Conference Cancellation Memo – Sent out to SSA Members on May 22, 2024

Dear Sexuality Studies Association members, conference presenters and attendees, and community-colleagues,

We are writing to you today on behalf of the Board of Directors of the SSA to inform you that after much dialogue with other associations, the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, and representatives of AMPL (McGill’s law union) and the student encampment on McGill’s campus, the SSA executive has decided to cancel the conference this year and roll the program over until next year’s Congress. While we know this is disappointing news, this decision comes after important calls for solidarity that we outline below.

Background

As some of you are aware, there is a student encampment that has been set up at McGill in response to Israel’s continued genocide of Palestinians. The encampment is located on McGill’s lower field and has been running since April 27, 2024. It is comprised of a coalition of students from McGill, Concordia, and across Canada. Like similar encampments that have recently sprung up across the world, the protestors are calling on McGill to do four things: disclose, divest, defend and declare.  More specifically their demands are as follows:

1) disclose all investments in companies complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people;

2) end all courses, internships, cooperatives, and exchange programs with Apartheid Israel;

3) divest from all companies complicit in the Israeli occupation and genocide of Palestinians including weapons and technology companies.

There is also a labor strike in operation by law faculty at McGill. The president of the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) has reached out to all associations participating in Congress directly and has asked that we cancel our conferences in solidarity with the strike. Many associations have already cancelled their conferences or are exploring other venues for it in Montreal. Although McGill’s administration could give into such pressure and return to the bargaining table, it is unlikely that this strike will be over prior to the start of our conference in less than one month’s time, which means Congress attendees – SSA members included – would be expected to cross picket lines to attend conference activities, and we refuse to put you in such a position.

The SSA executive has joined many academic associations that are registered for Congress and recently applied pressure to the Federation’s leadership to hold McGill accountable and ensure that they work with protestors and not call upon the police to break up the encampment. Associations, ours included, threatened cancelling conferences should these demands not be met. The encampment remains in operation and conversations between protestors and university administrators continue. The pressure and support from outside organizations has helped to protect students’ rights as well as keep the genocide and calls to end it front and center.

Next Steps

All SSA presenters will be afforded the opportunity to roll over their presentations until next year’s conference, which will be taking place at George Brown College in Toronto. While our plan is to roll over the SSA program as completely as possible, you will have the freedom to alter your presentation. Regardless of your decision, we assure you that your spot in next year’s program is guaranteed should you want it. 2024 SSA presenters have until December 1,  2024 to indicate whether they wish to roll over their presentation. We will contact you this Fall with further details about this. If you have already paid your SSA membership fee, we will roll that over to next year for you. When you registered for Congress, you also paid a Congress registration fee as well as conference association fees. The SSA will roll your conference association fees over to next year, but unfortunately the Federation is not providing refunds for the registration fees. We will continue to pressure them, however, and we will be sure to let you know if anything changes on this front.

Be advised that Congress is still happening at McGill in June, but it will be a much smaller gathering as many associations have decided to cancel or move their conferences away from McGil’s campus. For those of you who are unable to coordinate refunds for your travel and accommodations and still wish to come to Montreal, the SSA is co-sponsoring and organizing a few events off McGill campus. Additionally, we will attempt to provide you with a list of other associations who have moved their conferences to other campuses in Montreal should you wish to attend parts of these other gatherings if you are in town. The SSA’s annual general membership meeting will take place virtually this year, and so you can also show up there with any questions in tow. We are working on gathering and coordinating these details and will send them out to all of you next week in a single schedule. And finally, if you will still be in Montreal as planned and would be interested in a “works in progress” workshop on June 13th please let us know.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions and concerns. We’re happy to help!

In solidarity,

The SSA Executive Board