An Evening of Queer and Trans Poetry
Loud Poet event “An Evening of Queer and Trans Poetry”
Image credit: I Am Loud Productions
Transgender Day of Remembrance, celebrated every year on November 20 since 1999, commemorates the lives of transgender people who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender violence.
The week before, on the occasion of Transgender Awareness Week, transgender advocates and local LGBTQ+ collectives and organisations take action and organise vigils and events to bring to light the lives, stories and experiences of transgender people and help promote advocacy against discrimination and social justice for the transgender community.
In the context of Transgender Awareness week and one day before Transgender Day of Remembrance, Loud Poets, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh Staff Pride Network, UCU Edinburgh and the Scottish Universities International Summer School (SUISS), presented An Evening of Queer and Trans Poetry.
The event featured performances by two renowned poets: Tom Bird (they/them), a Dundee-based writer and poet and performer in poetry-music duo, 2 Stoned Birds, and RJ Hunter (they/she), an award-winning performance poet and writer based in Glasgow. There was also an open mic in which eight amazing poets participated.
Their poems addressed a wide range of topics, from difficult issues such as the murder of trans teenager Brianna Ghey and the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people to the joy and love that come with queer and trans identity, solidarity, and relationships. These very powerful and moving performances filled the room with cheers, tears, and laughter, and denoted the importance of generating spaces and platforms for queer and trans people to share their work, stories, and lived experiences.
Maéva Thibeault is a PhD student whose research explores transformative justice as a community-based and survivor-centered approach to sexual violence in the Spanish context. Her research lies at the intersection of criminology, sociology, and gender studies. She is also a Research and Communications Assistant at GENDER.ED.