Panel: Invisible Identities – Why We’re Queer When We’re Not Having Sex

This uplifting and affirming panel celebrates often unspoken gender identities, sexualities and attraction styles. This is a unique opportunity to see some of our most frequently silenced communities represented on stage to reclaim their narratives and have their voices heard.

We’ll be welcoming to the stage Vaneet Mehta (Bisexual Men Exist), Rebecca Burgess (How to Be Ace) and Jamie Raines (The T in LGBT) for an enlightening event chaired by student curator Alexa Rusakoff to discuss how their work fights stereotypes and misrepresentation to support new generations of queer people.

Vaneet Mehta (He/Him) is an Indian bisexual man born and raised in Southall, West London. He is a software engineer, writer and public speaker and the founder of #BisexualMenExist, which went viral in 2020. He has appeared on numerous panels and delivered talks to various companies. He has written for Men’s Health, Stonewall, GMFA, Metro UK, OutLife and Unicorn Magazine and his work has been published in The Bi-ble: New Testimonials, The Ampersand Project and The Sex Agenda. Bisexual Men Exist is his first book.

Rebecca Burgess is a comic artist and illustrator working in the UK, creating award winning published and small press work. Along with drawing comics for their day job, Rebecca also loves drawing webcomics in their free time. Being autistic, they are particularly passionate about bringing more autistic characters into comics and stories. Outside of drawing comics and cuddling their cat, Rebecca also loves playing RPGs with friends, going on deep dives into history and growing vegetables in their humble Bristol garden.

Jamie Raines, named Influencer of the Year at the British LGBT Awards and Author of the Sunday Times Best Seller The T in LGBT. Jamie is a doctoral researcher and transgender content creator, known for his quintessential quirks and advocating LGBTQ+ rights. Jamie has amassed a passionate community of over 1 million YouTube subscribers and around 250k followers on TikTok and Instagram. His journey as a transgender individual has inspired and educated millions, making him a leading figure in the LGBTQ+ community.

This event is curated by students from the University of Sussex and University of Brighton.

This event will be BSL interpreted.