About the GSSI

The Gender and Sexualities Studies Institute is the new central intellectual home for people working in the field of gender, sexualities, and LGBTQI+ studies, providing a hub for rich and diverse forms of scholarship, creative practice, and public programming.

Co-founded by Chiara Bottici, Associate Professor of Philosophy, and Lisa Rubin, Associate Professor of Psychology, the Institute brings together faculty and students from across the university involved with the Gender and Sexuality Studies graduate certificate and the Gender Studies undergraduate minor, as well as those teaching or taking courses in the history of feminist thought and action; masculinity studies; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender studies; and queer theory.

The New School has been a pioneer in the field of Gender Studies, and the Institute honors that history while supporting new initiatives. Plans for the 2021-22 year include hosting talks and other open events; hosting the spring annual Gender Matters symposium; and connecting students with relevant scholarships, job opportunities, and research mentorship. 

Spring Events

March 1st – May 3rd, 2022. Tuesdays, 11:00 am-12:30 pm EST. Language, Identity and Gender, a free 10-week online seminar, co-led by Dr. Abdulgaleel Abdullah Mohammed and Dr. Sameer Abdulrazzaq Mused Mohammed. This seminar is going to explore how language contributes to the identity building process. It will shed light on the link between language and a sense of belonging to certain community, how we use language to project our personal and community identities, and how we use it to recognize the identity of others. Register here.

March 3rd, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. Transgender Psychoanalysis: Race, Class, and the Unconscious. Speaker: Patricia Gherovici. Watch a recording of the event here.

March 10th, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. What we can all learn from the Psychology of Heterosexuality. Speaker: Pani Farvid.

March 17th, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. And the category is… Ricky Tucker in conversation with McKenzie Wark.

March 24th, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. Black Trans Feminism. Marquis Bey in conversation with McKenzie Wark.

March 25th, 2022. Friday, 12:00 pm-1:15 pm EST. Beyond Simone: Political phenomenology of the veil and its appearance in France. Hourya Bentouhami in conversation with Romy Opperman. Watch a recording of the event here.

March 31st, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. When Monsters Speak. Susan Stryker in conversation with McKenzie Wark. Watch a recording of the event here.

April 7th, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. Guy Hocquenghem, Gay Liberation, and the Legacy of May ’68. Scott Branson in conversation with McKenzie Wark.

April 8th, 2022. Friday, 1:00 pm EST. Special screening of Freda with Gessica Généus, in conversation with Shanna Jean-Baptiste.

April 14th, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. Soft City: Sex for Business and Pleasure in New York City. Speaker: Terry Williams.

April 21st, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. The Cis Gaze and Its Others. Speaker: McKenzie Wark.

April 28th, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. Rape Culture and Feminist Performance Art. Speakers: Christen Clifford and Vanessa Place. Register here.

May 5th, 2022. Thursday, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm EST. Traces of domestic violence in literature and the denial of gender-based abuses in political philosophy. Speaker: Marina Calloni. Register here.

May 13th, 2022. Friday, 12:00 pm EST. Talking back: bell hooks and her impact on our work, a graduate roundtable with Breya Johnson, Christelle Ringuet, Chrystel Oloukoï, and Rebecca A. Wilcox, organized and moderated by Fania Noël. Register here.

Explore an archive highlighting some of our past events here.