Paris is Burning: Screenings at 5:00 & 6:30

Panel after 6:30 screening. 

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag ball scene. Made over seven years, Paris Is Burning offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion “houses,” from fierce contests for trophies, to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia and transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women—including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza—Paris Is Burning brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community.–The Criterion Collection

Panel After 6:30 screening: 

Not Giving Up on People: An Abolitionist Panel + Book Launch

Can you imagine a world without prisons? A society governed by community care instead of government oppression? These are questions that abolitionists have been answering with a resounding yes for decades. Join us for an evening of discussion surrounding carceral society, restorative justice and Uvic professor Audrey Yap’s recent publication of Not Giving Up on People: a Feminist Case for Prison Abolition. The panel will be moderated by Uvic PRIDE Coordinator MJ Muller; featuring Carol Bilson, Angelee Porter and Audrey Yap herself.