Trans+ Virtual Centre of Excellence (TVCE) 1st Annual Symposium

The TVCE was founded by our resident researcher and member of the De-Centre for Socially Engaged Practice, Dr T. J. Bacon (she/they). Her De-Centre line of enquiry is titled Queer Acts of Hope, which led to the creation of the TVCE. 

The TVCE currently boasts an international membership of over 50 academics and continues to welcome membership applications. 

For this inaugural conference, we have opened the theme of Queer Acts of Hope to be explored by the community in attendance. We therefore welcome expressions of interest that seek to unpack and explore this concept in relation to Trans+ lives, communities, advocacy, policy, activism, artistry, and the social, medical, legal, historical, and philosophical dimensions of Trans+ experience. Queer Acts of Hope emerge through the ways Trans+ individuals and communities imagine, create, and sustain futures despite systemic challenges. Hope is not passive—it is an active, radical force that manifests in grassroots organising, mutual aid, creative and academic expressions, effort (both within and beyond the institution) and the everyday decision to live authentically. Acknowledging the difficulties faced by the Trans+ community today, we invite contributions that celebrate, uplift, and advocate for Trans+ lives. While we recognise the importance of representing oppressive contexts, we encourage submissions that frame these realities within qualitative and quantitative studies, avoiding the unnecessary exploitation of trauma narratives. We also welcome expressions of interest that engage with artistic practices, in alignment with our host institution, Guildhall School of Music & Drama. By centring Queer Acts of Hope, this conference seeks to highlight the ways Trans+ communities not only navigate adversity but actively shape new possibilities.

This conference embraces Queer Acts of Hope not only in content but in form, de-centring rigid academic structures in favour of experimental, embodied, and transformative modes of knowledge-sharing. We invite scholars, artists, writers, curators, activists, and practitioners to rethink the boundaries of presentation, privileging engagement, collectivity, and experience over conventional hierarchies of expertise.

Proposed formats might include, but are not limited to:

• Unpanels (45–90 minutes) – Non-hierarchical, facilitated conversations where knowledge is co-created amongst a panel of speakers rather than delivered one at time, fostering open and emergent discussions.
• Ephemeral Manifestos (30–60 minutes) – Indicative examples include collaborative writing, speaking, or performance-based actions that unfold and dissolve in real time, resisting fixity and traditional documentation.
• Peripatetic Walks (60–90 minutes) – Moving thought-scapes that challenge static modes of discussion, these could integrate embodied and site-responsive inquiry if appropriate.
• Transmissions (15 minutes) – Sonic, digital, or visual interventions. Indicative examples could take the form of audio essays, experimental monologues, or poetic interruptions.
• Haptic Lectures (30 minutes) – Sensory-based presentations that foreground an engagement with touch, movement, and the non-verbal as legitimate forms of scholarly expression.
• Fugitive Teach-ins (60–90 minutes) – Gatherings within and beyond the conference space that resist institutional gatekeeping and centre communal learning.
• Living Archives (30 minutes) – Evolving installations that offer space for artwork or film where participants contribute personal, historical, or speculative materials throughout the conference or during dedicated sessions.
• De-Centred Meditations (60 minutes) 30 mins of silent meditation to reflect on a given provocation or topic followed by 30 mins of conversation.
• Rituals of Refusal (30 minutes) – Performative acts of care, rest, joy, or silence as valid methodologies of resistance and knowledge production. 

But what about conference papers?

Traditional conference papers often reinforce hierarchies—one person speaks, others listen, and questions follow. To de-centre this while still valuing structured research through paper contributions, we welcome the following possible approaches:

• Fragmented Papers (30–60 minutes)

Instead of a single uninterrupted presentation, the speaker delivers their paper in fragments interspersed with discussion, audience reflection, or collaborative annotation. This might include moments where listeners respond in writing, in small groups, or by contributing their own lived experiences to the evolving dialogue.

• Conversational Papers (15–20 minutes per speaker, in a 60-minute session)

A pair of presenters with an intentionally limited audiences, who act as respondents, engage in real-time conversation rather than waiting for a formal Q&A. This format disrupts the idea of a fixed "expert" by ensuring knowledge emerges relationally, not in isolation.

• Echo Papers (40-60 minutes, 2–3 speakers per session)

Presenters share their papers, but instead of direct Q&A, the audience reflects back what resonated with them through writing and drawing onto a large canvas, i.e. what questions arise, or how the ideas connect to their own work. This creates an iterative, collective knowledge-building process rather than a one-directional talk. And as more people read the canvas the echoes of responses to previous responses ripple outwards.

• Distributed Papers (Ongoing)

Instead of being presented all at once, papers are broken into sections and placed throughout the conference venue (as QR codes, printed excerpts, or audio recordings). Attendees engage with them at their own pace, then gather for a facilitated discussion where the paper's ideas are synthesized through collective reflection.

We encourage submissions that blur the boundaries between research, activism, and artistry, pushing beyond the expected and embracing alternative, hybrid, and experimental forms. Let us imagine Queer Acts of Hope not just as a theme, but as a method, a practice, and a mode of being. We therefore welcome further suggestions for modes of presentation beyond those above. 

Note:

This symposium will be hybrid and so proposals can operate from a remote location with consideration of those present both online and in-person at Guildhall School. All proposals should aim to foster dialogue, community-building, and future collaborations, centring trans+ voices and experiences. We strongly encourage submissions from trans+ researchers, practitioners, and allies whose work meaningfully engages with trans+ issues.

• 17^th March - Open Call for applications
• 28^th April – Deadline for applications
• 16^th May – 23^rd May - Confirmation of Presenters 
• 6^th June – Publication of Symposium Schedule 

Selection Committee 

• Dr T. J. Bacon - TVCE Co-Lead, GSMD Resident Researcher & De-Centre for Socially Engaged Practice Member
• Prof Susan Hansen - TVCE Co-Lead, Middlesex University & President of the International Visual Sociology Association
• Dr Sophie Hope – GSMD Lecturer, De-Centre for Socially Engaged Practice Steering Group & TVCE Member
• Dr Roan Runge – TVCE Co-Lead & University of Glasgow
• Halo Starling - TVCE Co-Lead & University of Southern California
• Tom Tanner – GSMD DEI Support Officer for Innovation & Engagement 

Guildhall Steering Group

• Dr T. J. Bacon – Founder of Trans+ Virtual Centre of Excellence
• Prof Sean Gregory – Vice-Principal and Director of Innovation, Engagement & Lifelong Learning
• Dr Sophie Hope – De-Centre for Socially Engaged Practice
• Mohammed Ilyas – Head of Diversity Equity and Inclusion
• Tom Tanner – GSMD DEI Support Officer for Innovation & Engagement 

The Trans+ Virtual Centre of Excellence (TVCE) is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and advocacy group. The TVCE membership is formed by a collective of international scholars and researchers from within either academic institutes or who may be independent, but all are recognised world-leaders in their field. Their collective intention is to produce new knowledge through working groups and collaboration; leading on initiatives toward public engagement and advocacy; and produce critical mass that benefits Trans+ lives.

 The TVCE foregrounds research that supports a safe, caring, and supportive space and operates a non-hierarchical research community through collective co-leadership. It also recognises that members of the TVCE may encounter personal difficulties during periods of research, especially with consideration of lived experiences affecting the Trans+ community across a myriad of intersectional identities, it therefore will always seek to prioritise care and adaptation for all.

The TVCE was founded with the intention to exist beyond the geographic boundaries of a single institution and/or country as an act of preservation and safety during a time of unstable global political turmoil that directly targets Trans+ lives and intersectional marginalised groups. Its "virtualness" creates a safe queer space for Trans+ people irrespective of political upheaval and oppression. 

Find out more about the TVCE

Guildhall De-Centre focuses on the support structures, networks and collaborations that form the basis of socially engaged practices by developing a community of researchers, practitioners, producers, teachers and administrators at Guildhall School. 

The De-Centre fosters a range of activities including research, internal operations, curriculum development, and public exchanges to investigate, chronicle, and integrate decentralized, socially conscious, equitable, sustainable, and interdisciplinary practices throughout the School. Our goal is to champion these practices within the conservatoire and further afield, enhancing interaction, exchange, and recognition of socially engaged endeavours.

Learn more about Guildhall De-Centre 

As an institution, we recognise that we have not done enough to understand the lived experience of staff and students from underrepresented backgrounds. In order to better understand these experiences, we have been working closely with a range of specialists and organisations with lived experience and expertise, to ensure our School becomes an actively anti-discriminatory, anti-racist and inclusive organisation.

Explore Guildhall’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Trans+ Virtual Centre of Excellence Symposium Code of Conduct

Purpose

This Code of Conduct is designed to foster a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for trans+ individuals, allies, accomplices and advocates and those with trans+ intersectional identities attending our symposium. All participants are expected to uphold these guidelines to ensure that our community remains supportive and affirming.

1. Respect for Identity and Accessibility

• Use Correct Names and Pronouns:
  Always address individuals by their chosen name and pronouns. If you are uncertain, ask politely and learn their preferences. We encourage everyone to include their pronouns in their presentations.
• Encourage Visual Descriptions:
  When introducing yourself, consider offering a brief visual description for those who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise benefit from this practice. For example: "I’m Alex, a white non-binary person with short blue hair, wearing glasses and a black jumper."
• Resilience Check-Ins:
  Where possible, facilitators of presentations should create space for resilience check-ins—opportunities for participants to share their emotional and energy levels, ensuring a supportive environment for engagement. This is particularly important for those experiencing marginalisation, fatigue, or emotional distress related to the symposium topics.
• Alternative Forms of Access:
  Recognise that not everyone engages in the same way. Be open to multiple forms of participation, including text-based chat, quite reflection, relaxed presentation/performances, asynchronous contributions, or written responses rather than verbal ones. 

2. Zero Tolerance for Discrimination and Commitment to Intersectionality

• No Deadnaming:
  Using someone’s former or incorrect name (deadnaming) is not acceptable. 
• Inclusive Language:
  Any form of transphobia, hate speech, or discriminatory behaviour—including slurs, jokes, or derogatory comments—will not be tolerated. This includes microaggressions, coded language, and any rhetoric that undermines or invalidates trans+ identities.
• Respectful Communication:
  Comments that marginalize or demean trans+ individuals are unacceptable. This symposium is committed to ensuring that all individuals, particularly those with intersecting identities—such as Global Majority people; disabled people; neurodivergent people; sex workers; migrants; and those from other historically marginalised communities—are affirmed, valued, and safe.
• Understanding Intersectionality:
  Trans+ people do not exist in isolation from other aspects of identity, including race, class, disability, neurodivergence, faith, and more. Forms of discrimination are often compounded, and as such, we expect all participants to approach conversations with an awareness of the ways oppression intersects. Dismissing or erasing these experiences will not be tolerated.
• Validate Diverse Perspectives:
  Ensure that every member feels heard and respected, regardless of their intersecting identities. Listen actively and engage with the complex ways in which identity shapes experience.

3. Safe Spaces

• Respect Boundaries:
  This symposium is a safe space for trans+ individuals. Avoid asking invasive questions about someone’s identity or transition.
• Privacy and Confidentiality:
  Respect the privacy of all participants. Personal information shared should remain confidential and must not be disclosed without explicit consent and appropriate credit. 

4. Trigger Warnings

• Considerate Content Sharing:
  Provide trigger warnings when discussing sensitive topics. This practice helps ensure that all participants can engage comfortably and with foreknowledge of potentially distressing content.

5. Support, Allyship, Advocating

• Be Supportive:
  Offer kindness, celebrate successes, and listen with empathy. Foster an environment where everyone feels valued and understood.
• Active Allyship:
  Move beyond passive support. Ask how you can help and take action to create meaningful change. Being an accomplice means engaging in practices that uplift and empower trans+ communities.

6. Constructive and Respectful Conversations

• Engage Thoughtfully:
  Approach discussions with the intent to educate, uplift, and learn from one another.
• Respect Lived Experiences:
  Avoid dismissing others’ experiences or engaging in arguments that undermine personal narratives. Instead, challenge ideas respectfully.

7. No Gatekeeping

• Validate all trans+ Identities:
  All trans+ identities are valid. Do not question or police how someone identifies, expresses or experiences their gender transition. Every individual’s journey is unique and deserving of respect.
• Embrace Authenticity:
  Your speaking voice and style are important. Gatekeeping or imposing restrictions or expectation of gendered expression of a trans+ vocal quality is not allowed.

8. Support Access

• Be Guided by Experience:
  If you’re unsure how to support someone, listen to their experiences. Make adjustments as needed to ensure accessibility and inclusivity.

9. Foster Connection

• Engage Actively:
  Share your experiences, ask thoughtful questions, and contribute to the community. Building meaningful connections enriches the symposium for everyone.
• Community Building:
  Strive to create an environment of care, support, and active contribution.

10. Reporting and Response

• Speak Up:
  If you witness or experience behaviour that violates these guidelines, please report it immediately to a designated facilitator.
• Timely Action:
  We are committed to addressing any breaches promptly and appropriately to maintain a safe and inclusive environment.

Enforcement

Violations of this Code of Conduct may result in immediate removal from the symposium, and further actions may be taken as necessary. We reserve the right to update these guidelines to ensure the ongoing safety and inclusivity of our community.

Agreement

By attending this symposium, you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct and help us maintain a positive, respectful, and empowering space for everyone.