Queer@King's is delighted to brings into conversation leading writers, activists and academic researchers invested in advancing trans rights and trans knowledge. Coming together on the International Day of Transgender Visibility, our panellists will reflect on their work and the challenges, politics and necessity of doing this work in today's increasingly anti-trans landscape. Following short talks by each speaker, we will invite questions from the audience.

This event will be chaired by Queer@King's Director, Dr Zeena Feldman.

Draft Programme

Welcome and introduction by Zeena Feldman (King's)

Chloe Turner on Disinformation and Anti-transgender Rhetoric
Chloe Turner (Central Saint Martins/Goldsmiths) is currently completing a PhD on the transgender disinformation crisis. Turner's thesis connects anti-transgender rhetoric to studies of disinformation and an information environment characterised by moral panics about manipulation and coercion, the propagation of falsehoods and the production, organisation, detection, and perception of contagious and deceptive communication. This talk will expose key aspects of contemporary anti-trans communications and representations.

Chris Parkes on Trans Liberation Now!
In the past decade, transphobia metastasized from a seemingly fringe form of bigotry to a mainstay of ascendant far-right and, increasingly, mainstream politics. In response, trans people and their allies have suffered setback after setback, with legal protections eroded, increased violence and harassment on the street, and a chilling omerta of these harms in mainstream media coverage. In their presentation, Dr Chris Parkes (KCL) will interrogate this distressing metamorphosis by discussing the upcoming conference: Trans Liberation Now Conference, to be held at KCL on 21 June 2025. The conference will bring together academics and activists from across the UK and abroad for a day-long series of talks and panels discussing transphobia in all its forms and how best to respond to it. It centres on three key questions: What are the roots of contemporary transphobia? In what ways does transphobia manifest in government, media, and civil society? And what are the most effective tools to fight transphobia in its current forms?

Libro Levi Bridgeman and Serge Nicholson on Letter to My Little Trans Self
In this talk, the founders of hotpencil press will reflect on their ongoing efforts to publish contemporary queer narratives largely ignored by the mainstream. Previous publications include: There Is No Word For It, The Butch Monologues and Letter To My Little Queer Self. hotpencil’s latest collection due out in 2025 is Letter To My Little Trans Self – with 30 contributors from the trans and non-binary community based in Mexico, Colombia, USA, Australia, Europe and the UK.

About the speakers

Chloe Turner is a trans writer and researcher based in London, and an Associate Lecturer at Central Saint Martins teaching transgender rights in media, design and AI futures. Turner is currently completing a PhD with the Centre for Feminist Research, Goldsmiths University of London on the transgender disinformation crisis, and is the Governance and Ethics Strategist of The Museum of Transology, the largest collection of material culture of transgender, non binary and intersex lives in the world.

Dr Libro Levi Bridgeman is a writer, lecturer and editor. They have a PhD from UEA in Creative & Critical Writing where they were awarded the HSC Scholarship. Their theatre credits include The Butch Monologues (2013-present day). They have also published short stories, including ‘Letter To My Future Lover’ (F, M and Other), ‘XXX’ (Queer Life, Queer Love) and ‘For Ezra’ (Queer Life, Queer Love 2). Their screenplay, Parker Parker (2022), has been optioned by Creators Inc. In 2023, their documentary, Private View, with the portrait painter, Sadie Lee, was released. Libro Levi co-founded Hotpencil Press with Serge Nicholson in 2009.

Serge Nicholson is a gender, sexuality and relationship diversity inclusive therapist, and co-founder of Hotpencil Press. Serge works with the wide range of issues that trans and gender diverse and gender questioning people bring to therapy, deploying a practice that is Humanistic and Holistic and drawing on approaches best suited to client needs. Serge's writing has appeared in Letter To My Little Queer Self and There Is No Word For It.

Dr Chris Parkes (they/them) is a Senior Lecturer in History Education at King’s College London. They research the intersection of sexuality and politics in 20th Century U.S. history, with particular focus on the career of former Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles. Dr Parkes is an award winning teacher, an editor for Notches: (re)Marks on the History of Sexuality, and has published work in BBC World Histories and The Guardian. They can be found online at @parkesland.bsky.social.

Dr Zeena Feldman is Director of the Queer@King’s Research Centre and Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Digital Culture in the Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London. Her research examines how digital technologies impact understandings and performances of traditionally analogue concepts – for instance, belonging, identity and wellbeing. Zeena currently runs the Quitting Social Media project, which explores digital detox and digital overload.

This event is organised by Dr Zeena Feldman (King's) and Chloe Turner (Central Saint Martins/Goldsmiths), with support from Queer@King's.