By St Anne’s College and GiveOut
Maggi Hambling CBE to deliver inaugural lecture.
St Anne’s College, the University of Oxford and GiveOut are delighted to announce a new flagship lecture series, The Michael Dillon LGBT+ Lectures.
Hosted at St Anne’s, the series, which is named in honour of St Anne’s alumnus, Michael Dillon – the first person known to have medically transitioned from female to male in the UK – will be at the centre of the University’s commitment to the LGBT+ community.
The first in-person lecture will be given by Maggi Hambling CBE. Maggi Hambling, who describes herself as ‘rebelliously lesbionic’, is widely recognised as one of Britain’s greatest living artists and is well known for sculptures, seascapes, and for her captivating portraits of Soho luminaries and of the dead. This year’s inaugural lecture follows a pilot event in 2020 on the theme of “LGBT Rights in a Time of Pandemic”, delivered by the late esteemed human rights barrister Jonathan Cooper OBE.
The lectures will be held twice annually and given by prominent LGBT+ individuals from outside of academia who have attained positions of outstanding achievement in their fields.
The inaugural lecture will take place in the Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre in St Anne’s College, University of Oxford, from 17:00 on 17 November 2021 and will be followed by a drinks reception. Registration for the lecture is encouraged but not required for attendance – please see more here.
The lecture will be introduced by Prof. Louise Richardson, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, and Helen King QPM, the Principal of St Anne’s College. Maggi Hambling CBE will be in conversation with Dr Rebecca Surender who was the University of Oxford’s first Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality and Diversity.
“I have no doubt that the Michael Dillon LGBT+ Lectures will challenge and inspire the entire Oxford community and beyond – and help shape the conversation about LGBT+ issues nationally and internationally.”
Rupert Abbott, Executive Director of GiveOut, said:
“We are proud to partner on this lecture series which will celebrate trailblazers in our community here and around the world. As we honour Michael Dillon, a trailblazer of his time, it is fitting that the inaugural lecture will take place in Transgender Awareness Week.”
Notes
Michael Dillon was a trans pioneer – the first person known to have medically transitioned from female to male in the UK. There will be an opportunity to view a selection of archival materials about the life of Michael Dillon, which have been kindly loaned to St Anne’s College by Liz Hodgkinson, in advance of a full exhibition later this year. To read more about Michael Dillon and his time at St Anne’s, visit the college’s website.
Maggi Hambling is one of Britain’s greatest living artists. She is best known for her sculptures memorialising Oscar Wilde (at Charing Cross), Benjamin Britten (at Aldeburgh) and Mary Wollstonecraft (on Newington Green); for her Suffolk seascapes; and for her captivating portraits of Soho luminaries and of the dead. She is the first person to have been appointed Artist in Residence at the National Gallery, and has been the subject of numerous international documentaries and profiles. Her work is displayed in many of the world’s leading art galleries and museums, from the British Museum to the Tate. She was appointed CBE in 2010. For more information visit: http://www.maggihambling.com/