“Sex, reproductive rights, gay marriage and pornography have been at the center of an often heated 2012 campaign season, which makes this conference especially timely.” says Lynn Comella, who will moderate the keynote plenary session at the inaugural CatalystCon sexuality conference making its debut in Long Beach, California September 14-16.
CatalystCon: Sparking Communication in Sexuality, Activism & Acceptance will be held at the Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center, and is being organized by Dee Dennis, who also founded CatalystCon’s East Coast predecessor, the popular MOMENTUM conference in Washington, DC.
“Knowledge is power, and sharing that knowledge is the first spark in igniting change,” Dennis says.
This week Dennis and the promoters of CatalystCon released the full schedule and speakers list, designed to “inspire exceptional conversations about sexuality,” beginning with a Pre-Conference CE Seminar on Friday, September 14 titled When Sex Gets Complicated: Working With Couples Around Affairs, Pornography, & Cybersex lead by Dr. Marty Klein, author of the recent bestseller Sexual Intelligence: What We Really Want From Sex and How to Get It.
Comella — Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a popular sex columnist for the Las Vegas Weekly — will moderate the opening keynote plenary session on Saturday September 15, Sparking Communication in Sexuality, Activism and Acceptance, with Klein, The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health founder Megan Andelloux, adult film star Maggie Mayhem, and sexual health expert Francisco Ramirez as panelists.
Dozens of other speakers are featured on the schedule, including The Center for Sex & Culture founder Carol Queen, Sex With the Lights On author Ducky Doolittle, erotica writer/editor extraordinaire Rachel Kramer Bussel, adult film star Jessica Drake (of Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex fame), Good Vibrations’ Education Program manager Charlie Glickman, Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty author Joan Price, Smitten Kitten and Coalitiona Against Toxic Toys founder Jennifer Pritchett, ReidAboutSex.com editor Reid Mihalk, Evil Angel founder John Stagliano, Faith Aloud executive director Reverend Rebecca Turner, Pink Visual founder Allison Vivas, Sex Workers Outreach Project Bay Area director Patricia West, and many others.
Here’s more, via CatalystCon.com:
CatalystCon is a conference created to inspire exceptional conversations about sexuality. It is about reaching out and stimulating those who attend to create those important conversations in their own communities, changing how we as a society talk about and treat sexuality. It is about stimulating the activist that is within all of us and sparking transformation in the way our friends, neighbors, children and even politicians discuss one of the most important aspects of humanity.
This is a conference meant to energize, enlighten and exhilarate. It is a conference where everyone is welcome, everyone is respected, and everyone is encouraged to share their knowledge and experiences. With the most current attacks on women’s rights such as birth control, mandatory transvagainal ultrasounds as well as sex education being pulled from our schools, it is more important than ever to come together and have these important conversations on all areas of sexuality.
Registration for CatalystCon is open now, starting at $100 for Saturday and Sunday’s events or a full weekend pass for $125.
Sex, Love & Spirit 
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