Many of us tend to think of gender as something natural and permanent? "I act this way because I was born this way," so the timeless adage goes. But travel to any foreign country (or any major U.S. city for that matter) and you begin to see changes in gender presentation that shock the so-called American status quo: men demonstrate friendships with hand holding and affectionate embraces, women exert incredible amounts of strength in impressive feats of labor? the list is endless. If it's true that culture greatly influences gender, what can we learn about ourselves by learning about other cultures? What kinds of personal options become available as we assess ourselves in light of insight into the limitless ways to be men?

In this dynamic panel presentation, several men from significantly diverse backgrounds will comment on their experiences with and definitions of masculinity. Their words will challenge the notion that there is only one acceptable way to be male while simultaneously promoting appreciation for vastly different cultural perspectives.

New to the conference this year: A Young Man' Hip-Hop/ Spoken Word
Performance by Add Verb Productions.

In this portion of the day, young men and high school boys will perform beats and rhymes they have written exploring what it means to be "a man" in different cultures and countries. Following the performance there will be an opportunity for questions and dialog about the Hip Hop pieces themselves and the messages conveyed through this dynamic art form.