Speakers
Welcoming addressor: Rudy Serra
Attorney Rudy Serra is a recognized expert on sex crimes, sex laws and civil rights. He was the first openly gay person ever to serve as judge in Michigan, serving two and a half years on Detroit’s 36th District Court, the third busiest court in the nation. Serra was also the first openly gay member of the Oakland County Commission and The Ferndale Board of Education. He is currently in private practice and lives in Madison Heights, Michigan.
Serra serves as Chairman of the Executive Clemency Advisory Council for the State of Michigan. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Standard Criminal Jury Instructions Committee. Serra was selected a Michigan Lawyer of the Year in 2000, received the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Award in 2001, and ran in the 2002 Winter Olympic Torch Marathon.
Rudy Serra has a Master’s Degree in Communication from Central Michigan University and graduated from The Wayne State University Law School. Serra is a former Congressional Aide, and former Human Rights Commissioner for The City of Detroit. He served as a Referee for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and has post graduate training in Dispute Resolution, as well as a license to practice Social Work.
Serra was General Counsel as well as a Board Member of The Triangle Foundation, and an Officer in The Michigan Democratic Party. He co-wrote Chapter 3 in Michigan Family Law (along with renowned family lawyer Henry Baskin) and has been published in The Michigan Bar Journal, The Journal of Psychology and Christianity, The Wayne Law Review, The Journal of The National Association of Human Rights Workers and others.
Momentum Keynote addressor: Andrea Zanin
Andrea Zanin, a.k.a. Sex Geek, pretty much writes and talks about sex all the time unless she’s eating, sleeping or having it. She lives in Toronto and is an organizer, educator and writer within the queer, polyamory and BDSM/leather communities, as well as being an active trans ally. She frequently speaks about alternative sexuality for universities, colleges, sex shops, community groups and conferences in Canada, the States and internationally. Andrea also writes alternative-sexuality news and commentary for the Montreal Mirror, the Toronto Xtra! and Outlooks Magazine, as well as blogging at http://sexgeek.wordpress.com.
She has a background in women’s studies and sexuality studies from Concordia University, and is pursuing an MA in those same fields at York University with a focus on Canadian leatherdyke history. Andrea co-organizes the Canadian leatherdyke weekend An Unholy Harvest, and has served as a judge for a number of leather title contests, including GLLA Bootblack 2008, International Ms. Leather 2009 and Mr. Leather Toronto 2010. She enjoys spending as much time as possible with her two partners, and occasionally writes erotic fiction on the side.
Closing Keynote addressor: Goddess Lakshimi
Besides having dual citizenship of both US and Canada, below are some of this addresser's biographical highlights:
Goddess Lakshimi is Ms World Leather 2003, winner of the Vi Johnson Award for community leadership, and Pantheon of Leather People's Choice Award winner for 2005. Goddess Lakshimi is the proud author of her new book "Safe Beginnings", now in it's second printing.
The Goddess Lakshimi is a loving Lifestyle Domina with approximately twenty-two years in the lifestyle during which time she has explored many aspects of SM, DS, and BD. She has a wide spectrum of talents ranging from the sensual to the intense. She is a sensual sadist, who has been given the nickname "Mistress Safety" for her commitment to safety in the BDSM scene. Her favorite quotes are "to be ignorant is not a crime - however to stay ignorant IS", and "complacency is as dangerous as ignorance".