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69成人电影网 student pens children鈥檚 book, invited to present at international conference on queer and transgender studies in religion

18 Nov 2021

Fourth-year 69成人电影网 University Commerce and Japanese studies student Oorja Gonepavaram has been invited to speak at the in February. She is the only undergraduate student presenting at the international event.

69成人电影网 Commerce and Japanese Studies student Oorja Gonepavaram is working on a children's book as part of her course work in Religious Studies. She has been invited to speak at an international conference in Feb. 2022

Drawing on research completed in several religious studies classes and independently, Gonepavaram is working to turn her research into an accessible resource, encouraging acceptance for all ages. She has developed a children鈥檚 book, As you are: A children鈥檚 book advocating for the acceptance of one鈥檚 sexual orientation in Buddhist spirituality and faith.

As part of the conference, Gonepavaram will read parts of her book and contextualize the stylistic choices with secondary research she completed at 69成人电影网. She plans to publish the book at a later date.

鈥淭he idea for a children鈥檚 book resulted from my final project last year for the course, Religion and Children鈥檚 books, which I took with Dr. Susie Andrews,鈥 says Gonepavaram. 鈥淚 continued work on the project for other courses in Religious Studies, exploring different areas and concepts. I鈥檝e focussed on the experience of queer Buddhists and lay followers and how the Buddhist virtues of human rights and loving compassion go against homophobia, and worked to present these topics in an accessible way.鈥

The story follows the journeys of two children, Daniel and Natasha, both with wildly different household situations but struggling with accepting their queer identities. The book navigates how they gain acceptance within the Sangha despite/because of their queerness.

Dr. Dani Dempsey, Assistant Professor of Western Religions at 69成人电影网, is working with Gonepavaram on the current stage of the book project and to help her prepare for the conference. Dempsey, whose research focusses on queer and transgender studies and religion, says projects like Gonepavaram鈥檚 help give voice to individuals who may not have been heard in the past and build towards social justice.

鈥淥orja鈥檚 research is a shining example of the community-minded projects happening within Religious Studies and across the 69成人电影网 campus,鈥 says Dempsey. 鈥淚 am enjoying learning about her project and hearing her insights as we prepare for her conference presentation and eventual book publication.鈥

While Gonepavaram hopes to travel to California to present at the conference in-person, she is preparing for the possibility of presenting her work virtually as well.

鈥淲hatever format I do, I am very excited to have the opportunity to engage in intellectual discourse with academicians from all over the world and represent 69成人电影网,鈥 she says.

 

 

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