Jun

(Un)Safe to be Me? Exploring Rights & Lived Experiences of LGBTI people, UK

by University of Bristol and University of Sussex

Actions and Detail Panel

Sold Out

Date and time

Thu, 9 June 2022

10:00 – 13:30 BST

Location

Online event

An inter-disciplinary half-day conference exploring the legal, social and political rights of LGBTI people in the United Kingdom

About this event

The conference is co-hosted by the Human Rights Implementation Centre (University of Bristol) and Centre for Cultures of Reproduction, Technologies and Health (University of Sussex)

In June 2022, the United Kingdom Government, in its role as co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition, was due to host an international conference on lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans rights – Safe to be Me: A Global Equality Conference. Announcing the event in May 2021, Lord Herbert of South Downs stated that “…as a global force for good, the UK has an important role to play in leading international efforts to tackle the violence and discrimination against LGBT people which should have no place in the modern world.” The conference, which was cancelled in April 2022, would have taken place at a critically important moment for LGBTI rights in the United Kingdom – with numerous stories of hate crimes, stagnation or retreat on key legal reforms, and a hostile media and political environment in which to advocate for equality based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or sex characteristics. This context raises an important intellectual and moral question: can and/or should the United Kingdom take a leading role in promoting the ‘safety’ of LGBTI communities around the world when, in 2022, it may be increasingly unsafe to be LGBTI in this jurisdiction?

With that question in mind, the Human Rights Implementation Centre (University of Bristol) and Centre for Cultures of Reproduction, Technologies and Health (University of Sussex) are organising a half-day conference on 9 June 2022, entitled (Un)Safe to be Me? Exploring the Rights and Lived Experiences of LGBTI people in the UK. The event, which will take place online (Zoom) from 10 am – 1.30 pm (BST), will bring together academics, advocates and activists from across the UK to explore the legal, social and political rights of LGBTI communities in this country, identifying current challenges and potential options for reform. Each speaker will offer a short, initial contribution on one of eleven substantive issues facing LGBTI people in this country, followed by a moderated panel discussion and a Q&A session. In addition, in partnership with the Oxford Human Rights Hub blog, the conference will be publishing a series of short blog contributions, where participants will expand upon the rights and lived experiences of LGBTI communities in the UK. You can register for the conference using the link above. The event is organised by Peter Dunne (University of Bristol), Maria Moscati (University of Sussex) and Ben Kasstan (University of Bristol).