Mar 2-4, 2007
It’s a boy!” “It’s a girl!” We are immediately marked at birth with a weighty set of gender definitions and expectations. Most of these, though unspoken and not freely agreed to, are fervently enforced by society. Navigating gender expectations profoundly influences our behavior in the world, our choices, our sense of what is acceptable or even possible, our love lives, our very sense of Self.
But how clear-cut is gender really? Both science and culture are starting to burst through traditional beliefs about the fixed nature of gender. In the last few decades, the still prevalent valuation of the Masculine over the Feminine in our society has been challenged by the cascading waves of the Women’s Movement, Gay Liberation, and, more recently, The Transgender Movement, all of which have mixed up the energies of Yin and Yang in a kaleidoscope of ways.
Whatever your gender identity or sexual orientation, Gender-osity will use role-play, inner work, guided ritual, and spirited discussion to tease out and explore our personal beliefs about the role of gender in our lives. Together, we will seek ways to free ourselves from the confines of antiquated notions of gender, learning to revel in the spectrum of gender identities actually available to us in the human experience.
David Schechter’s work as a director, playwright, songwriter, and performer has been seen on and off Broadway, nationally, and internationally for 30 years. He’s won numerous commissions and awards and for 20 years he’s been channeling his theatre skills into leading workshops, including repeated stints as co-director and workshop leader at Rowe’s Labor Day Retreat. He co-founded The Passion Play Project, dedicated to reconciling the split between our erotic natures and our spiritual paths, and he’s co-founder of Polyamory/NYC, for people interested in multiple ongoing intimate relationships. He’s spent years investigating the power and complexities of gender identity, and he’s adept at fostering a playful, creative, non-judgmental atmosphere in which to soften and integrate the many polarized aspects of being human. We welcome him back warmly.