It’s been two years since we last held our Sex and Society Reading Retreat (also known as the Politics of Sexuality Reading Retreat). Since 2014, we at The A Project have built, tried, tested, and fine-tuned three cornerstone retreat curricula: Politics of Sexuality, Politics of Mental Health, and Reproductive Justice. As with all our reading retreats, we aim to make room for political conversations, make inaccessible theory accessible, unpack, critique, and use what speaks to our realities, and become fluent enough in theory to recognize and counter when it's being used against us. 

The Sex and Society Reading Retreat is our oldest retreat. It's where we come together to discuss how sexuality is socially constructed, who and what regulates it, and how our understandings of its theories shift with the political realities we are living in. We'll spend the weekend talking about bodies, gender, relationships, and sexuality, asking whose are demonized and whose are celebrated. The aim is to create space to think together about the relationship between theory and political practice: how theories of sexuality shape the ways we understand, organize, and struggle together, and how our material conditions and political practices can, in turn, challenge and reshape the theories we work with. 
 

This retreat will explore the following six themes:

1. Social Construction of Sexuality
2. Sex, Race & Class
3. Sex, War & Nation
4. Compulsory Heterosexuality
5. The Invention of Heterosexuality
6. The Invention of Homosexuality

Who can apply?

We’re looking for curious people who will commit to reading the material in advance and join us for a weekend of discussion and collective thinking. So if you live in Lebanon, are from this region, and are interested in feminist and queer organizing and thought, we would love to hear from you. 

Dates and deadlines:

Date: Friday, November 13 at 7 PM - Sunday, November 15 in the evening
Location: Details will be shared with selected participants.
Cost: The A Project will cover accommodation, meals, and transportation to and from the retreat.
Apply by: Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at midnight. You will hear from us the following week. 
 

Before we get together, each participant will receive a booklet bringing together book excerpts, academic articles, opinion pieces, and personal stories. You will have two to three weeks to read the booklet in full, choose one theme to explore more deeply, and lead a discussion around one reading of your choice.

The readings are in both Arabic and English. Many of the English readings have been translated into Arabic, though a small number remain in English. Discussions will take place primarily in Arabic, with English used when needed. Participants can present their chosen reading in whichever language they feel most comfortable with. 

Apply through this form

The sooner you apply and are selected, the sooner you’ll receive the reading booklet, giving you more time to read and prepare for the weekend.