The LGBT+ Staff Network is delighted to announce the following speakers who are presenting talks during LGBT+ History Month. These are open to all University staff and students. We hope you will be able to join the informal sessions and share your learning with others:

Chris Mowat - "Don't be a drag, just be a priest: clothing and the cult of Cybele in Ancient Rome"

6th February 2019, 12:30-1:30pm, Arts Tower Boardroom (floor 1)

Chris Mowat is a Teaching Associate in Ancient History at the University of Sheffield. They are particularly interested in the history of gender and sexuality, in both the ancient world as well as the modern, and in religious identities in the ancient world.

Chris is also interested in the ways in which we can talk about (modern) categories of gender and sexual identities in the past, and the language we use to talk about non-normative identities. They are currently developing a research project on non-binary gender identities in the Roman world.

Chris Ashford - "Discussing the decriminalisation of gay sex - stories and spaces now and then"

`15th February 2019, 12:30-1:30pm, Alfred Denny Conference Room

Chris Ashford is a Professor of Law and Society at Northumbria University, and identifies as a cis gay man. He is active within the Gender, Sexuality & Law and Law & Society groups and is a member of the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association (LAGLA) North East Advisory Board.

Chris has published widely on the area of law and sexuality and legal education, engaging with a range of criminal justice issues. A queer theorist; his research explores the intersection of law, sexuality and technology and has focused more recently upon the phenomena of public sex and male for male sex work.

Kate Flannery and Steve Slack - "An introduction to Edward Carpenter"

19th February 2019, 1:00pm-2:00pm, Firth Court Council Room

Edward Carpenter (1844 -1929) was a significant cultural and political activist, who advocated the ‘Simplification of Life’ and put his beliefs into practice. For over forty years he formed a strong bond with the people of Sheffield, living openly as a gay man in Millthorpe, Derbyshire only a few miles away. His life was one of quiet celebration while his writings and example laid the foundation for the gay liberation movement of the twentieth century. Through his many friendships, Edward Carpenter traversed the divisions of class, gender, sexuality, race and creed.

The Friends of Edward Carpenter are a group of people who are dedicated to establishing a permanent memorial to Edward Carpenter in Sheffield City Centre, recognising his historical and social importance and unique association with the city.

Zoyander Street - "Exploring the recent history of "queer games""

28th February 2019, 12:30-1:30pm, Arts Tower Boardroom (floor 1)

Zoyander Street is an artist and critic, and is currently undertaking a PhD in the Department of Sociology at Lancaster University. Their PhD thesis is about how game developers working on emerging platforms have conceptualised the emotions of players. More generally, their research is aimed at the generation of sympathetic critiques of technocultures and non-dualistic queer readings of human-computer interaction.

Zoyander will talk about the recent history of independent videogames that express LGBTQ+ perspectives. The talk will explore questions about what we expect from art scenes, queer spaces, and digital media, and what happens when we don't get what we expected.

If you need more details on the above events, please take a look at our LGBT+ History Month 2019 announcement page and keep an eye on our Twitter account (@TUoSLGBT) for further details.

Please ensure you register your interest if you'd like to attend, as we have limited seating capacity for each event.