Event Type Saturday
Date
november
14nov15:0015:15Welcome & ArrivalAnastasia Lopez - IN VIENNA15:00 - 15:15
Time
14.11.2026 15:00 - 15:15 View in my time
Speaker
Anastasia Lopez, MA
Moderator, Journalist and Fact-Checker
Anastasia Lopez is an award-winning radio, TV and digital journalist, a freelance foreign correspondent for Ö1, and co-founder of BAIT, the first journalistic fact-checking channel on TikTok. Her work focuses on disinformation, digitalization, the climate crisis and gender equality.
Event Details
Drawing on my master's thesis, this talk explores biographical narratives of polyamorous people through the lenses of minority stress and well-being, and introduces tools for affirmative counseling that
Event Details
Drawing on my master’s thesis, this talk explores biographical narratives of polyamorous people through the lenses of minority stress and well-being, and introduces tools for affirmative counseling that support transformation in consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships.
Minority stress refers to the chronic stress experienced by members of marginalized social groups as a result of social exclusion. The Minority Stress Model helps us understand the mononormativity that people in consensually non-monogamous relationships encounter. By looking at the areas of polyamorous lives that nurture well-being, we can find ways to reduce the impact of minority stress.
Polyamorous narratives often draw on psychological techniques of personal development as a path toward self-alignment and personal congruence. Self-reflection and connection within communities can cultivate psychosocial well-being and ease minority stress. At the same time, these narratives often reveal tensions between self-development and broader neoliberal pressures toward self-optimization.
We will explore psychological transformation on three levels: through the body as a keeper of (social) experience; through feeling – a sense of foreignness, much like in Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land; and through the creation of new social spheres, such as joining and shaping creative communities for connection.
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Time
14.11.2026 15:15 - 16:00 View in my time
Speaker
Sina Muscarina, MA
Psychologist, Mental Health Nurse, Sexologist and Co-Founder of NMCI
Sina Muscarina is a psychologist, sexologist and social entrepreneur with a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Vienna. She is a co-founder and member of the scientific committee of the biennial Non-Monogamies and Contemporary Intimacies Conference (NMCI), first held in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2015.
She works as a psychiatric and mental health nurse in Switzerland and as a counseling psychologist in private practice. Her work bridges a range of effective methods for exploring the spectrum of consciousness and supporting psychological well-being. Having lived in New York, Miami and Lisbon, she loves immersing herself in vibrant cultures and traveling the world.
Event Details
Around 60% of people report some form of non-monogamy – current, past or fantasized – yet they believe only 35% of others do the same. And while few
Event Details
Around 60% of people report some form of non-monogamy – current, past or fantasized – yet they believe only 35% of others do the same. And while few would criticize someone in an open relationship, most assume others would. So is monogamy held in place by real agreement, or by misperception? In this talk, sociologists Antonia Velicu and Heiko Rauhut of the University of Zurich present first findings and a new research agenda exploring how relationship norms are changing in Switzerland, Austria and Germany – and what helps people choose non-monogamy despite social pressure.
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Time
14.11.2026 17:30 - 18:15 View in my time
Speaker
Antonia Velicu, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher in Sociology, University of Zurich
Antonia Velicu is a postdoctoral researcher in sociology at the University of Zurich. Her work asks what counts as normal in love, sexuality and family life – and how these norms shift as people live differently. Since her early research on polyamorous families, she has studied non-nuclear and non-monogamous relationships, and together with Heiko Rauhut she is now building one of the first large-scale studies of consensual non-monogamy in the German-speaking world. Alongside her research, she runs the Instagram account Sociology Unpacked, making sociology accessible to a wider public.
Event Details
Sex under the influence of substances is nothing new, but chemsex has become a growing topic in recent years, especially among men who have sex with men. In
Event Details
Sex under the influence of substances is nothing new, but chemsex has become a growing topic in recent years, especially among men who have sex with men. In this talk, Birgit Leichsenring of the Vienna Chemsex Network explains what chemsex is, why people engage in it, and which risks it can bring – from sexually transmitted infections to mental health and legal consequences. Without judgment, she shares practical knowledge on harm reduction, prevention and where to find support.
Time
14.11.2026 18:15 - 19:00 View in my time
Speaker
Mag. Birgit Leichsenring
Microbiologist, HIV Science Communicator and Member of the Vienna Chemsex Network
Birgit Leichsenring is a microbiologist specializing in biomedical science communication, with a focus on HIV. As a member of the Vienna Chemsex Network, she works to raise awareness about chemsex and sexual health, bringing together experts from medicine, counseling and community work. The network’s efforts led to Austria’s first online orientation tool on chemsex.
She regularly speaks at conferences, community events and Pride festivals across Austria on chemsex, HIV, PrEP and sexually transmitted infections. She is known for making scientific knowledge accessible, engaging and free of judgment.
Event Details
Which sexually transmitted infections are there? How can they be treated? And how can we prevent them?
Event Details
Which sexually transmitted infections are there? How can they be treated? And how can we prevent them?
Time
14.11.2026 20:15 - 21:00 View in my time
Speaker
Mag. Dr. Matthias Skocic
HIV Expert, Physician and Speaker
Matthias Skocic is a specialist in dermatology and venereology, focusing on HIV, HIV PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). He teaches these subjects to medical students at Johannes Kepler University (JKU) Linz.
14nov21:0021:30Conference Closing & FarewellAnastasia Lopez - IN VIENNA21:00 - 21:30
Event Details
As the first day comes to a close, we look back on the key ideas, questions and insights from today's talks and discussions – and take a moment
Event Details
As the first day comes to a close, we look back on the key ideas, questions and insights from today’s talks and discussions – and take a moment to reflect before we continue tomorrow.
Time
14.11.2026 21:00 - 21:30 View in my time
Speaker
Anastasia Lopez, MA
Moderator, Journalist and Fact-Checker
Anastasia Lopez is an award-winning radio, TV and digital journalist, a freelance foreign correspondent for Ö1, and co-founder of BAIT, the first journalistic fact-checking channel on TikTok. Her work focuses on disinformation, digitalization, the climate crisis and gender equality.