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  • This house, as Patti Smith, supports ending her romantic relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe

    Infoslide

    In her memoir “Just Kids,” Patti Smith recounts her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. For this debate, it is 1970 as depicted in her memoir: the two artists, both in their early twenties, share money, cramped New York City rooms, and creative inspiration for their work, and have begun to gain traction in the art world (e.g., befriending prominent artists, performing in downtown venues). Deeply in love, they reach a turning point when Robert confides in Patti that he is strongly attracted to men and feels intense Catholic guilt for it. He tells her he wants to explore his sexuality, believing it will sharpen his artwork, while keeping their romantic bond.

    Drexel Pre-WUDC 2025 · Semifinals · 2025-08-23

  • This house supports the release of the 'Burn Book".

    Infoslide

    In the movie Mean Girls, a group of popular but 'mean' girls (the 'Plastics') wrote 'The Burn Book'. The Burn Book is a scrapbook with photos of people at their school with lines of gossip and insults underneath the photos (e.g. 'dyke", 'too gay to function", 'made out with the coach"). Regina George made the book public to the entire school by photocopying pages and throwing them in the school corridors. She blamed it on Cady. this caused a lot of fighting between students and suspicion of teachers being involved in illegal activities. The school board responded by forcing the students to talk in an open discussion about the things that were written down in the book such as sexuality (including slut- and virginshaming) fatshaming and anti-bullying.

    Friday Night Debates 2025: An African Debate Super League · Power Pair 10 · 2025-08-22

  • This house believes that feminism should embrace queer temporality

    Infoslide

    Queer temporality is a critique and form of protest where it argues that society views time as heteronormative and gendered by patriarchy- where our response to time is supposed to be urgent, productive, and conforming. Queer temporality intentionally delays our response to time as an act of resistance.

    Kasiyana Open 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-08-16

  • This house supports prioritizing ontological gender plurality (e.g. Judith Butler, Paul Preciado) over identity-based legal recognition frameworks.

    Infoslide

    Ontological gender plurality (as argued by Judith Butler, Paul Preciado, etc.) views gender as fluid, performative, and not fixed. It challenges the idea that gender should be categorized or institutionalized at all. Identity-based legal recognition frameworks aim to include more gender identities (e.g., non- binary, X markers) within existing legal systems by expanding official categories.

    Visayas Intervarsity 2025 · Round 1 · 2025-08-09

  • This House Prefers a World where the LGBTQ+ movement pursued the liberationist approach rather than the assimilationist approach.

    Infoslide

    Since the 1990s, the assimilationist approach to LGBTQ+ advocacy emphasised that queer identity and relationships are "just like" their heterosexual counterparts, and that therefore LGBTQ+ people should have access to existing social institutions such as marriage and family life. The liberationist approach to LGBTQ+ advocacy would have argued that these institutions are inherently restrictive and should not be central to a person's life.

    Copenhagen European Universities Debating Championships 2025 · Round 7 · 2025-08-03

  • This house believes that the Philippine queer community should actively oppose the meme-ification of the "baklang kanal"

    Infoslide

    The meme-ification of the "baklang kanal" refers to the cultural pivot of the concept from a derogatory term used for "ill-mannered, unrefined gays" to a widely popular logline for online comedic material. Featuring tropes like crass and witty monologues, warfreak skits, "squammy" behavior, and flirtatiously "makalat" stitches with reels by attractive men, influencers like Pipay, Sassa Gurl, Macoy Dubs, and many others have transformed the notion from an insult to a hallmark of online Pinoy humor.

    Bicol Debate Union Rookies Asian Parliamentary 2025 · Round 2 · 2025-08-02

  • This house believes that it is in the interest of the Philippine LGBTQIA++ movement to practice political pragmatism over purism

    Infoslide

    Political pragmatism refers to an approach that prioritizes more guaranteed results and changes rather than strict adherence to one’s ideology or political preferences, even at the expense of some political stances or issues. While political purism refers to a total adherence to one’s ideology and stances without making any concessions, even at the expense of practical benefits.

    Bicol Debate Union Rookies Asian Parliamentary 2025 · Round 2 · 2025-08-02

  • This house believes that exclusive art spaces bring more harm than good.

    Infoslide

    Exclusive art spaces refer to exhibitions or installations that limit access to certain groups, usually based on identity. The Ladies' Lounge at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania, Australia, is an example of an exclusive art space that recently prohibited cisgender men from entering the exhibit. The museum subsequently faced a discrimination lawsuit, which led to the closure of the lounge.

    Ho Chi Minh Debate Open 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-07-26

  • This house believes that states should legally recognize queer found families

    Infoslide

    Queer found families are social units usually created by biologically unrelated LGBTQ+ individuals that perform filial functions typically observed in traditional biological families. (e.g., providing financial and emotional support)

    16th Visayas-Mindanao Debate Championship · Round 5 · 2025-07-18

  • This house believes that that queer hypersexuality does more harm than good to the LGBTQ+ community

    Infoslide

    For the purposes of the debate, 'queer hypersexuality' refers to excessive sexual behaviors experienced by individuals identifying as LGBTQ+. Examples include frequent sexual encounters with other members of the community, the popularity of sexual events, or self-sexualisation.

    16th Visayas-Mindanao Debate Championship · Round 5 · 2025-07-18

  • This house regrets the rise of homonormativity in modern LGBTQ+ romantic relationships

    Infoslide

    Homonormativity refers to the application of norms and structures typically found in heterosexual romantic relationships on LGBTQ+ romantic relationships (e.g., monogamy, the aspiration for marriage and having kids, and the imposition of traditional gender roles).

    3rd Butuan Intervarsity · Open Pre-semifinals · 2025-07-04