Queering the Name Badge

[ UUID ] 29b244b6-5cae-41ab-b7d4-f49190ed1064

[ Session Name ] Queering the Name Badge [ Primary Space ] Queering MozFest [ Secondary Space ] Digital Inclusion

[ Submitter's Name ] Emma Humphries [ Submitter's Affiliated Organisation ] Mozilla [ Submitter's GitHub ] @emceeaich

What will happen in your session?

Brightly colored name badges are a familiar part of conferences the world over, and pronoun stickers have become part of those badges. And yet, the static nature of these badges denies our fluid selves. What about name badges that reflect the multiple facets of our identity (see also https://twitter.com/alicegoldfuss/status/1024331334661992448) and that they shift from femme to androgynous, masculine to non-binary over the course of the day. Events such as DefCon have made the name badge a place of play (https://twitter.com/search?q=defcon%20badge%20photos&src=typd), but DefCon is a masculine space. Let's take the masculine hacker badge and queer and complicate it, explore how we can balance the safety of diverse attendees and report back what we learn and develop.

What is the goal or outcome of your session?

Starting from some existing prototypes (https://gist.github.com/emceeaich/2ce5fa6eeaa421cff77840c96f492765, https://twitter.com/triagegirl/status/1002087822487044096) attendees will develop ideas, using both programmable micro-controllers with displays, and paper models, for name badges for that reflect genderfluid and non-binary identities.

If your session requires additional materials or electronic equipment, please outline your needs.

We will need paper (of multiple colors), scissors, tape, and markers to make mockups. Microcontroller boards with LED/LCD/ePaper displays, breadboards, jumper wires, resistors, switches, and USB cables. We don't plan to do any soldering at the workshop.

Time needed

90 mins