Today in my very full post-holiday inbox there’s a competition for PhD students to describe their research as a dessert to win boxes of ice cream. Where are the ECR ice cream contests?! In unrelated news a nurse told me my diabetes score is low. My ice cream consumption hasn’t come for me yet.

We know that despite advances for disabled students, access issues still drive withdrawals from study. UK universities are responding to 'market' forces and government policies by shrinking access to degrees that afford disabled students good access to university. That's a problem, isn't it? 5/5

What happens if we place the UK university crisis in the Humanities (and some Social Sciences) within the context of students with known disabilities? We know that regional cold spots increasingly limit HE choices for many disadvantaged students. What do the stats suggest for disability? A 🧵 1/5

We downloaded the @tinybookshopgame.com game for PlayStation last night and have played it all day today. Think I might understand this gaming thing now. You drive around a little town with a bookshop trailer recommending books. There are queer vibes. Everything about it is great.

We need your help! We’re carrying a giant quilt through London with London Trans+ Pride on Saturday July 25th, and we need volunteers to join us in making a big, beautiful statement of trans community and strength. Volunteer 💪 🏳️‍⚧️ https://goodlawproject.org/campaign/the-trans-unity-quilt/

Everyone - can you help us carry all 96m of the @transunityquilt.bsky.social through central London as an enormous statement of trans strength and solidarity? Can you help us find people who will? Saturday July 25th with London Trans+ Pride - sign up at the link below from @goodlawproject.org

It's always been when it happens to the elite universities then it's an actual problem. My professional body put out an open letter opposing cuts in one institution all while the post-92 provision of our subject was decimated.

The University of Manchester is hiring a full time fixed-term (11 month) Lecturer in Theatre and Performance Studies (Teaching & Scholarship) to cover for colleagues on Research Leave. The application deadline is 14 July. www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

“Many reported feeling anxious, overworked and unsure about their future in academia. Early-career researchers in particular said they often feel isolated and lack consistent support from their institutions, and international researchers faced added risks when discussing their LGBTQ+ identity". 3/3

'The study was carried out by researchers from Sheffield Hallam University, Swansea University, the University of Bristol, and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and is presented in a report titled Is All Publicity Good Publicity?'. 2/3

“Academics want to promote their research outside of the university....However, in an increasingly queerphobic and transphobic public environment, this is becoming more difficult and riskier for researchers working on LGBTQ+ topics and they often face a backlash.” (Dr Charlotte Jones) 1/3

I’m on a research trip in Dublin for an LGBTIQ+ project (looking at youth and mis/disinformation on social media) with @pauljreilly.bsky.social & Judas from @uofgsociology.bsky.social. It’s just before pride. And it’s like the whole city is set up to welcome us/our research. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

Interested in how disabled people experience rest & free time? Do you self-identify as a disabled person (&/or chronically ill, neurodivergent, or other similar self-identifying terms), are over 18, & live in the UK? Consider this research questionnaire: breadrosesdisability.uk/questionnaire/

I’m in a hotel and the live BBC feed has been showing the door of number 10 with not much happening. But now a podium has been wheeled out. So I assume Kier is stepping down or Larry the cat has launched a coup.

Happy Father’s Day to my Dad. I got him a T-shirt that says “Got any Gauhaus? Got any Gauhaus?” much to the amusement of both of us.

Got some snail (what is time?) birthday gifts from @kenglish.bsky.social and now I need paper submissions for things so I can stamp snails onto them. Moodle could never.

I was telling a colleague in my corridor about how people confuse @kenglish.bsky.social & I. He didn’t believe me. I go downstairs to fill my water bottle & someone asks me about teaching awards & quants teaching (chat meant for Kirstie Ken in both cases). I’m the words one, they are the numbers one

Save the date! Law's a Drag are hosting our "Hate Crimes Live!" Cabaret 23 July, Wharf Chambers, Leeds New legislation has expanded hate crimes laws. We use art, drag, comedy, and performance, to explore what this means for queer, trans, and disabled people: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hate-crime...

Two interactions with strangers one after the other and got a “cheers dude” then a “thank you doll”. Kind of hope the next one is a gender neutral term beginning with d. The only thing I can think of is “demon”. If the next person I see says “thanks demon” I will be confused but delighted.

Today is my birthday. My Dad sent me a gif with a dog that said “Happy birthday Harvey”. He’s better at the internet than me. Anyway I’ve not been following the Women & Equalities Committee/EHRC. I’ve been far too busy eating cake & curry. Thanks to all the people engaging in the chaos right now. 🧁🥘

Published today: the latest in our Sociological & Cultural Studies blog series. In ‘Is the Online Safety Act censoring sexual health content?’ Judas Kelley explores some of the potentially troubling consequences of this Act for those seeking sexual health information in the UK. Please share.

Kirstie Ken is one of my favourite colleagues and an excellent teacher. This College Teaching Excellence Award is so well deserved. Would be nice if our employer could spell their name right though.

Today I was introduced to the acronym JEDI for Justice Equality Diversity and Inclusion and I will be adopting it for everything. Thanks to the Physics department at Glasgow uni for being the exact right kind of nerds.

GOT A NEW BIG GAY PAPER OUT FOR #PrideMonth ! It's queer AND Scottish: 'Progressive for all? The experience of LGBTQ+ people in the Scottish social security system'. Big shout-out to co-author @academiclee.bsky.social who led the writing on this one: doi.org/10.1332/1759...

Thank you @profmitchtravis.bsky.social ! I had no idea! So excited! Closer to holding it in my hands 💕 #books #intersex #ageing #aging #intersectionality #routledge www.routledge.com/Intersex-Age...

Had a nice time at the FeME & @diveincdt.bsky.social ‘No boundaries’ festival of cross-disciplinary collaboration at @uofgarc.bsky.social. Loved hearing cool things people are up to. Would be great to bring some sociological and artsy approaches co-supervise future PhD projects. Also I made this:

I still think we should categorise toilets based on activity: pissing, pooping, chatting, and changing. No I haven’t read the guidance yet and I don’t want to. I’m putting it off. Poocrastinating if you will.

Timid librarian in plea to save my workplace from making a huge mistake. A whole floor of Cardiff University's main library is under threat of being repurposed to teaching facilities with the removal of 7km of shelving holding valuable books. Pls share x you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

Not the ASS Library! Cardiff Uni wants to scrap the Arts and Social Studies Library 2nd floor. 7km of books & vital study space gone to make way for classrooms. Please help save this crucial campus resource before it's ripped out in June! Add your name here: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

Writers, write “I waited” without using those words. The letter landed on the bare floor without any fuss or ceremony. The distinctive off-white colour peeking through the envelope window tells me who sent it from first glance. The top of my CHI number just poking out of the bottom of the frame.

Update: I have been gifted a full colour physical copy of the zine. Look at this! They understood the assignment (did I speak the Gen Z right?). Please enjoy the front cover, contents page and the submission of mine they included. [Shared with permission]

Heading to Newcastle for “Queer Crip Guts: Towards an Inclusive Sociology of the Gut” at Northumbria University today. Really excited to hear from a bunch of cool people working in the intersections of queer studies and disability studies in sociological approaches to understanding guts.

Great to be at a book launch for 'Insights Into Creative & Participatory Research’ edited by @drlinziladlow.bsky.social & Laura Way & hear about some of the cool work our chapter sits alongside. If you like your research creative &or participatory: policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/insights-int...

My partner was playing a guess the song game with me. I was unusually good at it. So many familiar songs. Then he asked me to guess the theme of the playlist he was using. It was songs that are 20 years old this year. Was not ready for that.

Do you remember the day before the 2016 Scottish Parliament election where you could genuinely say things like “I don’t care who you vote for just vote” and mean it? In that election there was an LGBTI hustings and all the main parties supported GRA reform. 10 years ago and feels like another planet

What if marking and moderation was done and we went to frolic in the sun? Alas, it is cloudy. If I owe you an email I may actually respond soon. Also I think I’ve been misspelling frolic for my entire life.

I really need to learn to stop checking my work email on days I don’t work. Nothing good comes from this. There’s strong possibility nothing good comes from email. Please send all future correspondence via post card.

The dreadful OFS has had its terrible decision regarding "gender critical" reactionary Kathleen Stock quashed by the High Court. Will have more thoughts once I have read the judgment.

I made a short film! It’s called ‘DUCKS’ (Music and Sound by the incredible Megalithic Sound, everything else by me) youtu.be/L8vZbIeAdAw?... #animation #ducks #shortfilm #independentfilm #3d #cgi

So excited to announce we've got the funds to release a final drop of patches! The absolute final return date is May 6th, so this is our challenge: decorate your patch in one week! We're ready to send them out: just comment below or email [email protected] and we'll get you one!

Trans people and friends, can you help us get the word out? Only 15 left of our final patch drop and all have to be sent out tomorrow/Monday so that we can meet our archiving deadline before sending to the fabricators. Do you want to contribute to an enormous national trans art/activist project?

I don’t check my work junk email often. In amongst the usual nonsense is an advert for a “castration simulator for horses” with an “integrated gravity-based blood system”! It’s “ideal for group use”! For too long I my castration simulation has defied gravity. No idea why I got this but I’m delighted

Happy Monday from jobs.ac who just emailed me “There have been no new jobs matching your chosen search criteria within the last 3 months.” The search criteria are “Scotland” & “social science”. So no social science jobs (of any contract length, level or fraction) in scotland for over 3 months. Grim.

I do find it really weird that anyone in conversation about their LGBT org’s work would spend that time discussing the opinions of someone who as far as I know isn’t LGBT and as far as I know doesn’t have an LGBT partner or child or any other kind of connection to the community. Who is the work for?

I don’t usually big up my work & find it cringe to talk about my research. But forcing myself to ignore that. For people who are genuinely interested in relationships between trans, intersex & LGBT/LGB/LGBTI activists you might want to watch this film/read this: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

I wasn’t going to do #RecordStoreDay because I’m recovering from hospital treatment but we needed to go to Tesco anyway so went to Good Vibes which is round the corner. Found the Self Esteem vinyl I wanted & visited a record shop I’d not been to before. Win. Extra bonus of a late afternoon stroll.

👀 A full time ongoing role as a Lecturer in Theatre in the UK! 🦄

Heading back home after a nice queercrip snaily time at Leeds disability conference. Really enjoyed all the bipolar time chat from @lizziereed.bsky.social and the crip time keynote from @kirstyliddiard1.bsky.social and of course snail time chat with Ned (informed by Tig & Charlotte absent snails). 🐌

On a train home from #BSA #britsoc2026 Thanks to so many folk for such rich stimulating conversations. Thanks for all the supportive engagement with my own work. It was great to hear about so many cool creative projects and some great work in sociological approaches to trans and disability studies.