All experiences in judging are not the same. We believe there is value in sharing perspectives and learning from someone else’s experiences. However, this exchange can feel limiting and one-sided: Most of us have preconceptions around which topics should be looked at through a certain lens, most of us aren’t ready to hear about some aspects of our privilege, and at worst minority judges can be treated as some sort of education automaton who, in order to function well, should return answers to questions asked, but please in a palatable way.
This conference aims to shift this balance: We are looking for LGBTQIA+ people to freely share their perspective on any aspect of judging they would like to talk about. This is everyone else’s time to listen, learn, and grow.

This is a one-day conference happening on Sunday 21/02/2021 from approximately 2pm to 9pm CET/8am to 3pm EST/12am to 7am on Monday AEDT.

The central hub for the conference will be a Discord server, and presentations will be given through voice/video call on the server, however depending on the needs of the presenter some seminars may rely on different infrastructure.

We expect attendees to attend this conference with an open mind and a respectful attitude. While we encourage open discourse, this forum is not a place to challenge anyone’s identity or personal experience. If you are not ready to listen to a perspective you may find challenging, please find a different conference to attend.
This conference is fully foil supported. In order to be eligible for foils, you need to be JA  certified and be present at five out of six seminars. You are expected to provide tangible feedback for at least two seminars and we will also ask you a few questions about the conference as a whole.

Call for presenters:

LGBTQIA+ judges, this is our time to shine! What’s the seminar you’ve always wanted to do? We do not have a list of topics we’d like to hear about; rather we invite you to share your perspective on whatever matters to you – or to simply discuss your favourite rules topic you’ve never had the chance to present because you were only ever asked to talk about that soft skills topic.
As a presenter, you will receive an additional foil pack.

Please note: You will not be required to disclose or discuss your identity during the conference nor with the organizers, unless you choose to do so. However, you should be comfortable being out to your audience in the sense that presenting here will let people know you identify as a LGBTQIA+ person. As the organizers we are committed to creating a courageous and respectful space, and will work closely with you in order to make sure you and your boundaries are respected.