Social Sciences Festival 2025 - Carceral Diagonalism: The Punitive Safety Politics Linking Left and Right Anti-gender Mobilisations in Britain
When:
—
Venue:
TBC
This event is designed for in-person attendance. A live stream will be available for those unable to attend, but please note that the event room is not fully equipped for hybrid delivery, so sound and video quality may be suboptimal.
18:00 - Welcome & Introductions – Chair
18:10 - Presentation - Sarah
18:40 - Response & Questions – Lizzie
18:50 - Discussion between Sarah & Lizzie
19:00 - Q&A from audience
19:30 - Wrap up
Speaker: Prof Sarah Lamble
Discussant: Dr Lizzie Hughes
Chair: TBC
Hosted by: The Birkbeck Centre for British Political Life / Birkbeck Gender & Sexuality (BiGS)
What explains the rapid escalation of ‘gender critical’ politics in Britain and the backlash against transgender rights? How should we make sense of alliances between conservative and religious groups on the right and some feminist groups on the left?
In this talk, Professor Lamble will discuss how carceral safety claims – namely political assertions that see the safety of one group as contingent on the punishment and unsafety of others – have driven cross-political anti-trans alliances in Britain. While transnational anti-gender politics are generally associated with conservative, religious, and nationalist groups, in Britain gender critical feminists and lesbians on the left have also been active players, generating new forms of ‘political diagonalism’. These alliances have been forged by claims that trans rights pose a safety threat to non-trans women and children, and by reframing attacks on trans rights as protective measures for women.
Such ‘carceral diagonalism’ has gained traction through widespread misinformation, the weaponisation of sexual violence fears, and the portrayal of anti-gender advocates as protectors of women’s safety. To confront these trends, Dr Lamble will argue for feminist counter-strategies that address safety concerns through transnational anti-carceral solidarities.
Biographies
Dr Sarah Lamble is Professor of Criminology and Queer Theory at Birkbeck. Lamble’s research addresses questions of gender, sexuality, and the criminal legal system; and explores alternatives to imprisonment, policing, and punishment. Lamble is currently completing a Leverhulme-funded research project, Beyond sex versus gender: Rethinking the 'gender wars' in Britain.
Dr Lizzie Hughes researches anti-trans discourse and the informal surveillance of bodies in everyday spaces. Their interests include trans, crip, and critical race studies, the prison, and theories of surveillance and governance. They also run a community-based LGBTQI+ mental health project that enriches their academic research and pedagogical practice.
Contact name:
Ben Worthy