I am a social researcher and activist, specialising in transgender studies and community development.

I completed my PhD at the University of Warwick in 2016. My thesis looked at how trans health is differently understood within trans community spaces, activist groups and professional literatures, and how this can have important consequences for access to care. I have written a book based on this work: Understanding Trans Health.

In addition to trans health, my research interests include ethnography and autoethnography, internet studies, women and gender studies, feminist and queer theory, and trans cultural studies. I have written extensively on these topics, plus edited two books (The Emergence of Trans and TERF Wars) as well as special issues of the International Journal of Transgender Health (Fertility, reproduction and body autonomy) and Sexualities (Trans Genealogies).

I am currently Lecturer in Community Development at the University of Glasgow, and Senior Fellow at the Center for Applied Transgender Studies. I am Editor and trustee of the Community Development Journal (with Kirsty Lohman) and sit on the editorial boards of The Sociological Review and the Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies. I am a member of the British Sociological Association, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Feminist Studies Association of the UK and Ireland. You can read about some of the conferences and academic events I have run on this page.

I’m also an activist, punk musician, DJ, conference organiser and DIY gig promoter. I currently play bass in wormboys and perform vocals in Dispute Settlement Mechanism.

I have previously also played in doom metal band Abandoned Life, punk trio Not Right, and folk rock group Bad News Everyone. I have organised gigs as part of the Revolt! feminist punk collective, and through Rolling Head Promotions.

During the 2000s and early 2010s I was an elected representative in the National Union of Students, volunteering on both the NUS LGBT Campaign committee and NUS Women’s Campaign committee (for which I was the first elected trans representative). I also worked as a staff writer for Lesbilicious, and was involved in activism through the Trans Youth Network.

This website has grown organically around the blog, which pre-dates my academic career. At various times it has been known as Trans Youth Takes On World, Writings of a Trans Activist, and Trans Activist Takes On World. In the early days of the blog I wrote anonymously, so in some older posts I refer to myself in the third person.

Today, the ‘blog’ section of this website is updated sporadically. I typically use it to discuss news and issues relating to trans health and feminism, and share new publications, but this can vary. All views are (or were!) my own, or those of guest authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer or organisations I am affiliated with.

(last updated: 13th July 2021)