Queer Spaces

Queer Spaces

June 13th 2025

10-4.30

Manchester Metropolitan University, Brooks Building, Hulme. Room BR 2.17

In national and international climate that is increasingly hostile to Queer people, particularly with the recent Supreme Court ruling, EHRC guidance and subsequent actions taken by organisations to exclude trans people, the Children and Childhood Research Group offer you a Queer event that aims to be a space to consider some of the issues affecting Queer communities, the effects and affects of Queer bodies in educational, research and community spaces and the ways in which we can develop our Queer practice and look after ourselves in the process.

Doreen Massey describes space as a ‘dimension of multiple trajectories’, a ‘simultaneity of ‘stories-so-far’’ (2005: 49). We hope this event will harness the contributors’ multiple trajectories and stories from their fields including early years and childhood, youth and community, research, education and arts to look at how we can re-orient spaces as queer, unsettling the normative frameworks of institutional and other spaces in order to enrich lives.

Expect a relaxed, creative space with room for reflection and community building.

This is a space for Queer Joy and for nurture and care. Allies are very welcome.

The event is free to attend.

Please contact Jayne Mugglestone (she/her) with any queries and access requirements. J.Mugglestone@mmu.ac.uk

The building has flat access and lifts to all floors. There are accessible toilets, ‘male’ and ‘female’ toilets and also all gender toilets on the second floor. The front door of the building can open without being pushed but doors to all rooms need to be pushed or pulled open. There will be other rooms booked during the day for people to take breaks if needed. Please let us know if we can assist you with any other access requirements.

Programme

9.30 – 10 Arrival and refreshments

10.00 – 10.30 Welcome to Children & Childhood Event: Rachel Holmes & Josie Gabi

Queering - an opening provocation: Jayne Mugglestone & Mel Riley

10.30 – 11.00 Queering the space - art-based activity: Gabrielle Ivinson and EJ Renold

11.00 – 12.30 Queer/ing resources for RSE (Relationships and Sex Education): EJ Renold

12.30 – 1.30 Lunch, networking and resources

1.30 – 1.45 Embedding queerness in the normative space of early years: Sid Mohandas

1.45 – 2.45 Queer Zine student co-research project: Mel Riley and Lily Skourides

2.45 – 3.15 Break/space for creativity and reflection

3.15 – 3.45 Queer(ing) the Whitworth: Dominic Bilton - tbc

3.45 – 4.15 Reflections and what next?

Close