Events
[Visualising the UK’s LGBTQ+ population: Rainbow R]{style=”color:#FF00CC “}
Feburary 2026
Alongside Nicola Rennie I ran the following workshop: In 2021/2022 the UK censuses represented LGBTQ+ people in new ways. The aim of this workshop is to introduce participants to this data and encourage them to produce visualisations utilising it. This workshop is ran in association with the University of Edinburgh’s Gender and Sexuality Data Lab and is heavily inspired by Tidy Tuesday. In the first part of this workshop queer feminist researcher and educator, Kirstie Ken English, will explain how LGBTQ+ populations were represented in the UK censuses and discuss the data available. In the second half data visualisation expert, Nicola Rennie, will walk participants through the code of an example visualisation of the census data. This workshop is a jumping off activity as participants will be prompted to design their own visualisations and share them in the weeks following the conference on Bluesky and LinkedIn via the hashtag #VisLGBTQ. Alongside discussions of the value of visualisations the workshop will be a space to recognise the limitations in how LGBTQ+ census data has been shared. Data sets and example code will be provided to all participants.
[LGBT History Month Rainbow Trap Talk: University of Glasgow]{style=”color:#FF00CC “}
Feburary 2026
Chaired Dr Kevin Guyan’s talk about his book Rainbow Trap.
[Queer in a Wee Place Launch Event: University of Strathclyde]{style=”color:#FF00CC “}
Feburary 2026
Launch event at Strathclyde Uni for the Queer in a Wee Place book I have a chapter in. Due to be relased April 2026.
[2025 Events]{style=”color:#FF00CC “}
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### [['Surveying Sex, Gender and Sexuality'](https://instats.org/seminar/surveying-sex-gender-and-sexuality): Instats]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### September - October 2025 This 4-day course introduces participants to issues surrounding the ways that sex, gender and sexuality are represented in current UK surveys. The course helps participants design survey questions in an inclusive, transparent, and reflexive manner. The recommendations provided in this course are based on a mixed method research project that directly engaged with people with relationships to sex, gender and sexuality overlooked in UK survey data. This training begins with a run down of what participants can expect from the training and a discussion of the importance of data and its relationship to power. Participants will be introduced to queer and feminist perspectives on categorisation and quantification. These perspectives represent a critical lens which is useful for holding our research to a high standard. On day two the importance of data is positioned in the context of the UK and its latest censuses from 2021/2022. The censuses and the debates surrounding them are used as an example to consider assumptions made when we produce data and how to address them. On day three participants are encouraged to consider the risks and benefits of data visability for LGBTI+ people and how we as researchers can help minimise risks and maximise benefit. By the end of this training event, participants will have had the chance not only to review a range of question designs but also design their own. In the final session we discuss different elements of question design and their strengths and weaknesses. \### [Queering Data: NCRM]{style="color:#FF00CC "} \###### June 2025 A short course ran over 4 half days aimed at research practitioners and data users discussing matters relating to sex, gender and sexuality survey data production and the queer production of data. Updated to reflect changes in the status of trans rights in the UK. ### [Facilitator for the in conversation with the Deans panel at the CoSS Connections event: University of Glasgow]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### January 2025 Ending an exciting day of networking within the College of Social Sciences I facilitated a conversation between four of the colleges Deans. [2024 Events]{style=”color:#FF00CC “}
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### [Who counts?: Barriers to participation with the Scottish Budget and data representation: SHRC & SGSSS]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### December 2024 Spotlight talk at an International Human Rights Day Event hosted by the SGSSS and SHRC. Presented on how my work surrounding Scotland's budget and the census both highlighst ways that Scotland is world leading while still having very far to go. ### [The construction of Scotland’s LGBTQ+ population in the census : University of Starthclyde]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### December 2024 Talked about how the Scottish 2022 census did and did not represent LGBTQ+ people at the Queer in A Wee Place book event. ### [Queering Data Production: NCRM]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### June 2024 A short course ran over 4 half days aimed at research practitioners and data users discussing matters relating to sex, gender and sexuality survey data production and the queer production of data. ### [Queer Data Production: SGSSS]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### June 2024 A twice repeated 3 hour workshop for the SGSSS summer school [2022 Events]{style=”color:#FF00CC “}
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### [Binary barriers: Representing trans & gender diverse populations in censuses & other population surveys: Mind the Gap Conference]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### July 30th-31st 2022 The 2021/2022 UK censuses represent significant steps forward for the creation of population estimates for LGBTI+ people. However, this progress has been hampered by unprecedented controversy, linked to the UK’s climate of transphobia (Hines, 2020). Academics such as Sullivan (2020) claim to be resisting the conflation of sex and gender in data collection, while promoting “legal sex” question guidance that if followed produces ambiguous data on both concepts, without singling either one out. From a queer feminist stand point, this paper argues that the conflation of sex and gender in the UKs censuses and other population surveys is not new and that the way to address this is by actively including trans and gender diverse people when designing surveys. Findings from a review of current UK population survey practices are utilised to highlight how some experiences of sex and gender are excluded. I then focus on how narrow conceptualisations of sex and gender in the latest censuses have prevented the production of data on the size of the UKs non-binary population and needlessly distorted what could have been ground-breaking data on sex and gender. Online focus groups and an online survey of 347 LGBTI+ people in the UK were utilised, to identify potential solutions to these issues. Showing that representing trans and gender diverse people in data will not hinder our understanding of gender inequality, has been one of the approaches adopted by trans inclusive researchers (Fugard, 2020). This paper goes further, by showing that queering survey methods is essential for gaining a useful understanding sex and gender. By working with survey respondents we can understand on what basis survey questions are answered enabling reliable and intricate presentations of populations. More information can be found [`here`](https://mtgconference.wordpress.com) ### [LGBTQ Data Summit: University of Glasgow]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### June 23rd 2022 Where do we go from here? The collection, analysis and use of LGBTQ data in Scotland. I will be presenting along side Roger Halliday (Research Data Scotland), Sharon Cowan and Ben Collier (University of Edinburgh), Vic Valentine (Equality Network/Scottish Trans) & kevin Guyan (University of Glasgow). ### [Will the digital ever be non-binary? The future of trans (data) rights: Computers, Privacy & Data Protection (CPDP)]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### May 25th 2022 A panel on data representation and privacy for trans people. I will be sharing insights from my work relating to how non-binary people and trans people more broadly can be represented in data. Watch panel [`here`](https://youtu.be/veSC4E2vBMI). ### [Queer Data Launch: Data as a tool for social justice : Lighthouse Bookshop Edinburgh]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### 20th January 2022, 19:00 Launch event for Kevin Guyan's fantastic book, Queer Data. I've been lucky enough to read some of the book and I'm sure it's going to be an outstanding contribution to the discussions surrounding queer data. I am delighted to have been invited to participate on the panel for this launch event. The link to which can be found[`here`](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io1ZVL3lOdI) [2021 Events]{style=”color:#FF00CC “}
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### [Reframing census debates: Essential criteria for representing trans people:Beyond the binary variable conference: FemQuants]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### 6th September 2021 The 2021/2022 UK censuses represent significant steps forward for the production of data on the LGBTQ+ population. However, this progress has been hampered by unprecedented controversy, linked to the UK’s climate of transphobia (Hines, 2020). Academics such as Sullivan (2020) claim to be resisting the conflation of sex and gender in data collection while promoting “legal sex” question guidance that if followed produces more ambiguous data. This paper argues that the conflation of sex and gender in the UKs censuses and other population surveys is not new and that the way to address this is by incorporating trans representative survey practices. Findings from reviewing current UK population survey practices will be utilised to highlight core limitations in how sex and gender are represented. The paper will then focus on how narrow conceptualisations of sex in the census have prevented the production of data on the size of the UKs non-binary population and needlessly distorted what could have been ground-breaking data on sex and gender. Potential solutions to these issues will be discussed based on preliminary findings from direct engagement with groups currently overlooked by the UK’s representation of sex and gender in surveys. Showing that representing trans people in data will not hinder our understanding of gender inequality has been one of the approaches adopted by trans inclusive researchers (Fugard, 2020). This paper aims to go further by showing that trans representative survey practices are essential for gaining an accurate understanding sex and gender. Fugard, A. 2020. Should trans people be postmodernist in the streets but positivist in the spreadsheets? A reply to Sullivan. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 23, 525-531. Hines, S. 2020. Counting the cost of difference: a reply to Sullivan. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 23, 533-538. Sullivan, A. 2020. Sex and the census: why surveys should not conflate sex and gender identity. International Journal of Social ResearchMethodology, 23, 517-524. ### [Conducting Research with LGBTQ+ People: SGSSS]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### June 2021 A twice repeated 3 hour workshop for the SGSSS summer school ### [What will the census tell us?: Working with and representing LGBTQ+ people: University of Brighton’s Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### 24th February 2021 The workshop will be split into two, with the first half focusing on the 2021/2022 UK census representation of LGBTQ+ people. The second half will be dedicated to knowledge exchange on practical elements of engaging with LGBTQ+ people. [2020 Events]{style=”color:#FF00CC “}
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### [Conducting Research with LGBTQ+ People Using Online Resources: SGSSS]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### 2th November 2020 Having been awarded the student led training fund I am producing online training on conducting research with LGBTQ+ people. The resources included a video presentation, resource list and a participant Q & A and reflection session over Zoom. All resources produced can be found [`here`](https://lgbtqsocsci.weebly.com/) ### [Improving how population surveys represent, sex,gender and seuxality in the UK: Glasgow ReproducibiliTea]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### 24th July 2020 Presentation can be found [`here`](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNNzXhIWA0I&ab_channel=GlasgowReproducibiliTea) ### [LGBTQ+ Reserach Sharing Event: University of Glasgow LGBT+ Staff Network]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### 18th June 2020 More information can be found [`here`](https://www.facebook.com/events/679643939546338/) ### [LGBT Reserach Sharing Event: University of Glasgow Gilchrist Postgraduate Club]{style="color:#FF00CC "} ###### 17th February 2020 Resentation in the style of 5 minute thesis for LGBTQ+ history month 2020. 