Opening Plenary Speaker
Dr. KáLyn Coghill
Talk title
"Your Silence Will Not Protect You: A Clarion Call to Make Online Protection the Rule and NOT the Exception"
Abstract
Oftentimes, we are told in professional spaces that we are to be seen and not heard, but with the uptick of online gender-based violence impacting the most marginalized, we cannot afford to be silent. In this talk, Dr. KáLyn Coghill will discuss the precaritization of online gender-based violence, how it impacts us all, and how we can take steps to protect not only others but ourselves. This is not a request nor is it a suggestion; it is a demand and a clarion call for us to prioritize the experiences of those battling gender-based violence online and use our tools, skills, and resources to mitigate these harms and protect them.
Bio
Dr.KáLyn “Kay” Coghill (they/them) is an award-winning educator, activist, practitioner in the gender-based violence space, and scholar who has been honored with multiple accolades for their contributions to not only academia but also online platforms. They serve as a lecturer at various universities, where their courses focus on digital misogynoir, online gender-based violence, digital resistance, and the interdisciplinary fields of gender, sexuality, and women's studies. Dr. Coghill's work encompasses interdisciplinary scholarship, community organizing, and abortion doula care, concentrating on critical issues such as misogynoir, race, technology, disability justice, and gender-based violence in digital spaces like social media platforms. They also examine how artificial intelligence can facilitate sexual harm online, ethical technology considerations, Black popular culture, and forms of digital resistance. Dr. Coghill is currently the Community Safety and Support Steward for Blacksky Algorithms, which supports Bluesky with a feed for Black users, moderation services that combat anti-black harassment and misogynoir on the social media site, and mutual aid efforts across the diaspora in digital spaces.
As a consultant for several other organizations, Dr.Coghill contributes their extensive expertise to research projects focusing on male supremacism, health communications, and disability justice. They also provide consultation work through community management and digital strategy work. As a practitioner of Hoodrat Scholarship™—a term Dr. Coghill coined—they effectively bridge the gap between academia and the streets, prioritizing knowledge that is accessible and community-oriented. They do this through digital content creation and building an online presence that makes academia accessible to the quotidian user. Their activism includes conducting digital humanities workshops, researching harm reduction tactics employed by Black women and femmes online, providing digital safety and security workshops and training for a variety of groups, supporting youth in their hometown through sister circles, and holding board positions with the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project, Justice For Black Girls, and The Plunk Foundation.
Above all, they are a scholar, activist, and storyteller striving to positively impact the lives of Black women and girls through their work.