FLORENCE SCHECHTER

National Student Pride brings you a discussion on LBTQ+ Women as part of our week-long 2021 event. Panel hosted by Nichi Hodgson & featuring Sophie Duker, Abigail Thorn & Florence Schechter #StudentPride

In a speech given at Trans Activism UK’s #NotSafeToBeMe protest outside downing Street, London, Florence Schechter from The Vagina Museum discusses the parallels she sees as a Jewish woman between the historic treatment of the Jewish community, and the modern treatment of the trans community. She also discusses her insights on why Anti Trans views are incompatible with feminism, and how the similar struggles faced by the trans and jewish communities provide cause for solidarity in shared oppression.

To find out more about Conway Hall: http://www.conwayhall.org.uk/join The whole event can be seen here: https://youtu.be/4YGO_hJR3sA The Ethical Gala, an annual event to showcase Conway Hall’s values and charitable work, was hosted by @BBC Radio 4 presenter Iszi Lawrence, with talks from Vagina Museum co-founder @floschechter, comic poet John Hegley, sustainable fashion entrepreneur Safia Minney, historian and activist David Rosenberg, and lawyer and campaigner Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu. Yvonne Field, from intergenerational social enterprise the Ubele Iniative, was the recipient of Conway Hall Ethical Society’s first Ethical Award, which recognises an outstanding contribution to Making Ethics Matter in the world. The Ethical Society, which has existed since 1789, has been at Conway Hall since the building was purpose-built 90 years ago and is an independent, educational charity. Conway Hall hosts a wide variety of talks, concerts, exhibitions, courses, performances, community and social events. It is also renowned as a hub for free speech and independent thought, hosting suffragettes, political radicals, scientists, philosophers, artists, performers; campaign, charities and other non- profit organisations.

https://media.ccc.de/v/emf2018-94-why-the-world-needs-a-vagina-museum There is a penis museum, but no vagina equivalent. There's only one way to change that: Make one. Join the Vagina Museum as they talk about why we need one, their experiences researching vaginas, vulvas and all parts related, what would go in a museum about the gynaecological anatomy and the wonderful and strange reactions encountered whilst making the world's first physical vagina museum. The museum will have four permanent galleries: science, culture, society and history. The science section will cover topics from the anatomy to health, menstruation to menopause, contraception to consent, sexuality to gender identity. The culture collection will showcase the anatomy in the arts and their contribution to the discourse about our genitals, for example The Great Wall of Vagina or The Handmaid’s Tale. The society gallery will explore genitals’ place in society, e.g. religious rites surrounding menstruation, the practises of FGM, of which over 200 million people are living today suffering from, sexual violence and how these cases are dealt with in court. The history gallery will contain objects relating to the history of gynaecological medicine, contraception, menstrual products and sex work. There is a penis museum, but no vagina equivalent. There's only one way to change that: Make one. Join the Vagina Museum as they talk about why we need one, their experiences researching vaginas, vulvas and all parts related, what would go in a museum about the gynaecological anatomy and the wonderful and strange reactions encountered whilst making the world's first physical vagina museum. The museum will have four permanent galleries: science, culture, society and history. The science section will cover topics from the anatomy to health, menstruation to menopause, contraception to consent, sexuality to gender identity. The culture collection will showcase the anatomy in the arts and their contribution to the discourse about our genitals, for example The Great Wall of Vagina or The Handmaid’s Tale. The society gallery will explore genitals’ place in society, e.g. religious rites surrounding menstruation, the practises of FGM, of which over 200 million people are living today suffering from, sexual violence and how these cases are dealt with in court. The history gallery will contain objects relating to the history of gynaecological medicine, contraception, menstrual products and sex work. Florence Schechter