Questions of Consent:
Simon(e) van Saarloos with Ricky Varghese and Catherine Clune-Taylor
Catherine Clune-Taylor, Simon(e) Van Saarloos, and Ricky Varghese joined each other for a conversation about the limits and possibilities of consent, the queer and anti-racist potential of addressing ageism, and the need for difficult stories and unsettling narrative—as for example encountered on the couch in psychoanalysis, in Black feminist readings and rewritings of the archive, in science-fiction novels and films, in sexual fantasies and experiences.
The conversation was informed by Clune-Taylor’s work on intersex conditions and securing cisgendered futures for children, Van Saarloos’ discussion of the age of consent in their forthcoming Against Ageism: A Queer Manifesto, and the contradictions of pleasure and sex positivity Varghese encounters in his practice as a psychoanalyst.
Drawing from a wide range of theoretical fields and personal experiences, Clune-Taylor, Van Saarloos and Varghese connect over their non-monogamous research practice, characterized by a scholarly promiscuity and institutional infidelity.
This event featured ASL interpretation and live transcription. The River Run Centre is a physically accessible venue. More accessibility information can be found on our General Accessibility Statement.