Queer Sex Now symposium

‘The time has come to think about sex. To some, sexuality may seem an unimportant topic, a frivolous diversion from more critical problems of poverty, war, disease, racism, famine, or nuclear annihilation. But it is precisely at times such as these - when we live with the possibility of unthinkable destruction - that people are likely to become dangerously obsessed with sexuality.’

Originally written in 1982, Gayle Rubin’s words feel just as pertinent in 2026. As the world continues to careen from crisis to crisis, contestations over queer sex and sexuality have come sharply into focus. From the giddy global response to Heated Rivalry, to tightening controls on queer online spaces; from increasingly sexualised forms of queer nightlife, to mounting threats to sexual health funding; from the proliferation of categories of sexual orientation, to resurgent transphobia and homophobia – queer sex has become a lightning rod in contemporary culture wars.

Queer Sex Now is a one-day symposium hosted by Queer@King’s, in collaboration with the Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster at Birmingham City University, aiming to untangle the knotty, contradictory questions that have emerged around queer sex in the present moment. The symposium takes ‘queer’ as inclusive of all minoritised sexualities and genders, and invites interdisciplinary conversation between scholars, activists, artists and practitioners.

INDICATIVE PROGRAMME can be accessed here.