PRISM Conference

The planning committee for the SUNY Oneonta PRISM Conference cordially invites students, community members, resource professionals, junior and senior faculty, and administrators to attend our upcoming conference.

In 2025, the political and cultural landscape has sent the message, both at the institutional and interpersonal level, that LGBTQIA+ people should not be afforded the same rights as our heterosexual and cisgender peers. Our stories are being banned from public schools and government websites, our youth are being denied life-saving medical care, and legislation targeting our communities seems to continue without end. It is during times like this that we are faced with the difficult challenge of balancing reality and optimism. Hope comes from within us and within our communities as we remind ourselves that people like us always have and always will exist despite attempts to erase us. In ways both big and small, our community members and allies maintain this truism as both a means of survival and a call to action. This year, we bring to you the 12th Annual PRISM Conference theme: Existence as Resistance; a conference to discuss the myriad ways that individuals and communities can and do continue to nurture and affirm LGBTQIA+ identities and experiences in the face of adversity.

Zanele Muholi, a South African activist and artist, in talking about their experiences as a queer Black nonbinary person, stated that: “If I wait for someone else to validate my existence, it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself.” During this conference, we hope to bring together bright minds to celebrate, collaborate, and imbue hope through a shared commitment to our continued existence in 2025 and beyond.

We are happy to share that the conference will continue to be hybrid this year with a virtual option via Microsoft Teams.

Conference Registration is now live! Please register for the conference here.
To submit a proposal, please complete the provided form.