UCU equality research conference 2024

Nothing Without Us - Pride, Diversity, Respect and Liberation

On Friday 17 May 2024 over 80 people attended the first hybrid UCU equality research conference, which was held in-person at the University of Manchester and on Zoom.

The plenary speakers were:

• Muwonge Gerald, Foaster Foundation for Health, Uganda
• Bisimwa Mulemangabo, Refugee-led research centre, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford

Muwonge Gerald shared a link for donations related to their work for Foaster Foundation which is an LGBT+ led HIV prevention organisation in Uganda.

Twenty-one papers were presented in seven panel sessions across the day.

The biennial equality research conference is organised by UCU to promote equality research similar to its forerunner the biennial LGBT+ research conference which will next be held in 2025. All papers were passed through a double-blind peer review process prior to being programmed.

A conference team of staff and volunteers (both at the event and in peer review) enabled this conference to happen.

Panel sessions

Panel 1A

Presentations:

• 30 years on since the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 - Kevin Daws [106kb]
• Healthcare experiences at the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and chronic illness: an interdisciplinary understanding - Vickery Stamp [313kb]
• Childhood association with religious community and lower mental health outcomes in young adult queer community - Ronan McCoy

Panel 1B

Presentations:

• The Pandemic of Sexual Harassment in Low Paid and Precarious Hospitality Work and Opportunities for Union Activism - Dr Ruth Beresford and Dr Bob Jeffery
• A scoping study for PhD proposal examining available literature on gender incongruence in individuals with intersex variations and societal perception of them across different cultures - Chris Breen [602kb]
• Reclaiming resilience- voices from the Frontline. Extending the conversation through action research - Tilia Lenz [9mb]

Panel 1C

Presentations:

• Sexism and Workplace Stress in Higher Education - Dr Andrew Baronand Dr Charlotte Barrow
• Navigating Trans Embodiment in the English Education System - Kayden J Schumacher
• Margins and Centre. Voices from within LGBTQ+ Studies in the Neoliberal University - Christian Klesse

Panel 2A

Presentations:

• Whose Rainbow? The gap between symbols and action for LGBTQIA+ staff and students in HE - Tig Slater, Drew Simms and Eleanor Formby [471kb]
• Exploring How Queer ESOL Teachers Negotiate Sexuality in the Classroom - Joe Lickens
• LGBT+ Lives and Leadership - Alex Baird [2mb]

Panel 2B

Presentations:

• Social class, the overlooked element of diversity within higher education: An analysis of policy documents and data collection practices by Russell Group Universities in the United Kingdom - Andy Bradshaw [2mb]
• Black, British, Male: The Cool Pose - Dr Pete Deakin
• Understanding the mechanism of embodied discrimination: methods of detection and tools of resistance - Sophia Lycouris

Panel 3A

Presentations:

• LGBTQIA+ refugees and asylum seekers in Greece: A bottom-up informed pipeline of services and participatory project - Hadjigeorgiou Eleni, Zachariadi Sophia, Maria-Angeliki Psyrraki, Spyridon Koulocheris, Maria Elissavet Siafaka, Varvara Kefalidou, Nikole [8mb]
• Making It Happen: Motivating Perspectives on Commitment-Based Accounts of Social Equality - Sophie Kubick
• Older Autistic People, Technology and Quality of Life: A Co-Production Approach - Marion Hersh, Michael Dawson, Panda Mery [37kb]

Panel 3B

Presentations:

• 'Doing' LGBT+ research: Reflections from our research on transgender and non-binary workplace inclusion - Luke Fletcher and Rosa Marvell [1mb]
• Transgender students' experiences of inclusion/exclusion in university-led sport: Scoping barriers to access and evaluating current sport inclusion policies - Jesse Machin
• Mapping so-called 'anti-gender' discourses in parliamentary and media debates: lessons and recommendations in the future fight for LGBTIQ+ equalities - Roberto Kulpa