UAL LGBTQ+ History Month: Rainbow Trap with Kevin Guyan

Free and open to all.

As part of UAL’s LGBTQ+ History Month 2026 events programme, join us in conversation with Dr Kevin Guyan to discuss how we measure and consider representation in the arts.

'Rainbow Trap' reveals how the fight for LGBTQ+ equalities is shaped – and constrained – by the categories and classifications we encounter every day.

The book examines queer encounters with six different systems – stretching from quotas in the creative industries to the design of diversity monitoring forms – and highlights how the promise of inclusion requires LGBTQ people to locate themselves in an ever-growing list of classifications, categories and labels.

This requirement to be classified catches LGBTQ+ communities in a rainbow trap. Because when we look beyond the welcoming veneer of inclusive interventions, we uncover sorting processes that determine what LGBTQ+ lives are valued and what queer futures are possible.

The first 10 people to sign up for this event and attend in-person will receive a free copy of Kevin Guyan's 'Rainbow Trap', to be collected at the event.

Speaker

Dr Kevin Guyan is a writer and researcher whose work explores the intersection of data and identity. He is the author of Rainbow Trap: Queer Lives, Classifications and the Dangers of Inclusion (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025) and Queer Data: Using Gender, Sex and Sexuality Data for Action (Bloomsbury Academic, 2022).

Kevin is a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh and Director of the Gender + Sexuality Data Lab. Between 2021 and 2024, Kevin worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow on an international project investigating gender equity policies in the film and TV industry.

Image credit: @danielmcgowanphotography

Registration is essential for external guests to enter the building for the event. UAL staff and students must bring their staff or student card.

Information for arriving at the event and room location will be emailed to registered attendees before the event.

Banner image credit: LGBTQ+ Zine making and photography workshop, 2023, London College of Communication, UAL Photograph Yana Kasa

Accessibility:London College of Communication strives to provide an inclusive and accessible environment for our students and visitors. For full access and route guides for our building, please view our AccessAble accessibility guide.

You can share any access requirements when you register for the event. You can also email EDI@arts.ac.uk

Find us:London College of Communication is located in Elephant and Castle. The College is based on a single site, within easy reach of various parts of the city and well served by tube, bus and rail networks. The event will take place on the third floor with step-free access and facilities throughout the building. Find out more about getting here on Find Us page.

Filming and Photography: Please note that filming and photography may be taking place at this event. Both bigger crowds, smaller groups and individuals may be captured on camera. All imagery and footage may at some point be published on the College website, social media channels, and in print.