Previous Events

Gentleman Jack, bristol old vic

In a rare appearance, award-winning writer and director Sally Wainwright (creator of Gentleman Jack, Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax) brings the story of Gentleman Jack to Bristol. Sally is joined by Anne Choma, the series historian, researcher and author of ‘Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister’. In a special twist to the evening, award-winning duo O’Hooley and Tidow, creators of the show’s title track will perform a selection of songs celebrating extraordinary women. Hear about the story behind the show, and its journey to primetime. Get an insight into Anne Lister and the creativity that drives one of the UK’s most celebrated directors. Chaired by Finn Mackay. The event is produced by Indigo in collaboration with Bristol Festival of Ideas.

ETC Magazine sweden

Interview with journalist Anna-Maria Sorberg on feminism, trans rights and the ‘gender wars’ in the UK

ETC NYHETSMAGASIN. Radikalfeminismen la grunden för transpersoners rättigheter och kamp. Om vi förstod det skulle vi kunna kämpa tillsammans mot den riktiga fienden, den privatiserande och konservativa högern. Det menar den brittiska sociologen och genusforskaren Finn Mackay.

Text: Anna-Maria Sörberg

Joan smith, bristol festival of ideas

In conversation with author Joan Smith for the Festival of Ideas, discussing her new book on the links between terrorism and domestic abuse, ‘Home Grown’.

Selected Past Events

October 2024 Cheltenham Philosophy Society, invited speaker on researching gender in the ‘gender wars’

September 2024 Panel debate at How the Light Gets In philosophy and music festival Kenwood House, London ‘The Meaning of Sex’

March 2024 Keynote speaker for York St John University International Women’s Day

February 2024 Presentation at Governing Masculinities conference, Queen Mary University, London

October 2023 Stockholm, Sweden, invited speaker talking about my new book for Gender Studies programme at the University

October 2023 Leeds Love Month, Philosophy in the City, guest speaker

July 2023 Guest Lecture at Seattle University Summer School, London

June 2023 panel speaker at Glasgow Women’s Library for launch of new book by Prof Yvette Taylor ‘Working Class Queers’

May 2023 speaker at The Philosopher magazine anniversary and book launch, Conway Hall, London

April 2023 Keynote speaker at British Sociological Association annual conference, Manchester. Watch plenary address here

March 2023 Speaker at Bristol Women’s Voice International Women’s Day, City Hall, Bristol

March 2023 Speaker at Women of the World Festival, Southbank Centre, London ‘Whose Feminism Is It Anyway’

October 2022 Speaker at Anne Lister Summit on the masculinities of Lister

October 2022 Plenary speaker at Boys At The Crossroads conference, Bristol

July 2022 Nottingham Trent University keynote Gender Studies conference

July 2022 Seattle University Summer School The London Eye invited lecture

July 2022 Race Reflections guest space invited speaker

June 2022 The 50% France24 interview on feminism and trans rights

May 2022 Oriel College, University of Oxford, invited speaker David N Lyon speaker series

April 2022 The Philosopher ‘The Politics of Gender and Identity’ in conversation with Assistant Prof Jana Bacevic

April 2022 Cambridge University Festival ‘Engendering Equality: Feminism in an age of uncertainty’ with Jessa Crispin, and Prof Yra van Dijk

March 2022 In conversation with Professor Susanne Stryker at Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA, Women and Gender Studies Conference

March 2022 Book Launch at Lesbian Lives Conference, Cork, Ireland

May 2021 19th I was invited to give a guest lecture at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. ARCH - Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health, and Society. ‘Exploring contemporary butch lesbian identity in the UK’.

May 2021 20th I was invited to speak on a panel at the Centre for Democratic Futures at the University of Southampton on Protest and Policing in the Time of the Pandemic.

June 2020 I was interviewed for the Ghostwriter podcast, talking about the Black Lives Matter movement, the toppling point of Colston in Bristol, Radical Feminism, gender wars and much more besides. Lots more fascinating interviews here from Elias Williams at Ghostwriter.

June 2020 I spoke to journalist Libby Brooks for The Guardian and am quoted in this article on JK Rowling and the so-called gender wars.

May 2020 I was interviewed by Matthew Wilkin for The Sociology Show podcast, talking about Radical Feminism. You can listen to the show and all the other great episodes of Sociological fun here

February 2020 speaker at LGBTQI+ History Month launch event, Diversity Trust.

October 2019 23rd Hosted writer, performer and poet S Bear Bergman on tour from Canada, with his storytelling evening The Whole Queer Story, Arnolfini, Bristol.

October 2019 12th Chaired event for In Between Time festival at Arnolfini Bristol - Until The Women Are Free, The People Are Not Free, with artists Cigdem Aydemir, Phylis Christopher and Erin Markey, alongside exhibition Still I Rise and also brought together In Between Time’s Director, Helen Cole, with Arnolfini’s Head of Programme, Kieran Swann.

October 2019 6th Hosted OurScreen screening of award winning documentary ‘Seahorse’ at Odeon Scott Cinemas, Bristol, documenting one trans man and his journey to parenthood.

September 2019 19th Hosted Professor Gail Dines from Culture Reframed, visiting from USA, organised conference Pornography as a Public Health Issue: Consequences and Solutions. Held at The Station, central Bristol, sell-out conference attended by over 100 local practitioners and activists.

August 2019 I presented a paper at the Transversal Transfeminisms Conference at the University of Roehampton

May 2019 3rd I presented a paper on UK female masculinities at the AHRC Network launch Masculinity, Sex and Popular Culture, at Birmingham City University.

June 2018 I invited Professor Jack Halberstam to deliver a public lecture in Bristol for my University, the University of the West of England, at the Arnolfini. Professor Halberstam was talking about their new book “Trans: A Quick and Quirky Guide to Gender Variability”. The event was accompanied by a performance from Rachael Miles and Tom Marshman on gender variability and growing up under Clause 28.

May 2018 I was back in Sweden, speaking in Malmo for policy makers and social sector professionals, giving a public sector lunchtime lecture on the origins of Intersectionality.

I was very proud to speak at the Bristol International Women’s Day event at the City Hall on the 3rd March 2018. I spoke on a panel with Jacqui Furneaux, Dr Naomi Paxton and author Jane Duffus, to launch Jane’s wonderful book ‘The Women Who Built Bristol’; all the proceeds of which go to Bristol Women’s Voice.

In January 2018 I was pleased to speak at the Unison South West conference for new activists called Get Active. The conference took place in Taunton and I spoke about what feminism means to Trade Unionists.

January 2017 I visited the beacon of gender equality – Sweden! I was invited to a national conference on gender equality in practice. I took part in a panel discussing intersectionality and also was given the honour of delivering one of the closing speeches.

March 2017 7th – I organised a University of the West of England Social Science in the City event in Bristol on men, masculinities, shame and blame with speakers from organisations: White Ribbon Campaign UK, A Call to Men UK, Off the Record and Babassa Youth Empowerment.

2017 October I attended and gave a presentation at the European Lesbian Conference in Vienna, talking about initial findings from my research on Lesbian and Queer Masculinities.

I spoke at at the Bristol Festival of the Future City on the 19th of October 2017, on a panel discussing – If Women Built Cities

October 7th London I spoke in the panel debate on men, masculinities and feminism at the Camden People’s Theatre as part of their Feminist Festival – Calm Down Dear.