RNDr. Michal Pitoňák, Ph.D. / Chairman
Michal Pitoňák studied at the Faculty of Science in the field of social geography at the Charles University in Prague. He is also a qualified biologist (Bc., Mgr.). Currently, he works as a researcher within the National Institute of Mental Health (NUDZ) in Klecany, where he addresses issues of quality of life, mental health and addictive behavior in a non-heterosexual population. He also develops the LGBTQ psychology branch and actively participates in the destigmatization of HIV prevention in the Czech Republic and is a member of the Interdepartmental Coordination Group for HIV / AIDS in the Czech Republic. Michal Pitoňák is also a lecturer at the Department of North American Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University, and externally cooperates with his Department of Social Geography and Regional Development where he teaches the geography of difference, including the geographies of sexualities and queer theory. In general, he tends to employ a transdisciplinary approach to research and teaching and applies knowledge from various disciplines to address highly complex social and health problems.
Email: michal.pitonak@queergeography.cz
Ing. arch. Lukáš Pitoňák / Graphics, IT, webmaster
Co founder of Queer Geography Lukas Pitonak is trained architect from Faculty of architecture at CTU Prague. In QG his job is to make everything prettier. Lukas is a graphic designer, website manager and webdesigner. In his free time he is burried in sci-fi novels and movies or he is drawing futuristic cities.
Email: lukas.pitonak@queergeography.cz
Bc. Michal Obr / researcher
Michal Obr is a graduate of the Bachelor’s programs in Media Studies and Journalism and International Relations at the Masaryk University in Brno. He is currently continuing his studies at the same university in the Master’s program in Media Research and Analytics. In his diploma thesis, he deals with the topic of representation of gay people in fictional content, i.e. in films, series, books or theater performances. In addition, as part of his studies, he is interested in the media representation of queer people or the portrayal of women in the media.
While studying, he works as a copywriter and social media manager. Moreover, he recently joined the volunteer team of Brno Pride Week festival. His hobbies are traveling (he especially loves Italy), fashion and gastronomy. As a former competitive swimmer, he also likes to jump into the pool in his spare time.
David Popelka / Contributor and author in the queer theory section
David Popelka is studying MA program in Gender, Sexuality, and Culture at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom with the support of Bakala Foundation. In his studies, he focuses on queer theory and contemporary media targeted at the LGBT+ community. Currently, he is an active member of the Socialist Alternative association at the University of Manchester, where he engages with local issues of modern society.
In addition to these areas, his hobbies include traveling, art, creative writing, visiting museums and galleries, graphic design, working out at the gym, and playing computer games, especially fantasy RPGs with LGBT representation
Bc. Kryštof Eckhardt / researcher and commentator
Kryštof Eckhardt studies political and regional geography at the Faculty of Science, Charles University. His master thesis focuses on the status of LGBTQ people in Central Europe and he would like to continue his doctoral studies with the topic of LGBTQ issues in geopolitics. He has experience in elemnetary school teaching (history, geography and civics). He has discussed the issue of LGBTQ rights several times during his teaching career. In his free time, he enjoys reading, traveling, commenting on political events, which he actively follows or scouting.