Published by Routledge, as Fundamental Concepts and Critical Developments in Sex Education
 
Chapter 23: From Concept to Community: Ethical Practices in Event Organizing
Written by: Steph Zapata
 
This chapter explores how to organize ethical, inclusive, and impactful speaker panels—especially within sexuality education—by challenging traditional, often exclusionary practices. It argues that organizers hold significant power and responsibility in shaping whose voices are centered, urging a shift away from prioritizing credentials and “professionalism” toward valuing lived experience, authenticity, and community connection.
 
The author guides readers through a process of self-reflection, encouraging organizers to examine their own identities, biases, and institutional dynamics before selecting speakers. It highlights how systems like racism, capitalism, and colonialism influence who is seen as an “expert,” and calls for disrupting these patterns by intentionally including marginalized voices.