Our Beyond Sex theme explores how and where sexual and reproductive rights and social justice intersect with biomedicine, health and wellbeing by paying attention to bodies, illness, technologies and mobilities. Theme Summary Our Beyond Sex theme draws members from across the centre who explore how and where sexual and reproductive health, rights and social justice interact with and shape biomedicine, health and wellbeing. We explore specific sexual and reproductive health issues, such as HIV, endometriosis, contraception, surrogacy, STIs, abortion, LGBTQ health, as well as wider issues relating to bodies, illness, technologies and mobilities. We foreground the importance of public engagement and community involvement in the research process using artistic and creative methods, community-driven conversations, and creative encounters with clinical partners to help understand what is at stake for communities, health systems and biomedical knowledge. Our core research questions include: How do sociological, ethical, legal, biological, and philosophical ideas about ‘sex’ affect the relationship between bodies, health, and technologies? How might researchers how move beyond (and not away from) sex? What changes occur when we approach these ideas about sex as multiple configurations of bodies, health, and technologies? Engagement and Outputs LGBTQ health and wellbeing Our researchers are engaged in projects relating to LGBTQ health and wellbeing, spanning HIV, sexualities, COVID-19 and digital technologies. Ingrid Young leads the Sex, Drugs + Activism Col(LAB)orative, a collection of projects & partnerships exploring sexual justice, health, activism and citizenship. Related projects include: The Wrap & Digital Intimacies. Chase Ledin and Jaime Garcia-Iglesias spearhead a project on the impact of COVID-19 on HIV activists in England and Matthew Cull leads on a project around trans health. Hormones Hub Andrea Ford, Lisa Raeder and former CBSS member Sone Erikainen undertake research related to hormones, sex, and gender. Andrea investigates how people experience endometriosis and people involved in its treatment understand the disorder and the challenges surrounding it, including possible environmental factors that may make it worse. Lisa’s doctoral research examines how hormonal contraception is perceived by users and midwives in the context of a Swedish sexual health clinic. Sexual and reproductive health and justice Nicola Boydell's THIS fellowship focuses on participatory approaches to service improvement in sexual and reproductive health services. Karissa Patton’s historical research explores the ideas of reproductive care and national identities. Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra’s work considers the ethical dimensions of transnational surrogacy and abortion. Several Beyond Sex members are also part of the Scottish IReSH network, which works with community and clinical partners. Decolonising Sex reading group Our Beyond Sex theme host a reading group for reflection and dialogue to question what decolonisation means in relation to gender, sex and health. We also explore what processes of decolonisation might exist within or emergy from our work. We explore contemporary decolonial writers, revisit earlier work, and integrate fiction alongside these texts. At the 2021 Being Human Festival, we built on these readings and discussions by collaborating with Agnyā Movement and Theiya Arts. We explored gender, sexuality and the issue of who is seen or not seen through dance in The Story I See. Theme leads Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra Ingrid Young Researchers and partners Nicola Boydell Matthew Cull Sonja Erikanien Andrea Ford Jaime Garcia-Iglesias Chase Ledin Cath Montgomery Karissa Patton Lisa Raeder This article was published on 2024-09-24
