Backlash: A new era of policing women & queer people [Radical Book Fair]

Please check ticket info for this event below, incl. information about access.

New laws and political policies are taking us back to a time we fought hard to free ourselves from.

Every win from the #MeToo movement to Equality Act, trans visibility to reproductive justice is facing pushback, insideously through our courtrooms, quietly through our schools and violently in our streets. Marginalised communities are facing increased policing, reduced legal protections, and heightened precarity.

We're joined by acclaimed human rights lawyer Keio Yoshida to examine what is really happening.

How do we engage with the Andrew Tate phenomenon for instance? How do we address the legal problems that continue to contribute to the violence and discrimination that the international LGBTQ+ population experiences on a daily basis?

Yoshida and Simmons draw from their own experiences and have delved into archives, courtroom decisions, and political histories to examine our current political moment and draw inspiration for how we make the future better for all of us.

-- Our Speakers --

Dr Keio Yoshida is an international human rights lawyer and barrister. Keio is the co-author of Silenced Women (Octopus, 2024) and co-editor of Feminist Conversations on Peace (Bristol University Press, 2022). In February 2025, Keio was named by Attitude magazine as one of the 101 LGBTQ+ trailblazers ranking as top 10 in the area of law and business.

Jake Hall (chair) (they/them) is an author and journalist who has been writing about intersectionality and queer culture for over a decade and who has written extensively for publications like British Vogue, The Independent, Pink News, Dazed, i-D, VICE, Refinery29 and Slate.

Please note Cécile Simmons is no longer able to attend this event, we are working on having a digital contribution from the author!

*Please note that masks will be required at this event (as with all Lighthouse events).

*Accessibility: All events will be professionally filmed & livestreamed. The Roxy is wheelchair accessible (including toilets) and we'll have provisions for neurodivergent guests including stims, quiet space and colour-coded lanyards.

*Events are £5 or free -we completely understand paying for one or two events and then getting free spots for others. The Radical Book Fair is entirely bookshop run and ticket sales are vital to keeping the fair sustainable and paying all our speakers so all support is heartily welcome!

*Featured books: The book & ticket option will select the most recently published book at any given event, if you’re not sure which book you want or don’t want that featured book, then buy a £5 voucher ticket that can be used for any of the books below. There are also DONATION TICKETS which are £10, listed as a 'book', please note these are not redeemable at the fair, and rather a much appreciated contribution to the Fair's running costs,

*If you'd like to help make the book fair accessible to more folks, please consider adding to our pay-it-forward fund HERE.