Queer History Club: Queer Pronouns in Literary History - Talk and Quiz

£13.00 GBP

Sale Sold out

Taxes included.

Join Dr Lena Mattheis, expert in the history of gender-nonconforming pronouns, for a talk and a quiz about pronouns in queer and trans literature!

Did you know that singular you is a more recent addition to the English language than singular they? We can trace back singular they to the 1300s but singular you only replaced thou and thee in the 17th century. This is only one of many surprising facts that literary history can teach us about gender-inclusive pronouns. Where current debates about language policies might have us believe that pronouns that challenge the gender binary are strictly a 21st-century issue, celebrated authors from Margaret Cavendish to Aphra Behn to Virginia Woolf show us that gender non-conformity pronouns have not just been in use for centuries, but are also beautiful enough to have made it into some of the most celebrated novels and poems in English.

Dr Lena Mattheis (they/she) is a senior lecturer specialising in queer and trans literature at the University of Surrey and hosts the Queer Lit podcast.

Kit Heyam (he/they) is a Leeds-based heritage practitioner, trans awareness trainer, academic and author of Before We Were Trans.

Date: Tuesday 4th August 2025
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Bookish Type, 77a Great George Street, LS1 3BR

Tickets are on a sliding scale (£13 / £8 / £5 / £3 / £0)

Please be honest about your financial situation when selecting what to pay for your ticket. If you purchase a ticket at the lowest end of the scale when you could afford the higher ticket prices, it makes it harder for us to provide financial flexibility to those who most need it.

£13 "I have more than enough to comfortably meet my basic financial needs and can afford to contribute a little extra to support access for others."

£8 "I always comfortably meet my needs and have a stable amount of disposable income."

£5 "I am consistently able to meet my basic needs and have some disposable income."

£3 "I have minimal to no disposable income but can regularly meet my basic needs."

£0 "I have no disposable income and regularly cannot afford my basic needs."

Tickets are only refundable up to 7 days before the event starts. Please email to cancel.

----------------------

Access Info

The shop has an 8cm step but we have a ramp we can put in place if required.
There is a downstairs bathroom with toilet and hand basin.
There is a range of seating including chairs that are armless with padded seats and backs, armless sofa, bench with cushions.
Face masks are encouraged but not required; an H13 HEPA air purifier will be in use.
On street parking available (charges may apply).
Please email in advance if you have any specific access needs: thebookishtypeleeds@gmail.com

View full details