KELLI DUNHAM

QUEER BODIES QUEER SELVES (CAN ALSO BE CALLED F*** YOUR HEALTH)

This is Kelli’s queer health comedy anchor presentation. Covers topics like self advocacy,  seeking primary care, gender and health, all with plenty of laughs. Can be customized for colleges, health care facilities, corporate events etc.

EMERGENCY! PLANNING FOR UNPLANNED HEALTHCARE

The LGBT, genderqueer, kink, polyamorous and other communities traditionally underserved by our health care systems are often particularly—and understandably– wary of seeking emergency care, even when care is badly needed. In this interactive workshop, genderqueer nurse and comic Kelli Dunham walks participants through a visit to the emergency room, presenting information about general ER infrastructure and leads participants in brainstorming and role playing ways in which they can be empowered to facilitate relatively positive endings to various ER scenarios. Also included will be a discussion of picking an ER buddy and developing a written ER plan. 60-120 minutes in duration. You can see a related video Kelli developed here.

IMPROV MEETS ACTIVISM:THE NUTS AND HEALTHCARE ADVOCACY (INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP)
What do a successful world wrestling federation tag team match and a successful interaction with the health care have in common? No, not a sleeper hold (at least not usually) but rather team-work. In this workshop participants will share either examples they’ve had of interactions with the health care system that had a less than ideal outcome and/or situations they can anticipate being in. The gathered participants will then use equal parts improv, brainstorming, and cheerleading to role play positive and creative tactics to help health care consumers take back power in the described situations. This workshop was developed to help traditionally underserved consumers (eg consumers with chronic conditions, gender variant consumers etc) but with current difficulties in the health care system, will be equally applicable for all healthcare consumers. 60-120 minutes in duration.

A CASSEROLE IS NOT ENOUGH: BUILDING TEAMS OF CARE IN NON TRADITIONAL COMMUNITIES (INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION)
LGBT communities tend to rely on families of choice, rather than families of origin for social support. However, when a member is hit by serious or chronic illness, the care provided by non traditional support systems doesn’t always easily mesh with current healthcare and social welfare systems. This is particularly true if there is no one designated primary caregiver, and the person in need of care lives alone. This presentations draws on Kelli’s more than ten years as a community health nurse, her experiences during the early years of the AIDS crisis as well as her lived experience as the primary caregiver of her partner who died of ovarian cancer in 2007. 60-90 minutes in duration.

PRESS: CSU Collegian: Funny Ex Nun Discusses Queer Health

PRESS: Queer Comedy Show Brings Humor to Gay Health