Dr. Kit Stubbs
Dr. Kit Stubbs is a non-binary/queer/femme maker and entrepreneur who's more interested in people than in tech. After earning their PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, Kit is now the founder and executive Director of the Effing Foundation for Sex-Positivity (effing.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has awarded over $150,000 in grants to sex-positive artists and educators across the U.S. Kit has spoken on gender, sexuality, and sex/tech at events across the U.S. They blog about technological empowerment for sexuality and pleasure (toymakerproject.com) and co-organize teasecraft, a meetup group for sex/kink-positive makers and hackers (teasecraft.com).
Talks
Empathy, Equity, and Sex/Tech at the Margins
When we think about hacking or building sex/tech, it's easy to focus primarily on how we, as individuals, relate to it: "Am I and/or my partner(s) having fun with this?" Whether we're thinking about toys, apps, websites, or something else entirely, it's also important to consider the perspectives of people who aren't just like us. In what ways does sex/tech act to keep people in the margins? How can we, as individuals and organizations, build empathy for people with (potentially multiple) marginalized identities that we don't share?
Join Kit "where did this b!tch get [their] doctorate" Stubbs of the Effing Foundation for Sex-Positivity and SX Noir, host of the Thot Leader podcast, for a conversation about the opportunities and challenges that sex/tech offers us.
This session will provide a space to talk about the intersections of two topics that many people don't have the opportunity to discuss: sex and marginalization (including thinking about people who may be one or more of: sex workers, gender/sexuality/relationship minorities, disabled, or poor, to name a few), in the context of issues surrounding tech which HOPE and the hacker community have been interested in for years, including data ownership; privacy and security; and digital, economic, and social mobility. This talk is for folks who are interested in sex/pleasure, enjoy geeking out about that, and are curious about human sexuality, its intersections with tech, and who are interested in gaining more empathy for folks from (multiple) marginalized communities. Kit is proud to have spoken since HOPE X in 2014 to large crowds, and they are excited to bring SX Noir's expertise and perspective as a queer Black woman to the HOPE community.
Ask A Sex Geek: Hacking + Human Sexuality
Got a burning question about sex? Curious about making your own silicone sex toys? Not sure of the difference between biological sex and gender? Wondering about dating and digital spaces? In this session, Kit "where did this b!tch get [their] doctorate" Stubbs of the Effing Foundation for Sex-Positivity and SX Noir, host of the Thot Leader Podcast, are ready for you to ask them anything!
They'll start with a quick survey of topics to get your ideas flowing, including sex and gender, DIY toys, dating and digital space, and online sex work. Then they will open the floor for your questions. Whether you're ready to ask a question or just happy to listen, join them for a celebration of hacking, tech, and human sexuality!
This session will provide a space to talk about topics that many people are curious about but don't have the opportunity to discuss, including sex, gender, and pleasure; and how skills that hackers value, including DIY/making things and programming, can be used to enhance sexual experiences. This talk is intended for folks who like sex/pleasure, enjoy geeking out about them, and are curious about human sexuality and its intersections with hacking and tech.