This Ain't the Love Boat: Transformative Relations

This Ain't the Love Boat: Transformative Relationships for Abolitionists w/ Aredvi Azad and Ignacio Rivera Are you an abolitionist wondering how to restructure your relationships to reflect your values? Our sexual, romantic, and platonic relationships are bound by rigid moral, cultural, and legal structures that dictate what types of sex, love, and care practices deserve recognition and legitimization, leaving behind anyone who doesn’t play along. We examine the divide between legitimate vs. scrutinized relationships, and how you can craft connections that are anti-capitalist and anti-carceral. Challenging mainstream narratives in relationships, we evaluate how harmful relational constructs show up in all of our relationships, and explore the interpersonal skills that are necessary to build transformative relationships. This is an advanced workshop asking participants to reflect on their personal lives and cross-evaluate abolitionist practices.