Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference

What’s Your Queersperience?: Finding Joy in Queer Journeys

Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM | Commonwealth University - Bloomsburg

Call for Presentations

The 18th Annual Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference Committee cordially invites undergraduates, graduates, faculty, staff, civic activists, and independent scholars to submit proposals for our upcoming conference. You may submit on a wide range of queer topics of interest, including subjects related to this year’s conference theme, What’s Your Queersperience?: Finding Joy in Queer Journeys.

Our keynote speaker is Emile Ennis, a Los Angeles-based TV host, and creator and host of the daily digital series, “Gay Agenda Meeting,” a viral, joy-driven blend of queer cultural education, current events, and community storytelling.

In a time when LGBTQIA+ lives are too often framed through the lenses of struggle, conflict, and survival, we invite our community to pause and ask a different question: What does queer joy make possible?

This year’s conference seeks proposals that explore the many ways in which LGBTQIA+ people cultivate joy, resilience, creativity, belonging, and hope across diverse identities, experiences, disciplines, and communities. While we acknowledge the realities of discrimination, inequity, and ongoing political challenges, this conference centers the transformative power of queer existence beyond survival. Joy can be resistance, celebration, healing, kinship, imagination, scholarship, art, teaching, activism, and everyday life.

At this year’s conference, we invite thoughtful consideration of these questions, as well as a variety of other queer topics, or topics through a queer lens:

What does queer joy look like across different identities, generations, cultures, and communities?
How do LGBTQIA+ people create joy in spaces that were not originally designed for them?
What roles does friendship, chosen family, mentorship, and intergenerational relationships play in sustaining joy?
How do intersecting identities—including race, ethnicity, disability, religion, immigration status, socioeconomic background, and neurodiversity—shape experiences of queer joy?
How can colleges and universities foster environments where LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, and staff flourish rather than merely persist?
How do we preserve LGBTQIA+ scholarship and histories amid shifting educational policies?
What pedagogical approaches cultivate curiosity, empathy, and inclusion?
How can undergraduate and graduate researchers contribute new perspectives to queer studies and allied disciplines?
How are queer artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and creators reshaping cultural narratives?
How do mental health, physical health, spirituality, and community care contribute to flourishing?
How do we create sustainable models of care for ourselves and one another?
How can hope remain a catalyst for meaningful action during periods of social and political uncertainty?
What futures can we imagine when queer joy is placed at the center rather than the margins?

We invite you to be a part of this conversation as we reunite in friendship and build action plans for the future. We encourage each participant to consider, develop, and submit various session types for this year’s conference, including but not limited to workshops, research presentations, how-to’s, panel discussions, and interactive games. We are very open to new and timely ideas.

Please submit your proposal via the form linked below by Friday, September 4, 2026 for full consideration.

Submit Today!

Please contact MidAtlanticLGBTQA@commonwealthu.edu with any questions or concerns.

Dr. Julie Kontos (she/her) Conference Chair
Dr. Damien Marken (he/him), Commission Chair
Dr. Rebecca Willoughby (she/her), Interim Commission Chair
Megan Wein (she/her), Resource Center Coordinator
Asa Kelley (he/him), Conference Operations Coordinator

Conference Information

Group Registration

To reduce confusion and streamline communication, we require groups who intend to pay together to designate two contact persons that will be held responsible for arranging payment for all attendees in their group. We recommend that a Faculty or Staff advisor accompany each student group. If you are not an officer or advisor for your group, please ask them to register first. To ensure all registrations are processed correctly, please click the button below and follow the instructions provided.

Registration Fees

Regular Registration, $40 per person, through Friday, October 9, 2026
Late Registration, $50 per person, Saturday, October 10 through the event
Commonwealth University Students, Free

Notice!

Completion of the registration process constitutes agreement and obligation to pay applicable registration fee.
Cancellation for any reason after Friday, October 9, 2026 will forfeit any refund.

Please see the Payment Methods & Policies section below for additional information.

More registration details will be made available soon.

Conference registration fees may be paid by Cash, Check, Credit/Debit Card, or Department Chargeback. All registration fees must be paid in advance or upon arrival at the conference or participation will be prohibited unless arrangements have been made in advance.

Completion of the registration process constitutes agreement and obligation to pay applicable registration fee.
Cancellation for any reason after Friday, October 9, 2026 will forfeit any refund.

Credit/Debit Card Payments

To process your registration payment via our secure online marketplace:

Visit the Commonwealth University Marketplace.
Click "Conference Registration" (or "Late Conference Registration")
Enter the number of attendees you wish to pay for.
Click "Add To Cart"
Enter the First Name, Last Name, and Email Address for each attendee.
Please note: Email address must match the address used on the individual registration form.
Click "Continue"
Review the information entered.
Click "Checkout"
Enter your email address.
Click "Continue Unregistered"
Enter your payment and billing information.
Click "Continue"
Click "Submit Order"

Personal or Institutional Check Payments

Checks should be made payable to "Commonwealth University" and note "LGBTQA Conference" in the Memo.

Please mail checks to:
LGBTQA Resource Center
101 Kehr Union Building
Commonwealth University - Bloomsburg
400 East 2nd Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815

Cash

Cash payments will be accepted during regular business hours in the LGBTQA Resource Center (KUB 101). If paying by cash, please print your confirmation email and attach to payment.

Emile Ennis Jr. is a Los Angeles–based TV host and content creator whose blend of humor, heart, and authenticity has captivated audiences across platforms. As a regular contributor on FOX’s Emmy-winning talk show The Real and lead host and executive producer at Clevver News, Emile became a trusted voice in pop culture while informing, entertaining, and connecting with millions worldwide. Today, he brings that same energy to Amazon Live and his daily digital series ‘Gay Agenda Meeting’; a viral, joy-driven blend of queer culture, current events, and community storytelling. The series was recently featured by NBC News for its positive impact and celebration of LGBTQ+ voices shaping the digital landscape. Whether he’s commanding a red carpet or connecting through a screen, Emile leads with presence, purpose, and a contagious joy that inspires others to show up as their full selves.

2026 marketing materials will be available soon.

The 2026 Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference agenda is available at the link below.

Conference Agenda

The conference will be held in McCormick Center for Human Services (MCHS) on the Commonwealth University - Bloomsburg Campus.

We recommend that all participants follow these directions to campus:

Take Interstate 80 to exit 236.
Follow Route 487 South approximately 1.4 miles.
Use the center lane at the traffic signal to continue forward, campus is on your left.
Use the second left to enter campus between two large "Bloomsburg University" signs.
McCormick center is directly in front of you, park anywhere in the lot to the right. Reserved parking signage is intended for conference participants.

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Hotel information will be made available closer to the date of the event.

If you require accommodative services to fully participate in the conference, please email MidAtlanticLGBTQA@commonwealthu.edu including the details of your need and list of sessions you plan to attend.

Visit our Conference Archive page for a complete history of the conference.

Presenter Information

The Conference Committee welcomes college students of any level, faculty, staff, civic activists, and independent scholars to submit proposals for the conference. Your presentation may focus on any queer topics of interest regardless of relation to the annual theme or keynote topic. Full details of the call are included above.

The Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference consists chiefly of 60-minute sessions, a keynote presentation, and special events arranged by the Conference Committee.

All members of the community are encouraged to submit proposals for sessions, posters, workshops, art installations, performances, etc. Please see our session type descriptions for guidance while developing your own proposals. Standard and creative presentation formats are encouraged. To explore past programs, themes, and keynote information, please check out our conference archive page for a complete history of the conference.

The conference committee will evaluate proposals based on quality, clarity, and relevance. Undergraduate students are encouraged but not required to include the name of an advisor who has worked with you on your project. We look forward to reading your proposals and seeing you at our next conference.

Please email any questions, comments, and concerns to MidAtlanticLGBTQA@commonwealthu.edu.

All sessions will be held in academic classrooms which include the following equipment:

Projection screen and speakers
Windows 11 workstation w/ internet access
Document Camera
Laptop computer connection via HDMI
Wireless internet access

Does your organization or business have information to share with conference attendees? We welcome organizations participating in the conference that wish to display information about their organization to do so in the lobby throughout the event.

Participation is subject to approval by the Conference Committee.

All participants are required to register for the conference and pay the applicable registration fee.

Please email MidAtlanticLGBTQA@commonwealthu.edu for more information.