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Challenging the social construct of gender & power What might it mean to imagine a society without legal sex? Professor Davina Cooper 8 from King’s College London delved into ‘The controversial politics of abolishing legal sex in Britain’, 9 exploring the implications of prefigurative law reform (IOE, 2024b). This approach analyses dominant arrangements while imagining alternative social organisations that support transformative change. By envisioning the abolition of legal sex and gender, Cooper invited critical reflection on existing norms and encouraged more radical thinking around social justice. Her talk offered a powerful rethinking of gender categories, highlighting the potential for societal shifts. Building on these structural questions, Dr Natacha Kennedy (Goldsmiths College) tackled ‘Deconstructing transphobia’, 10 analysing strategies used by transphobia proponents and their institutionalised impacts on transgender human rights (IOE, 2024a). Her analysis underscored the need for grassroots alliances between trans groups and other organisations campaigning against abuse of power, to combat the systematic exclusion of transgender rights. Identity & the complexity of being: Queer histories, trans futures Dr Onni Gust 11 (University of Nottingham) spoke on ‘Trans history: What? Where? Why?’, 12 providing a holistic look at the recording and importance of transgender history (IOE, 2024e). Their historical perspective illustrated the ever-present yet often obscured transgender history and its critical role in understanding a history of everyone. This narrative of shared experiences of being othered and stigmatised highlighted the universal relevance of trans history. Shifting from historical record to lived experience, Dean Kathryn Bond Stockton 13 delivered a talk titled ‘I was a queer child and so were you’. 14 The talk wove personal memoir with theoretical insights about gender, sexuality and identity, exploring how these concepts are shaped by societal, racial and cultural norms, especially in childhood. The talk ultimately tied this awareness to broader goals of social justice and human flourishing. Together, these talks made a powerful case 8 https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/professor-davina-cooper 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V3Wx7eVCxA&list=PLw X3wZX22uMyBqYSt3f8kM-wflqdFTjxi&index=5 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK15bA-nZAg&list=PLw X3wZX22uMyBqYSt3f8kM-wflqdFTjxi&index=6&t=4383s 11 https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/humanities/departments/ history/people/onni.gust#:~:text=1.%20workRoom%20A2b%20 Lenton 12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx4xTb8557o&list=PLwX3 wZX22uMyBqYSt3f8kM-wflqdFTjxi&index=1 13 https://www.kathrynbondstockton.com/ 14 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLPUqXgWT7o

REFERENCES UCL Institute of Education [IOE]. (2024a, June 26). Deconstructing transphobia [Video]. YouTube. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=WK15bA-nZAg UCL Institute of Education [IOE]. (2024b, July 1). The controversial politics of abolishing legal sex in Britain [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V3Wx7eVCxA UCL Institute of Education [IOE]. (2024c, July 1). Trans- inclusive feminism, gender critical feminism: Culture wars in the media [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=iXcT98w8dlE UCL Institute of Education [IOE]. (2024d, July 17). ‘Cancel culture’ and the politics of vulnerability in queer/trans online spaces [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=qgFB80dKK2k UCL Institute of Education [IOE]. (2024e, December 10). Trans history: What, where, why? [Video]. YouTube. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=jx4xTb8557o for embracing the complexities of identity, and left me reflecting on how we engage with them in education. Conclusion By fostering critical discussions and understanding, the TSS paves the way for future initiatives aimed at enhancing trans-inclusivity, steering us towards more inclusive futures. However, as an undergraduate student research fellow and facilitator on this project, I also witnessed the institutional barriers that remain. This experience left me questioning: How can we ensure that such spaces are safe, sustainable and accountable to trans communities? And what does meaningful inclusion look like in academia beyond a series of talks? These questions will continue to shape my thinking long after the series has ended. In reflecting on the dialogues I was part of, I am reminded that education is never neutral, and that perhaps the most an individual can do is to keep asking difficult questions even when there are no easy answers.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 1. How should schools, universities and

policymakers respond when trans-inclusive educational work meets institutional resistance or competing claims about gender and rights? 2. Are we approaching trans inclusion as a matter of policy compliance and access, or are we willing to rethink the cultural norms and power structures that shape recognition and value in education? 3. What place should belonging have in the purpose and practice of education?

BERA BITES 15 | EDUCATING FOR ALL