[ May 21, 2009; 17:30 to 18:30. 17:30 to 18:30. 17:30 to 18:30. 17:30 to 18:30. 17:30 to 18:30. ] As part of this year’s Ladyfest Oxford we will be celebrating women in literature by discussing Joyce Carol Oates’ short story ‘Faithless’.

[ May 19, 2009; 17:00 to 19:00. ] Ever wonder why images of ethnic minority women in film and media are often reduced to stereotypes or simply pushed into the background to the point of invisibility?

[ May 2, 2009; 20:00 to 22:00. ] To what extent is it possible for scientific research about gender and sexuality to be neutral and divorced from broader social attitudes and assumptions? Are the claims of science about gender opposed to those of queer theory, or are they asking different questions? To what extent should “the natural world” tell us what should and shouldn’t be sexually permissible? And what are the real life consequences of these differing views on gender?

These are only some of the questions that we will be discussing at our first meeting of Trinity term.

In case anyone missed it, a report commissioned by the university on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender life at Oxford is posted on the web, and gives suggestions for ways to make Oxford a more queer-friendly place.

[ March 7, 2009; 19:30 to 23:00. ] Saturday, March 7th, 7:30 to 11:00 PM, Pembroke MCR

[ February 19, 2009; 20:30 to 22:30. ] Thursday, February 19th, 8:30 PM, Oxford Union

Skirts and shirts, pecs and sex. A poke at the pressure on our interaction—clothed or otherwise.

Genia Kostka & Lisa Lucius explore Chinese lesbian communities—how similar are they to others around the world? Do Western-style “butch/femme” cultures exist in China as well? What kinds of fun can lesbians and bisexual women visiting China look forward to? Genia and Lisa interviewed some 20 women for this article and focused primarily on the Beijing area.

Do genuinely bisexual women really exist or are we, as mainstream culture suggests, the erotic fantasy of straight men? At best, invisible, at worst, resented and distrusted, bisexual women continue to struggle for acceptance within both straight and lesbian communities.

Being a bisexual girl is the height of fashion with I kissed a girl and I liked it topping the singles charts. But how does the reality of female bisexuality compare to the fantasy?