson charts new directions for design and innovation to drive meaningful social change, inviting us to rethink the relationship between technology and marginalized communities.

Oliver Haimson is an Associate Professor at University of Michigan School of Information, author of Trans Technologies (MIT Press 2025), and a social computing researcher focused on how marginalized individuals and communities (especially trans and queer people) use social technologies and envision future technologies.

Not Your Rescue Project: Migrant Sex Workers Fighting For Justice

Book Panel with Niloofar Golkar, Chanelle Gallant and Elene Lam
Date: November 3, 2025 
Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm ET 
Location: SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation, Concordia University (Montreal) and Online (Hybrid) 
Register:

Join us for a panel on the book Not your Rescue Project: Migrant Sex workers fighting for justice.  

A landmark abolitionist primer on migration, sex work, policing, and the “anti-trafficking industry”—and a powerful argument about who is really leading the way toward justice: migrant sex workers themselves. 

Chanelle Gallant and Elene Lam will join us in person for a conversation with Niloofar Golkar, postdoctoral researcher at Concordia's Social Justice Centre. 

About the book:

In this impassioned corrective to decades of misguided, carceral approaches to migration and sex work, long-time organizers Chanelle Gallant and Elene Lam deftly expose the harms of criminalization in the name of “anti-trafficking” and lift up migrant sex workers’ organizing in the US, Canada, and elsewhere. In doing so, they make the compelling case that the only effective response to the needs of migrant sex workers must be led by migrants in the sex trade, as they fight for rights, safety, and autonomy. 

Gallant and Lam illustrate how this movement is taking aim at the root causes of violence and abuse: the white supremacist securitization of borders, the criminalization of both migration and sex work, the patriarchial devaluation of women’s labor, and forced displacement due to climate disaster, war, and poverty—all fueled by racial capitalism. 

An indispensable exploration of the relationship between migration and sex work—and the underlying societal conditions they reflect—Not Your Rescue Project is a thorough indictment of the anti-trafficking industry as an engine of criminalization and state violence, and an instructive account of the emancipatory politics already being practiced by migrant sex workers in their organizing. Throughout, Gallant and Lam place migrant sex workers at the center of struggles against border imperialism, carceral states, and capitalism—dispelling a range of poisonous myths and paving the way for deeper alliances across movements with the shared goal of dismantling and abolishing carceralism in all its forms. 

Co-sponsored by the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia's Social Justice Centre, and the CFR

Rejecting the Romance of Police Reform

Date: October 28, 2025
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm ET
Location: Room 802, South Ross Building, 91��ɫ - Keele Campus
Register:

This event celebrates the new edition of Policing Black Lives by Robyn Maynard and the anniversary of Not Your Rescue Project; Migrant Sex Workers Fighting for Justice by Elene Lam and Chanelle Gallant.

Drawing from years of scholarship, activism, and experience, this panel challenges the belief that policing can be reformed to deliver justice or safety. It reveals how reform often expands criminalization, colonialism, and state violence—undermining Black, Indigenous, and migrant justice movements. Centering abolitionist and transformative frameworks, and stories of alternatives to policing.  The panel calls for rejecting carceral and colonial logics and envisioning collective paths toward real safety and justice beyond policing.

Opening Remarks: Dr. Ruth Green
Speakers: Audrey Huntley, Chanelle Gallant, Dr. Elene Lam, Dr. Robyn Mayard, Terri Monture 

"Caring in a Hostile Environment: Migrant Care Work and the Politics of Exclusion in the UK" with Dr. Obert Tawodzera

Date: October 28, 2025
Time: 2:30pm - 4:00pm ET
Location: 626 Kaneff Tower, 91��ɫ - Keele Street
Register: Registration closed

With discussant Dr. Jenna Nassiri and introductions by Dr. Ethel Tungohan, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair of Canadian Migration Policy, Impacts, and Activism

This talk examines the precarious position of migrant care workers in the UK’s evolving political and policy landscape. Drawing on ongoing research into care labour and migration governance, it explores how the “Hostile Environment” framework and rising nationalist sentiment intersect to intensify precarity within this essential workforce. The analysis shows how immigration policy institutionalises legal insecurity, enabling exploitation, while broader political narratives reinforce social exclusion. Together, these dynamics expose deep contradictions at the heart of the UK’s care system, one that relies on migrant workers while systematically marginalising them. The talk outlines preliminary findings from a developing research project and forthcoming grant proposal focused on migrant care worker organising, advocacy, and protection. It concludes by considering transformative approaches to social care that foreground dignity, justice, and rights in an era of growing hostility.

About the Speaker

Dr. Obert Tawodzera is a Research Fellow in the School of Social Policy and Society at the University of Birmingham. His work focuses on innovation in social care and the translation of research evidence into practice.

He holds a BA and MRes in Social Policy from the University of 91��ɫ, UK and a PhD in Sociological Studies from the University of Sheffield, UK. His doctoral research, undertaken within the ESRC-funded Sustainable Care programme, offered an in-depth analysis of aged care within Zimbabwean transnational families, establishing his expertise in care, migration, and the life courses of migrant families.

Over the past four years, Obert has worked with the IMPACT Centre as a Project Officer, advancing the co-production of evidence to improve adult social care policy and practice. His research interests span the intersections of migration, care, and family life, including caregiving in African contexts, the role of digital technologies in transnational care, the wellbeing of ageing migrants, and the work-life balance of migrant care workers.

Building on this expertise, Obert is currently leading the development of a major research project titled “An Examination of the UK Health and Care Worker Visa’s Impact on Migrant Care Workers.” This study critically explores how immigration policy shapes the working conditions, wellbeing, and rights of the migrant care workforce upon which the UK’s care system increasingly depends.

Race & Gender in Sex Work & Critical Trafficking Studies: A Tribute to Kamala Kempadoo's Influence on Sociocultural Feminist Scholarship

Date: October 23, 2025
Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm ET
Location: 519 Kaneff Tower, 91��ɫ - Keele Campus & Online (via Zoom - Hybrid)
Zoom link:

Join us for the launch of a special issue of the Feminist Anthropology Journal honouring Kempadoo's groundbreaking scholarship and activism, showcasing her global impact on feminist anthropology and social justice. We will toast and celebrate Kamala's transformative scholarship and decades of feminist activism. All are welcome! 

Advancing Mobility Justice, Gender Equity & Climate Action through Sport Symposium

Date: October 15-17, 2025
Location: 91��ɫ - Keele Campus
Register:
Register by September 26, 2025.

This three-day international event - funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and 91��ɫ’s Global Research Excellence Seed (GRE) fund - will bring together global leaders in sustainable mobility, gender equity, and climate action to explore how movement, sport, and bicycles can drive transformative change across diverse local and global contexts. Confirmed participants include grassroots organizers, international NGOs, UN Environment Programme representatives, and scholars from Canada, Uganda, Kenya, Nicaragua, Colombia, the Netherlands, Aotearoa New Zealand, and beyond.

Highlights of the symposium will include: 

• Interactive panels
• The launch of policy briefs co-developed with grassroots organizations
• The screening of two documentary films: 1)  – our research team’s documentary produced in Canada, Uganda, and Nicaragua; and 2)  – a film produced by the  that delves into the powerful connection between mountain biking, reconciliation, and healing intergenerational trauma. 
• The symposium will also feature a mobile art exhibit showcasing the last decade of  on bicycles, mobility justice and climate action.

The symposium website is now live and accepting registrations at the following link: . Please register before September 26^th (space is limited, and spots may fill before then).

If you encounter any difficulties with registration, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can find recommended accommodations near the symposium at the following link:

If you have any questions or require further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the organizing committee leads at the following email: dreaminglab@yorku.ca. 

Mukadzi, Musha, Rugare | Woman, Home, Freedom: An Exhibition of Arts-Based Research on Zimbabwean Women’s Post-Colonial Activism

Date: October 2, 2025
Time: 11:30am - 3:30pm ET
Location: The Harriet Tubman Institute, 91��ɫ - Keele Campus & On Zoom (Hybrid)
Register:

Join us for the opening of "Mukadzi, Musha, Rugare | Woman, Home, Freedom," an exhibition of Arts-Based Research on Zimbabwean Women’s Post-Colonial Activism, conducted by Dr. Ruth Murambadoro and installed at The Harriet Tubman Institute. A catered lunch will be provided.

Featuring performance, presentations, readings and panel discussions that reflect on African and transnational feminisms – their hard-won victories and persistent challenges, the solidarities forged across time and space, and their visions of the future.

Our speakers include:

• Dr. Ruth Murambadoro (Transitional Justice in Africa: The Case of Zimbabwe, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020)
• Dr. Jimmy Spire Ssentongo (Inquiry Into A Withering Heritage: The Relevance of Traditional Baganda Approaches to Sustainable Environmental Conservation Today, 2021)
• Jestina Mukoko (The Abduction and Trial of Jestina Mukoko: The Fight for Human Rights, 2016)
• Dr. Titilope F. Ajayi (Globalised Resistance and the Bring Back Our Girls Movement New Dimensions of Transnational Activism, 2025)
  
  …and more!

This event is free, and registration is required. You can find more information and register at https://mukadzimusharugare.my.canva.site, or email mnmendez@my.yorku.ca.

CFR Annual Meet and Greet

Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm ET
Location: 626 Kaneff Tower
RSVP: cfr@yorku.ca

Meet the Director and associates at the CFR’s annual meet and greet! If you are curious about joining the Centre or a research cluster, have ideas for events or research grants for the year ahead, or just want to chat with other feminist researchers at 91��ɫ, this is the perfect opportunity to connect. Please RSVP to CFR Coordinator Andi Schwartz at cfr@yorku.ca

Date: September 18, 2025
Time: 3:30pm - 5:30pm ET
Location: 140 HNES, 91��ɫ - Keele Campus
Register:

This panel features three expert who will discuss the current conditions in healthcare, famine and food access associated with Israel's war on Gaza, as well as broader human rights and legal protections for Palestinians.

Speakers:
Dr. Tarek Loubani - Glia Project
Professor Abu Shaban - Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
Al-Azhar - University-Gaza and Visiting Scholar, 91��ɫ
Professor Heidi Matthews - Osgoode Hall Law School, 91��ɫ

Moderated by Professor Christo El Morr - Faculty of Health &  Director of the Centre for Feminist Research, 91��ɫ.

Organized by the Palestine Research Cluster (PRC).

Co-sponsored by the YUFA Race Equity Caucus, YUProfs4Palestine, and the Centre for Feminist Research.