Loz Cimmino
Thesis Title: Creating 'TERF Island' - A Socio-Legal Exploration of a British Moral Panic
This project will investigate how Britain came to be colloquially known as ‘TERF Island’ through analysis of the current moral panic surrounding transgender rights. It will examine the synergies of legal, media, and public political discourse in shaping the current state of trans rights and will critically analyse legal developments such as rulings in pivotal cases and state institutional policy change that have arisen within this context. As well as the ‘how’, this project will seek to explore the temporal and theoretical question of why this moral panic has occurred by considering it against wider historical, legal, and political contexts in Britain. This question will give particular consideration to the antitransgender movement’s self-identification as ‘feminist’ in the context of both its ideological juxtaposition to many traditional facets of feminist thought, and the alliance of some of its key figures with anti-feminist groups and actors. This project also hopes to explore whether British transphobia has been ‘exported’, and if so, how this has impacted transgender advocacy and rights internationally. By examining the intersections of law, media, and socio-politics, this project seeks to offer insights into the mechanisms through which discourse is able to shape the law and vice versa, and how this impacts marginalised communities.
Biography:
After completing my LLB at Birmingham City University with a final-year focus on international human rights law, I went on to study an LLM in Law and Social Justice at the University of Birmingham, where I specialised in the socio-legal study of international and domestic human rights issues. My LLM dissertation examined whether the UK’s approach to gender-affirming care complies with its international human rights obligations through analogous application of the theoretical and legal principles that underpin international abortion jurisprudence. During my time as a master's student at UOB, I undertook several research assistant posts, covering topics such as European discrimination law, anti-social behaviour injunctions, and gender-based violence. Prior to commencing my PhD, I worked for 5 years as a freelance representative for people undergoing social security (PIP) and employment discrimination tribunals.
Other Research Interests:
International human rights law, critical legal studies, law and theology, law and popular culture, discrimination law and access to justice
Memberships:
Socio-Legal Studies Association, Discrimination Law Association
Birmingham Law School
University of Birmingham
Supervisory Team:
Dr Damian Gonzalez Salzberg
Dr Charlotte Galpin