Update – Please note: due to the announcement of the delay to the easing of COVID restrictions, the following is now delayed until Michaelmas. Further updates will be published to our News hub and via Facebook and Twitter.

In honour of pride month (and pending on the easing of restrictions later this month) we wanted to create a combined event at Univ where LGBTQ+ members of the JCR / MCR, SCR, fellows and non-academic staff could spend an afternoon celebrating LGBTQ+ contributions to research, whilst also creating a space to discuss LGBTQ+ experiences within higher education/academia! On June 25th, come and join us for an afternoon of poster presentations, staff and student talks and panel discussions! We would really like to encourage participation from all members of the Univ community, at all career stages, so please do feel free to just attend if you’d like and I strongly encourage members to have a think about putting together an abstract for the event!!

An outline of the day:

Poster presentations: 1:15 – 1:45pm
Conference style! See below for requested format and more details.

Staff and student talks: 2:00 – 3:00pm
8-10 minute talks, 2-3 minutes for questions. We are holding two themes for these talks; Group A will be your academic, conference style talks – about your research. Group B will be for anyone who would like to give a talk and provide insight on their personal experience; be it struggles or successes, navigating higher education whist being LBGTQ+. There are no hard or fast rules for group B talks, so we welcome creative submissions.

Tea / coffee break: 3:00 – 3:30pm

Panel discussion: 3:30 – 4:15pm
(30 minutes for discussion, 15 minutes for audience Q&A)
The topic of the panel discussion is broadly “LGBTQ+ experiences within academia and higher education; progress, problems and future perspectives”.

Really, we want to make this as informal as possible – as we would like this to be an opportunity and a safe space for staff and students at Univ to talk about what their LGBTQ+ experience has been like in academia (or at Univ), and to hopefully arrive at some key action points to improve LGBTQ+ equality in academic spaces.

If you feel strongly about the current state of LGBTQ+ equality in higher education, or if you have something to say on the day – we’d love to hear from you, no matter what your level of experience or academic background (see below for how to apply)!

Selection will be based on equal contribution from JCR / MCR and SCR where possible. Priority will be given to panel applicants and submissions to staff and student talks (B) from those with underrepresented and marginalised LGBTQ+ / intersecting identities where appropriate.

Wine and refreshments: 4:15 – onwards

Abstract submissions – deadline 13th June (12pm)
We couldn’t hold the event without the participation of all of you lovely people – so please do submit an abstract (word document) to wcr.lgbtq@univ.ox.ac.uk by the Sunday 13 June for consideration for the event! Just for clarification, only an abstract submission is needed by 13 June, you need not upload any PowerPoint slides by this date!

After all abstracts have been submitted by 13 June, you will be notified by email of the outcome of your submission by the 15th.
Please submit abstracts to wcr.lgbtq@univ.ox.ac.uk in the following format;

Poster presentations
Please submit an abstract of ~100-250 words outlining a research project / dissertation you have worked on that you would like to present! Poster format – A0 size (841 x 1189mm), portrait. Please print and bring the poster with you on the day.
Email subject: [Poster presentation] – Research title
Attachments: Abstract saved as a word document
Main body: 1-2 sentences about your current academic background: e.g. degree, year, department, thesis title (if applicable) and pronouns.

Staff and student talks (group A)
Please submit an abstract of ~100-250 words outlining a research project / dissertation you have worked on that you would like to present!
Format – 8-10 minute talks with 2-3 minutes for questions. For those giving talks, we would like to ask that you bring a copy of your PowerPoint slides (if needed) on a USB and to submit an online copy prior to the event.
Email subject: [Staff/Student talk (group A)] – Research title
Attachments: Abstract of your talk saved as a word document
Email main body: 1-2 sentences about your current academic background: e.g. degree, year, department, thesis title (if applicable) and pronouns.

Staff and student talks (group B)
Please submit ~50-250 words summarising what you would like to talk about on the day (General guide if stuck for ideas; A personal perspective of LGBTQ+ related challenges, issues, progress that you may have experienced during your academic career)
Format – 8-10 minute talks with 2-3 minutes for questions. For those giving talks, we would like to ask that you bring a copy of your PowerPoint slides (if needed) on a USB and to submit an online copy prior to the event.
Email subject: [Staff/student talk (group B)] – Title of proposed talk
Attachments: Abstract of your talk saved as a word document
Email main body: 1-2 sentences about your current academic background: e.g. degree, year, department and thesis title (if applicable) and pronouns.

Prospective panellists
Please submit ~50-250 words / a brief paragraph on why you would like to be a panel member and what you would like to bring to the discussion!
Email subject: [Prospective panellist)] – Your name
Attachments: Why you would like to be a panel member (saved as a work document)
Email main body: 1-2 sentences about your current academic background: e.g. degree, year, department and thesis title (if applicable) and pronouns.

Ways to get involved
If you would like to help out on the day, please contact Cameron! There will be a lot of smaller things to co-ordinate on the day (sound, microphones, PowerPoints, timings, refreshments etc.) but also the opportunity to moderate the panel discussion – so any volunteers will be greatly appreciated!

Published: 10 June 2021

Explore Univ on social media