The Queer Body

What does it mean to live in – reclaim, reshape and even revel in – the queer body? This expansive conversation brings together writers, thinkers and campaigners exploring body image, beauty standards, shame, wellness and self-expression across queer communities.

Joining the panel are body positivity writer and activist Megan Jayne Crabbe (We Don’t Make Ourselves Smaller Here), queer health practitioner and author Daniel O’Shaughnessy (The Queer Guide to Nutrition and Lifestyle) and author, creator, and queer advocate Max Hovey (No Fats, No Fems). The panel will be chaired by award-winning editor, writer, speaker and model, Jamie Windust (In Their Shoes: Navigating Non-Binary Life).

Together, the panel will explore the pressures placed on queer bodies, the impact of gender, sexuality and social media on self-image, and healing, pleasure and liberation beyond narrow expectations of beauty and worth. This conversation asks how we might begin to queer the body — embrace our physicality, and imagine new ways of relating to ourselves and each other.

London-based Megan Jayne Crabbe is best known for changing the narrative of how women feel about their bodies — she built her enormous platform by creating empowering content on the topics of body positivity, mental health, feminism and beyond. In 2017 Megan released her bestselling debut book, Body Positive Power, a manifesto on all the ways we’ve been taught to hate our bodies, and how we can accept them instead. With her second book, We Don’t Make Ourselves Smaller Here, Megan expands from reclaiming the body to reclaiming the whole self. 

Megan has worked with BBC, The Brits, MTV and Channel 4, been featured on This Morning and Radio One and is a keynote speaker for the biggest brands and media outlets across the globe.

Daniel O’Shaughnessy is a Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner, award-winning nutritionist, author and speaker recognised as a pioneer in queer health. With more than fifteen years of clinical experience, following an earlier career in drug addiction, his work sits at the intersection of physiology, psychology, identity and lived experience. His work is also shaped by his own healing journey through trauma, shame, rejection, addiction and body dysmorphia. With postgraduate training in trauma, psychedelics and integrative approaches to mental health, Daniel brings together functional medicine, nutrition, somatic and transpersonal practices, and lived experience to explore how health is shaped by the body, nervous system, culture and the stories we carry. Daniel is the author of The Queer Guide to Nutrition and Lifestyle, a comprehensive and evidence-informed guide to LGBTQ+ health, nutrition and wellbeing. His previous book, Letting Go of Perfect: A Gay Man’s Guide to Healing from Body Dysmorphia, explores shame, control, self-worth and body image through the lens of gay lived experience.

Max Hovey is a London-based author, creator, and queer advocate. He dedicates his platform to sparking discussions about and promoting body acceptance, sex education, mental health awareness, and other topics relating to LGBTQIA+ issues. His writing and work have been featured in The Independent, Attitude Magazine, GQ, Bustle, and other outlets. No Fats, No Fems is his first book and is already a #1 Best Seller in Gay Sex Guides on Amazon. He became a certified sex educator in December 2024 and has since launched his platform CLIMAX. This serves as a central hub for all things queer intimacy, aiming to bridge the gap in knowledge about queer sex education. From neurodivergence and body image to queer inclusion and sex positivity, Max attempts to help others feel seen by bringing awareness to topics that many tend to shy away from.

Jamie Windust is an award-winning writer, author and presenter whose work sees them share their life as a non-binary person, as well as their love of TV and Film. Their career has seen them speak at TEDxLondon as well as debate at The Oxford Union. In Their Shoes: Navigating Non-Binary Life – Windust’s debut non-fiction was published in 2020 with Jessica Kingsley Publishers and has sold over 10,000 copies worldwide. They’ve also contributed to Scarlett Curtis’ It’s Not Ok To Feel Blue and is the former Contributing Editor at GAY TIMES.