The Fruit Machine

[mozfest-bot]

[ UUID ] e62698cd-8330-4f74-a40e-e3dc291684e8

[ Session Name ] The Fruit Machine [ Primary Space ] Queering MozFest

[ Submitter's Name ] J Dymphna Coy [ Submitter's Affiliated Organisation ] Canada

[ Other Facilitator 1's Name ] Sarah Nyberg [ Other Facilitator 1's GitHub ] @srhbutts

[ Other Facilitator 2's Name ] David Leaman [ Other Facilitator 2's GitHub ] @memethief

[ Other Facilitator 3's Name ] Ben Brock

What will happen in your session?

Participants will be invited by presenters disguised as neuroscientists to use the Fruit Machine. The Machine is an acrylic box with an LED bulb inside, connected to a tablet computer and a headset disguised to look like some sort of neuroimaging apparatus. The booth is designed echo the appealing imagery of a puzzle game or a slot machine. The Fruit Machine claims to use “state of the art neuroimaging combined with cutting-edge psychometrics to scientifically determine a participant’s gender and sexuality.” While the tablet features questions taken from various scientific measures of gender identity and sexuality, it is a bait-and-switch; the test eventually segues into a discussion of what it means to measure and typify queer identities scientifically.

What is the goal or outcome of your session?

We give participants a brief overview of the history of queer and intersex taxonomies: from the RCMP’s Fruit Machine to the latest overinterpreted neuroimaging study. We argue that approaching gender identity and sexuality as necessarily innate, biological characteristics should be done with caution. We show how taxonomies of LBGT people can enable surveillance and oppression by authorities. Queer communities under the Panopticon may end up policing themselves in ways that hurt their most vulnerable members. We conclude on an upbeat note, embracing the possibilities of queer life in digital spaces. We discuss the proliferation of infinite queer identities in the digital world, and its potential for creating and organizing new genders and sexualities that science has never dreamed of.

If your session requires additional materials or electronic equipment, please outline your needs.

We will be bringing a physical device (the Fruit Machine): an acrylic box no larger than 12”x12”x12”. Inside of the box is an LED bulb; we will require an outlet to plug in the device. Attached to the Machine is a headset and a tablet computer; we will also provide these. We would like to have one reasonably comfortable and friendly-looking chair for a participant to relax in while taking using the Machine. Next to the chair should be a small side table suitable to for placing the Machine on. Because the headset is physically attached to the machine, the table should be an appropriate size and small enough that a wheelchair-using participant can also access it.

Time needed

All weekend, as an installation, exhibit or drop-in session

[ryanwarsaw]

This session was a late acceptance, but in the official roster for the Web Literacy space! 🎉