Popular feminist event changes name to better reflect Gender Empowerment Centre values
Photo via https://genderempowermentcentre.ca.
UVic’s Gender Empowerment Centre (GEM) is hosting its annual community event this year under a new name.
FEM-EXPO, formerly known as SEXPO, is a week-long convention hosted in the Student Union Building (SUB), where people can learn from speakers, engage with like-minded people, and have fun.
Beau Houle, GEM Outreach and Communications Coordinator, told the Martlet that FEM-EXPO will be a “bold week-long celebration of intersectional feminism,” featuring a market, table fair, workshops, and party event.
Houle says that the idea of changing the name has been in the works for months. The GEM team felt that SEXPO was “not representing the full spectrum of what our work at [the] GEM is,” and wanted its most prominent event to be inclusive of everyone who accesses the centre.
Houle explained that FEM-EXPO means “Feminist Empowerment Expo,” underlining the intersectional feminist values of the GEM and its core mandate.
While they acknowledge that there are negative connotations with feminism, due to both misogyny and the perception that it can often be a white-focused, heterosexual “girlboss” movement, Houle feels it is important to reclaim the word.
“[We want to] demonstrate that it’s such a rich and diverse movement that is important for so many people around the world,” Houle added.
“Ultimately, we couldn’t come up with anything else that accurately represented what we were trying to create.”
The Jan. 23 Instagram post where the GEM revealed the new name garnered many replies from those upset with the change.
Some commenters felt that the name might exclude those whose gender is not aligned with a feminine identity.
Gwen Hofmeyr, a UVic graduate who has attended SEXPO in previous years, told the Martlet that she’s concerned the new branding might turn some people away from the event.
“SEXPO was a success, but this rebrand doesn’t really embody that. The marketing doesn’t have broad community appeal,” reads her Instagram comment.
She said that, while she knows the GEM did not intend for the new name to sound exclusionary, she worries that it might be misinterpreted that way. Hofmeyr will be at FEM-EXPO this year and hopes the event will match what she described as “the best event [she] attended at [her] time at UVic.”
Houle expressed disappointment that the GEM did not explain the new name in a way that people resonated with. They said that the backlash helped them understand why a pivot in event branding is important.
“It confirmed that SEXPO didn’t effectively communicate who we are or what we do, because we are first and foremost a feminist organization,” they said.
“People feeling upset that it wasn’t inclusive of masculine or androgynous-presenting people says to us that there is still potential there for us to really be promoting our understanding of feminism, which absolutely includes people across the gender spectrum,” they added.
Prym Goodacre is a GEM Collective member and has volunteered at the last three SEXPOs. She says that the name change makes sense.
Echoing Houle, Goodacre said that the GEM’s main purpose is to advocate for feminism, so it is worthwhile for its biggest event to reflect that. “Men saying they wouldn’t go to an event with the word ‘fem’ in it is actually a sign that we need to lean into feminism more, not less,” she said.
She’s also heard from community members who said that the sex-focused theming of past SEXPOs felt intimidating. “I am excited for all the classic SEXPO charm, but I think having a broader focus is really exciting,” she said.
“Expect a lot of fun and playful conversation about feminism and sex positivity,” said Goodacre, adding that “it’s always been incredibly fun and freeing. It’s a great event.”
Houle says that the event’s aim is to “Put people in touch with the resources and organizations that exist in the wider community,” while promoting themes of solidarity, connection, and skill building.
“Expect it to be fun, and exciting, and nuanced — and also, at times, sexy.” they said.
FEM-EXPO is taking place from March 3 to 7. Head to www.genderempowermentcentre.ca or @uvicgem on Instagram for information about workshops, vendors, and events.
