Facing Race: A National Conference in St. Louis, MO — November 20-22, 2024

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha is a queer disabled Sri Lankan cis femme writer, performer and cultural worker. The author of the Lambda Award winning Love Cake and Consensual Genocide and co-editor of The Revolution Starts At Home. Her work has been widely anthologized. With Cherry Galette, she co-founded Mangos With Chili, and is a lead artist with Sins Invalid. 


Presentations from Facing Race 2014

Queer and Trans People of Color Art Saves Lives: Testimonies on Pasts, Presents, and Future

Collectively, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha, Cherry Galette, Luna Merbruja, and Nia King have been curating, performing, and documenting queer and trans people of color's art activism for over 30 years. In this informative and interactive session, the four will discuss the importance, challenges, and rewards of creating QTPOC history through touring, performing, and archiving queer and trans people of color's stories of resistance, love, and survival. 

Speakers: Cherry Galette, Nia King, Luna Merbruja, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha