Our past conferences
Each year the ROLES network hosts an interdisciplinary conference bringing together researchers studying a wide range of topics in Sexuality and Gender Studies. Most of our presenters are from the University of Birmingham, however we have welcomed friends and colleagues from other UK and European universities in recent years. Take a look at the programmes, abstracts and bios from ROLES conferences below.
2022
In June 2022, we held our 11th Annual Conference. We had panels on queer theology, queer politics and trans* advocacy, responding to violence against women, exploring sexuality in media, and reading queerness. Papers included 'Retracing Asexuality on British Television' and 'Bisexual Invisibility and Silence within the Church of England'.
2021
In July 2021, we held our 10th Annual Conference after a two year pandemic hiatus. We were joined by friends from universities in Budapest, Hungary, exploring a diverse range of topics from queer-baiting in Marvel films to bisexuality and Christian faith, to prostitution in Hungary. See the full programme by clicking the link above.
2019
The 9th Annual ROLES Conference took place in May 2019, featuring speakers across six panels. See the full programme by clicking the link above.
2018
The 8th Annual Roles Conference took place on 8 June 2018 and featured a keynote by Dr Gemma Commane on BDSM, Kink and the Creative Industries. See the full programme by clicking the link above.
2017
The 7th Annual ROLES Conference took place on 18 May 2017. It included a keynote by Professor Katherine Jenkins on gender identity, as well as thematic panels during which presenters discussed papers. Click the link above to see the full programme.
