Ethical Matters: Trans Joy Matters

Trans people deserve to hear stories of joy and hope, where being trans doesn’t have to be defined by fear and dysphoria, but can be experienced through courage, freedom, and love.

In this Ethical Matters talk, Caroline Litman and T. C. Oakes-Monger invite us to explore how trans lives, and trans joy, matter. Alice Litman died by suicide in May 2022, aged just twenty years old, having already waited almost three years for her first appointment at a gender identity clinic.

Writer, activist and former psychiatrist Caroline Litman shares the realities of an often-messy journey navigating both her daughter’s transition and the days, weeks and months after Alice’s death. What more could be done to protect those like Alice in the future? Caroline invites us to learn the realities of raising a trans teen, to discover the barriers to care she faced and to discuss the state of trans rights in the UK.

Her book, 'Her Name is Alice', a raw, human story of a mother’s love and grief for her child, will be available to buy in person on the night. T. C. Oakes-Monger started writing as a means of survival. After growing-up as a closeted queer in a rural village and realising medical school wasn’t for them, they came out as trans and started working to improve healthcare for LGBTQIA+ people.

Tash will explore the significance of finding joy within the trans community, their experience of discovering gender freedom through the seasons and the importance of fostering dialogue in our increasingly gender-critical climate. Their book, All the Things They Said We Couldn’t Have, will also be available to buy.