QueerFest Talks is a new event platforming queer creators discussing topics important to them.
Featuring an introduction by Rachel Collier-Wilson and Trish Fried Rice, the evening will feature talks from Gab Astorga and Omar Khatib.
The Man in The Middle of The Phylogenetic Tree: How Genomics Exonerated “Patient Zero" with Gab Astorga
I am a microbial genomics scientist and science communicator who uses stories to make sense of microbes, data, and people. My research and current communications work aims to make science and literature engaging and accessible. My passions lie at the intersection of genomics and public health, exploring how science shapes our culture and health. I write and speak about curiosity, ethics, and using a One Health centred-approach within my work.
Description
This talk explores how stories and data shape public health, using the myth of “Patient Zero” during the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a case study in how incomplete science and narrative bias can harm communities. I show how genome sequencing later corrected that story, exonerating Gaétan Dugas and transforming how we understand outbreaks. From there, the talk examines how modern genomics and data science now enable precision medicine and improved health outcomes for LGBTQ+ communities. Ultimately, I argue that ethical data, rigorous science, and language use are essential for keeping queer communities protected.
Resisting Settler colonialism: Queer Palestinian Reflections Amidst Genocide with Omar Khatib
Omar Khatib is a queer writer and organiser from Jerusalem, Palestine. Omar’s work focuses on gender, sexuality, and resistance under settler colonialism. Omar has organised across Palestine for over nine years, including six years with the leading Palestinian queer organisation, alQaws, and was detained for 16 months in Israeli prisons during the genocide.
Description
After many years of organizing and research within an intensely violent context under a brutal settler-colonial regime, we join Omar in a conversation on queerness, Palestine, and genocide. The talk seeks to grapple with the complex contradictions of this reality, and invites collective reflection at a moment when imperialism and colonialism are becoming ever more violent.